Memorial Day Weekend @ The Park (Hot Springs Off Road Park)

Memorial Day Weekend at The Park at Hot Springs Off Road Park turns the Ouachita Mountains into a focused meet-up for off-road drivers who want real terrain and a well-run holiday schedule. Just outside downtown Hot Springs, Arkansas and close to Lake Hamilton, the 1,242-acre property gives you room to roam without losing the structure that keeps a busy weekend moving. You get open trail access alongside organized programming, with rigs arriving from across the southern United States.

You come for the 50 miles of trails, mapped from beginner-friendly routes to expert rock crawling. Expect steady action on well-known lines like Fun Run and Rubicon Ridge, plus club-led rides where you can watch serious builds work through technical sections. If you are traveling without a rig, the park’s side-by-side rentals keep you in the mix, and the family-oriented setup makes it easy to split time between trail hours and evenings in town for Hot Springs dining.

Plan your weekend around a simple rhythm. Friday is for registration and early trail access so you can scout and get your bearings. Saturday centers on the poker run, with checkpoints spread across the park and prizes at the finish, so arriving by 8:00 AM helps you clear check-in before the morning surge. Sunday shifts to dedicated club meetups, including Broncos United Mid-South and the Quad State Jeep Club, with group rides and practical shop talk, then nightly campsite and fire pit socials to trade lines and recovery stories.

Come prepared for late-May conditions and mountain logistics. If you want advanced trails, confirm your vehicle is equipped for typical minimums such as 33-inch tires and recovery gear, and carry plenty of water plus a quality dust mask when it dries out. Download offline maps or bring a handheld GPS since cellular coverage drops in deep valleys. Rain does not close the park, but wet surfaces can raise trail difficulty, and if capacity is reached, entry may be staggered for safety. For lodging, book early for on-site camping or RV spots, or base yourself in downtown Hot Springs or near Lake Hamilton through Lake.com. Leashed dogs are allowed, trailer parking is available, and trail passes plus event registration fees apply per vehicle and passenger, so confirm current rates on the official park site.