Hot Springs National Park
Hot Springs follows the standard EXPLORE Act rules; permitted shoots use a short-form application emailed to the park, and the park itself is woven into a working downtown.
Guidance, not legal advice
Drone Authority
Check the flight side
Rules answer the ground-photo side. Drone Authority handles the NPS flight ban, airspace, and legal flying nearby.
Permit
Conditional
Issuer: Hot Springs National Park permits office (hosp_permits@nps.gov)
Cost: Fee varies, see the park permit page; location and cost-recovery fees apply when a permit is required
Processing: Contact the park ahead of any shoot that may need a permit
Groups of eight or fewer with hand-carried gear in public areas, without exclusive use or added cost to the park, need no permit under the EXPLORE Act. Permitted shoots download the filming and still photography short-form application and email it to hosp_permits@nps.gov.
Drone / airspace
Effectively banned: launching, landing, or operating a drone within park boundaries is prohibited
NPS Policy Memorandum 14-05 directs each superintendent to close the park to drone use under 36 CFR 1.5. For airspace, Part 107, and legal flying nearby, see Drone Authority.
Street / public space
Yes for personal and editorial photography throughout the park
Bathhouse Row fronts a city street; the park boundary and the city of Hot Springs interleave, so adjacent sidewalks and businesses may be city or private property.
Practical notes
- Bathhouse Row is the signature subject and it is architectural work: interiors like the Fordyce bathhouse museum are indoor, tripod-unfriendly spaces at busy times, so ask staff before setting up.
- The Grand Promenade behind Bathhouse Row gives elevated angles on the historic facades without traffic in frame.
- Steam off the open thermal features reads best in cold morning air.
Sources
Keep shooting
Knowing the rules is half the job. The craft side: