Please click here to jump to Pricing within the Overview section that includes all tour details.

Hot Springs National Park & The Four Lakes: Highlights

Exploring the heart of Arkansas, we start and end in the heart of Hot Springs, home of the Hot Springs National Park. This area was protected in 1832, 40 years before the formation of Yellowstone, with ample opportunity to explore the town, bathhouses, and everything else this historic site has to offer. Getting out of the city, we explore the four lakes area, staying on beautiful, pristine lakes, as well as exploring the rolling countryside of rural Arkansas along quiet country roads. Along the way we will stop at sites like Crater of Diamonds State Park and Degray Lake State Park, seeing the natural beauty that the area has to offer.

Hot Springs National Park & The Four Lakes: Dates

Potential tour dates are listed below and not all tour dates will run. Lock in your preferred tour date early as unopened tour dates will be closed. Please see the Spring/Autumn Tour Calendar and the Summer Tour Calendar for confirmed departures. Any unopened date can be a Custom Week (9 riders required). Please contact us via email or call 970.728.5891

2026 Tour Dates

• October 25 to 30, 2026 (Book Now!)

Tour Status Notes: NO STATUS = Date Set, no riders have signed up. TOUR OPENED = Tour Opened, rider minimums not met. TOUR A GO! = Tour is Go, rider minimums met. SOLD OUT = Tour Full, rider maximums met.

Why Should You Sign Up Now And OPEN A Tour Date?
This is the proverbial chicken and the egg conundrum! We need our cyclists to first commit to the date that works for them so we can commit to that date.

When you OPEN a date, you get to pick your preferred departure and there is no penalty if the tour does not run. Once you pick your tour date, Lizard Head closes nearby dates and funnels all additional riders to your chosen date until the tour meets the rider minimum. Don't wait. Just do it!

BONUS: As an added bonus, we can also hold a spot for you on another tour date of your choosing. There is no fee to switch to another tour date.

NOTE: In anticipation and encouragement of future tour sign-ups prior to reaching the tour minimum, the Lizard Head Cycling website may be updated to show TOUR A GO prior to actual tour confirmation. Even if the website says that the tour is a GO, please wait for your official Email Confirmation before booking non-refundable travel reservations.

Hot Springs National Park & The Four Lakes: Overview

Tour Length: 6 Days Cycling/5 Nights Lodging

Meeting/Ending Town: Little Rock, Arkansas. Guests fly into Clinton (Little Rock) National Airport (LIT) and shuttle with Lizard Head to our night 1 lodging.

Total Miles: 180 to 250 miles (additional mileage options available)

Ability Levels: Intermediate (2/3) to Upper Intermediate (3) to Advanced (3/4)

Tour Cost: $3,790 per person with shared accommodations. Add $595 per person to this Tour Cost for a private room each night of the tour (5-Nights).

Tour Discounts: Please see our Reptile Rewards & Tour Discounts page to learn more about Reptile Rewards, Tour Discounts, and Group Discounts. Tour discounts are not stackable with any other discounts or promotions – only the highest valued discount is provided. Please note that for discounts to apply the tour minimum must be met.

Tour Includes: 6-Days guide service, 5-Nights lodging, all meals (except for 1 dinner and 1 breakfast), daily lunch en route, entrance fees, energy food, liquid refreshments, in-tour shuttles, and mechanical support. Alcoholic beverages and bike rental are additional.

Non-Riding Spouses & Partners on Tour: If a non-riding spouse or partner would like to join you on tour, and they have their own transportation, they can stay in your room for the cost of the tour's single room supplement. Drivers of personal vehicles are responsible for their own park entrance passes when needed. We cover park entrance fees for cyclists. Please note that non-riders cannot check into hotels prior to guide arrival as the guides need to manage the check-in process. Checking in a large group can be challenging and take longer than normal, so non-riders need to hang back and be patient. Non-riding spouses and partners are welcome to join the Lizard Head meal plan, which includes breakfasts and dinners for $75 per day. Note: Lunches are not included for non-riders driving their own vehicles due to the inherent variability of both lunch timing and locations. Non-riders should plan to explore each day.

Includes 5 Nights Lodging: (subject to change)

• Night 1: Hotel Hale, Hot Springs, AR
• Night 2: DeGray Lake Resort State Park, Bismarck, AR
• Night 3: Diamonds Old West Hotel, Murfreesboro, AR
• Nights 4 & 5: Hotel Hale, Hot Springs, AR

Meeting Hotel and Ending Hotel reservations and costs are NOT included unless specified otherwise. Guests are on their own to make reservations at the Meeting Hotel or Ending Hotel, or other nearby hotels.

Road Bike Rentals

The make, model, and specifications of rental bikes may differ from what is described below. Please contact us if you have any specific needs or have any questions about our rental bikes.

Lizard Head Cycling Guides is proud to rent Scott Bikes. The Scott Addict 10 Disc was designed from the ground up with those longer days in mind. With geometry that is less focused on racing and more on enduring, the Addict 10 will be your go-to when you’re looking to put the miles in.

The Scott Addict 10 Disc features: Carbon Frame and Fork, Shimano Ultegra 2x11 Drivetrain, 34x32 Compact Gearing, 30mm Tires, and Hydraulic Disc Brakes. Approx. Weight: 16.89 lbs / 7.66 kg (without pedals)

Road E-Bike Rentals

Click Here for more information on our Road E-Bike Rentals, including pricing. E-Bike rental availability is limited, so please reserve early. Although E-Bikes are great, our tours were originally designed to be ridden without motorized assistance. We keep our cyclists together with a variety of techniques, including staggered starts and "bumps" along the road.

