Pisgah National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
590 acres2.4 mi of trail
Appalachian TrailSquirrel Gap Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto Trailhead Parking
Photo: Hot Springs Tourism & Welcome Center · CC BY-SA 4.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Hot Springs
Few parks or trails are on the map in Hot Springs
The biggest trail networks: Pisgah National Forest (2.4 mi). 31% of Hot Springs’ land is conserved, about 580 acres. 3.0 miles of mapped trail cross Hot Springs, 1.0 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
31%
580 acres · of 2.9 sq mi of land
Trails
3.0 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
1
1 boat launch
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Pisgah National Forest, with 2.4 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
580 conserved acres
31% of Hot Springs’ land. Water is left out: Hot Springs has 2.9 square miles of land and 0.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hot Springs’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service580 ac
National Forest · 580 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pisgah National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 580 | Open |
Things to do
5 places to go in Hot Springs
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hot Springs
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Hot Springs
Nantahala Outdoor Center Boat Launch
DirectionsWaterfalls in Hot Springs
Needles FallsIn Pisgah National Forest
DirectionsSpring Creek FallsIn Pisgah National Forest
DirectionsCampgrounds in Hot Springs
Hot Springs Campground
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails and 1 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.7 mi
Appalachian Trail1.9 mi
Squirrel Gap Trail0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →5 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Hot Springs: April, May and August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.0 | 10.8 | 11.9 | 13.1 | 14.0 | 14.6 | 14.4 | 13.5 | 12.4 | 11.2 | 10.2 | 9.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 52 | 60 | 70 | 77 | 84 | 86 | 85 | 80 | 70 | 59 | 50 |
| Rain (in) | 3.7 | 3.4 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.1 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
October is the driest month (2.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 4.9 inches fall in July, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 86 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Hot Springs →
Questions about parks and trails in Hot Springs
Where can I hike in Hot Springs?
The longest trail networks: Pisgah National Forest, 2.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Hot Springs’ trails?
Pisgah National Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hot Springs?
37,027 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hot Springs or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 596 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Hot Springs neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →