This was a very last minute trip, we decided about three days prior that we wanted to make the 7 hour trek north to visit the Ouachita National Forest and Hot Springs National Park. Our friends Tim and Lauren were convinced to join us with the allure of getting to spend 14 hours in the car over just 2 days. But it was well worth it. Our first night was spent in Hot Springs National Park which was one of the strangest National Parks I’ve been to. It’s not really a park at all but a town with a bunch of historic old buildings and bathhouses. We didn’t have much time to explore the park but we did grab some beer and dinner at the only brewery in a National Park, the Superior Bathhouse Brewery. The following morning we drove about an hour west of Hot Springs to the Ouachita National Forest (pronounced ‘watch-it-aaa’). The route we hikes was a small portion of the Eagle Rock Loop called the Winding Stairs which we had been told was the prettiest section of the loop. It did not disappoint.