If you have any further questions, please read more on our Rental Bikes FAQ page. You can also email us at info@lizardheadcyclingguides.com or call us at 970.728.5891

☛ Learn more about our Rental Bikes and Equipment

Overall Route Map

Below is an example of the daily routes for this tour, which are subject to change based on season, available accommodations, road closures, and other factors. The actual routes will be made available to registered participants before their tour, so please view these routes as a general outline of what to expect.

Hot Springs National Park & The Four Lakes: Itinerary*

*PLEASE NOTE: Tour itineraries are subject to change and modification based on the group, available accommodations, road construction, road closures, and other unforeseen circumstances including weather, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes, landslides and/or other acts of nature. Also, the distances and elevation profiles shown below may not reflect the actual distances and elevations while on tour as these are provided here to give an idea as to the anticipated mileage and terrain. Please view this itinerary, the distances, and elevation profiles as a general outline of what to expect while on this tour.

Day 1: Tour of Hot Springs
26 miles with up to 2,620 feet of climbing

We start our tour with a tour meeting at an airport hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, at the Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport, where we will shuttle to our base of Hot Springs, AR. This is the home of the Hot Springs National Park, and a local hub for cycling of all sorts. Once we arrive, we will get set up with our bicycles. From the heart of Hot Sprinds, we will do our first ride of the trip, around 20 miles, exploring the hills and local roads, ending at our hotel for the night. This will give us a chance to catch some views of the town, and see Bathhouse Row in all its glory. We will have dinner in town and stay at Hotel Hale, located at an easy walking distance from many attractions in town.

Day 2: Hot Springs to DeGray State Park
32 miles with up to 1,860 feet of climbing

After a short visit in Hot Springs, we will be heading south to start our journey in the Four Lakes area. We will cross over Lake Hamilton on our way to Lake DeGray, where we will be staying at the DeGray Lake Resort State Park, where we can enjoy what the resort has to offer, and enjoy the beauty of the lake. This journey south is over 30 miles, starting on the Hot Springs Creek Greenway Trail, and meandering on to quieter roads once we get out of town

Day 3: DeGray to Murfreesboro
40-miles and up to 63 miles with up to 2,720 feet of climbing

After having some time in the morning to enjoy beautiful Lake Degray, our route today will take us further south, and west, to the small town of Murfreesboro. Along the way, there will be some opportunity to ride some gravel roads, or options to jump ahead to the pavement. From there, we will make a quick pitstop to the grave of Glen Campbell, a true American Country Icon, and ride through the small town of Billstown, Arkansas where he was born and raised. Right before we enter the town of Murfreesboro, we will make another stop at the Crater of Diamonds State Park to try our hand at striking it rich. After our attempts at wealth, we will turn North now, and head to our lodging for the night.

Day 4: Mount Ida to Blue Springs
44 miles with up to 2,430 feet of climbing

Continuing our loop of the Four Lakes area, we take a shuttle to the north to the Mountain Biking town of Mount Ida for some breakfast, and a launch pad for our ride back towards Hot Springs. This will take us to the north of Lake Ouachita, the largest lake completely in Arkansas, as we continue our trip back east. Our ride will end on the outskirts of Hot Springs Village at a local Bakery, which is located around 20 miles north of Hot Springs. From there, we will shuttle back into Hot Springs to return to our original hotel from the first night. We will stay here for the next two nights, so time to unpack and get comfortable.

Day 5: Hot Springs South and Lake Catherine State Park
44 miles with up to 2,530 feet of climbing

This is a day of choices, with an optional ride to the south, or a great day to explore town and enjoy the local Bathhouses. The ride is a loop to the south around Jack Mountain following quieter paved roads, with mileages up into the 40s if desired. There will be a stop at Lake Catherine State Park, with opportunities to go swimming, or just have a snack and enjoy the lake. From here, we will head back into town before having our last dinner together as a group at a local restaurant within walking distance of our hotel.

Day 6: Hot Springs Loop
43 miles with up to 2,160 feet of climbing

The final ride. We depart from our hotel to do a local favorite loop, over 40 miles of quiet paved roads that cruise through the countryside before snaking back into town. From here, we will pack up and prepare for a shuttle back to the airport in Little Rock.

Hot Springs National Park & The Four Lakes: Logistics & FAQs

Bike Shipping

Lizard Head Cycling recommends shipping with BikeFlights.com. Bikes can be shipped either to our partner bike shop in each meeting town for professional assembly or directly to the meeting hotel for self-assembly. Bike boxes can generally be left at the meeting hotel during the tour. Bikes shipped across the continental US should be shipped 8 days prior to your tour.

General Tour & Cancellation Policies

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with all of our tour and cancellation policies, which can be found by clicking here.

Travel Insurance

If you have not already, now would be a great time to consider adding travel insurance to your tour. You are welcome to use any travel insurance company you would like. We recommend Generali/Trip Mate.

American Guests - use this link: http://www.generalitravelinsurance.com/get-a-quote.html?partner=LIZA0855

• The Premium Plan is the only plan which offers Pre-Existing coverage so long as the plan is purchased prior to Final Payment.
• The Premium Plan is the only plan that offers an optional Cancel For Any Reason - the policy must be purchased within 24 hours of initial trip deposit, the full trip cost must be insured, and if they cancel for Any Reason, it must be 48 hours prior to departure, and the reimbursement for an Any Reason claim is 60% of pre-paid, insured, non-refundable trip cost.
• Customer Service can be reached at 1-800-874-2442 for coverage questions and policy modifications or to purchase by phone. Agency Code: LIZA0855

Canadian Guests - use this link: https://tripmate.catravelins.ca/?utm_source=lizardhead