Jones Fountain Of Life Spring

Lake County, California · Near Clearlake
39.0330°N, 122.4450°W · 1,721 ft
142°F 63°F air · Good soaking weather 1,721 ft Roadside Camping nearby (18.9 mi)
Very Hot Source, Use Extreme Caution

At 142°F, the source water at Jones Fountain Of Life Spring is hot enough to cause burns. Some hot springs this hot have cooler side pools or downstream areas suitable for soaking. Always test the water temperature before entering.

Jones Fountain Of Life Spring comes out scalding in Lake County about eleven miles from Clearlake, right beside a road. Whatever the name suggests, the water is too hot to touch. Nobody is on file as owner, and access goes unrecorded. The USGS sampled it as recently as 2015.

Location
12 miles from Clearlake Oaks, CA

Roadside, about two hundred feet from a road, unnamed in the record. The elevation is low, around seventeen hundred feet, with a wet-ish winter, twenty-odd inches of precipitation, and hardly any snow. Little Stony campground is nineteen miles off.

Best months on record run December through February. Do not put a hand in. Water this hot scalds at once. Ownership and access are both unknown, which for a roadside source means you may be standing on somebody's property the moment you leave the shoulder. The record has a picture of it. No fee shows.

History of Jones Fountain Of Life Spring

The USGS maintains a numbered monitoring site here and took a pH reading in November 2015, the only chemistry on file for the spring.

Terrain

Aircraft with laser scanners measured this ground to within inches. The scan strips out trees and buildings, leaving the bare shape of the land around Jones Fountain Of Life Spring.

Aerial view of the ground around Jones Fountain Of Life Spring LiDAR bare-earth view of the same ground around Jones Fountain Of Life Spring
Aerial LiDAR bare earth

Drag the handle to compare the two views. The orange dot marks the spring, in a frame about three quarters of a mile wide.

Setting
Hillside
The spring sits on a steep slope that climbs to the west.
Highest ground nearby
371 ft above the spring
Within a quarter mile, to the west
Cross-section through the spring

A slice through the ground from southwest to northeast, about 0.6 miles end to end.

Elevation data: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Aerial imagery: USGS The National Map. Public domain.

Heat Below
169 milliwatts per square meter of heat flow

That's about 2½ times the US average of 65. It's higher than at 96% of the springs on this site.

Heat flow measures the warmth working its way up through the ground from deep inside the earth. Where it runs high, rain and snowmelt that seep down through cracks in the rock come back up hot.

Heat flow estimate: Stanford Thermal Earth Model (Aljubran & Horne, 2024), CC BY 4.0.

Monthly Climate
46°
Jan
48°
Feb
50°
Mar
57°
Apr
64°
May
74°
Jun
79°
Jul
78°
Aug
73°
Sep
64°
Oct
52°
Nov
46°
Dec
Annual Precip: 21.9 in Annual Snow: 4.8 in
Best Time to Visit
December Air 46°F · Water 142°F · +97° contrast
January Air 46°F · Water 142°F · +96° contrast
February Air 48°F · Water 142°F · +94° contrast
December offers 34°F more contrast than July
Current Conditions
63°F
SW 3.6 mph 51% Good soaking weather
Today 86° Low 57° Sunny
Spring is +56° warmer
Wednesday 78° Low 55° Sunny 7% precip
Spring is +64° warmer
Thursday 78° Low 61° Sunny
Spring is +64° warmer
Friday 87° Low 64° Sunny
Spring is +55° warmer
Saturday 87° Low 64° Sunny
Spring is +55° warmer
Water Chemistry Sampled 2015-11-16

The water at Jones Fountain Of Life Spring is slightly acidic (pH 6.7).

pH 6.7 Slightly Acidic
pH influences mineral absorption through skin
Where to Stay

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Nearby Camping
Little Stony 18.9 mi away

Overview This location is available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Visitors are required to physically arrive at the campground to purchase and claim a site.Once on-site, you are able to pay for your campsite(s) by scanning a QR code using the Recreation.gov mobile app, and the Scan and Pay feature.In order to utilize Scan & Pay on site, you will need to first download the free Recreation.gov mobile app https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app prior to your arrival as some remote area...

Reservable Yes
Reserve on Recreation.gov →
Temperature
142°F
Warm Hot Boiling
Water Temp 142°F (61°C)
Avg Air Temp 61°F
Above Ambient +81°F
Great soaking conditions September
Access
Road Access Roadside
Distance to Road 205 ft
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the water temperature at Jones Fountain Of Life Spring?
Jones Fountain Of Life Spring has a water temperature of 142°F (61°C). This is considered a hot spring, well above body temperature.
Where is Jones Fountain Of Life Spring located?
Jones Fountain Of Life Spring is located in Lake County, California at 1,721 feet elevation, near Clearlake. Coordinates: 39.0330°N, 122.4450°W.
How do I get to Jones Fountain Of Life Spring?
Jones Fountain Of Life Spring has Roadside road access (205 ft from the road).
Can I camp near Jones Fountain Of Life Spring?
Yes, Little Stony is located nearby (18.9 miles away).
What minerals are in the water at Jones Fountain Of Life Spring?
Water chemistry analysis shows the presence of pH. The pH is 6.7 (slightly acidic).
Is it safe to soak at Jones Fountain Of Life Spring?
No, not at the source. The water at Jones Fountain Of Life Spring reaches 142°F, which can cause severe burns within seconds. Look for cooled side pools or downstream stretches, and test with a hand before anything else.
Sources: USGS NWIS