Editing Hot Spring County, Arkansas (section)

==Geography==
{{See also|Geography of Arkansas|Ouachita Mountains}}
Hot Spring County is located in [[Southwest Arkansas]], a region composed of the Ouachita Mountains, deep valleys, and the [[Arkansas Timberlands]]. Hot Spring County is mostly within the mountainous segment of the region, mostly covered in hardwood and pine forests. One of the six primary geographic regions of Arkansas, the Ouachitas are a mountainous subdivision of the [[U.S. Interior Highlands]].<ref name="eoc" >{{ Cite encyclopedia |title= Hot Spring County |url= http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=774 |encyclopedia= [[Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture]] |publisher= Butler Center for Arkansas Studies at the Central Arkansas Library System |date= July 20, 2016 |first= Jennifer |last= Atkins-Gordeeva |author2= Staff |access-date= January 2, 2017 }}</ref> The [[Ouachita River]] roughly divides the county.<ref name="hot">{{Cite map|author=|publisher=Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department|title=General Highway Map, Hot Spring County, Arkansas|url=http://www.arkansashighways.com/maps/Counties/County%20PDFs/HotSpringCounty.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922155941/http://arkansashighways.com/maps/Counties/County%20PDFs/HotSpringCounty.pdf|archive-date=September 22, 2010|url-status=live|location=Little Rock|format=PDF|date=May 12, 2008|scale=1:62500|access-date=January 8, 2017}}</ref> According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|622.16|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|614.94|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|7.22|sqmi}} (1.16%) is water.<ref name="area" />

The county is located approximately {{convert|47|mi|km}} southwest of [[Little Rock, Arkansas|Little Rock]], {{convert|170|mi|km}} northeast of [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]], [[Louisiana]], and {{convert|277|mi|km}} northeast of [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]], [[Texas]].{{#tag:ref|Mileages from Hot Spring County to Little Rock, Shreveport, and Dallas are based on highway miles using county seat Malvern for Hot Spring County.<ref>{{cite web
  |title=Google Maps (Search for Malvern, AR)
  |url= https://www.google.com/maps/search/malvern,+ar/@36.1241218,-94.2128377,14z
  |access-date= January 8, 2017 }}</ref>
|group=Note}} Hot Spring County is surrounded by six counties, including the Ouachitas, Central Arkansas, and [[Arkansas Delta|Lower Arkansas Delta]], due to its short and wide shape. The county neighbors [[Garland County, Arkansas|Garland County]] to the north, [[Saline County, Arkansas|Saline County]] in the northeast corner, [[Grant County, Arkansas|Grant County]] to the east, [[Dallas County, Arkansas|Dallas County]] to the southeast, [[Clark County, Arkansas|Clark County]] to the south, and a small portion with [[Montgomery County, Arkansas|Montgomery County]] in the northwest.

===Protected areas===
Hot Spring County contains two [[List of Arkansas state parks|state park]]s, [[DeGray Lake Resort State Park]] and [[Lake Catherine State Park]], and two [[List of Arkansas Wildlife Management Areas|Wildlife Management Area]] (WMA), DeGray Lake WMA, and Jack Mountain WMA maintained by the [[Arkansas Game and Fish Commission]]. The county also contains {{convert|320|acre|ha}} of [[Ouachita National Forest]] managed by the [[National Forest Service]].

[[File:DeGray Lake, Arkansas.jpg|left|thumb|DeGray Lake Resort State Park]]
DeGray Lake Resort State Park is a {{convert|984|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} in southwest Hot Spring County, and Arkansas's only resort state park. The 94-room DeGray Lodge and Convention Center includes a restaurant and 18-hole championship rated golf course. Traditional state park amenities for camping, hiking, fishing, boating, picnic tables, and horseback riding are also offered. The park is owned and operated by the [[Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism]] (ADPT). DeGray Lake WMA essentially bounds the portions of lake shoreline not bounded by the state park. The land is owned by the [[United States Army Corps of Engineers]] (USACE) and extends into Clark County.<ref>{{cite web |title= Wildlife Management Area Details |work= DeGray Lake WMA |url= http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=173 |publisher= Arkansas Game and Fish Commission |location= Little Rock |year= 2017 |access-date= March 5, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170306132155/http://www.agfc.com/hunting/Pages/wmaDetails.aspx?show=173 |archive-date= March 6, 2017 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

Near Malvern, Lake Catherine State Park is a small state park on the west side of Lake Catherine. The park offers 20 cabins, including five [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] cabins of natural wood and stone built in the 1930s, and 70 campsites. In summer, the parks offers a marina, boat rental, visitor center, guided tours, nature center and horseback trail rides.