The area, part of which became the park, drew interest from Mohawk and Iroquois Native American tribes for its hunting and mineral springs.

[4] The first recorded use of the springs was by Sir William Johnson during the French and Indian War, who was brought to Saratoga to recover from wounds.

Entrepreneurs dug wells and bottled the mineral water for sale and gas companies sold the carbonation to soda fountains.

In 1909, governor Charles Evans Hughes signed into law a bill that made the springs of Saratoga a state reservation.

It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, for its natural and architectural features, and for its role as the subject of early conservation measures.

Instead, Saratoga's "spouters" spring up due to the pressure of pockets of carbonic gas trapped beneath deep layers of shale.

[11] The famous mineral springs arise from fissures in the Saratoga Fault, which runs 65 miles (105 km) from Whitehall to Albany.

The Saratoga Performing Arts Center, located on the state park grounds, has been the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York City Ballet since 1966.

Saratoga Spa State Park offers a variety of recreational opportunities, some of which require small admission fees.