Oertel Trail

This trail earns every inch of its former name — Dead Chief — with a climb that starts civilized and turns genuinely steep. You begin behind the grand Fordyce Bathhouse, ascending a theatrical stone staircase that feels more European promenade than national park trailhead. Once past the iron gate, the manicured veneer drops away and you're on a gravel-and-dirt path cutting through dense hardwood forest on the slopes of Hot Springs Mountain. The grade ramps up quickly in spots, the kind of pitches where you plant your hands on your knees and question your breakfast choices. But the canopy is generous with shade, and the forest feels surprisingly wild for being minutes from downtown. At roughly 1.4 miles one way, it connects to the ridge network above the thermal springs. This trail rewards hikers who like earning their views the hard way and don't mind a short but punchy workout sandwiched between history and forest.