Thermal Jug Fountain (Hot Springs National Park)

Hot Springs, Arkansas (Garland County)

By the HotSpringsFind editorial team · How we compile records · Reviewed September 2026

View only — no soaking

This is one of Hot Springs National Park's free downtown thermal jug fountains on Reserve Street — a public tap dispensing ~143F spring water for drinking and jug-filling year-round; it is a water-filling stop, not a soaking site (bathing happens at the commercial bathhouses on Bathhouse Row).

NPS — Reserve Street Jug Fountain (Hot): in front of Administration Bldg at 101 Reserve St; water averages 143F/62C

Field notes — checked September 2026

Hazard: 143F discharge — scalding if touched directly
Hazard: Urban site — normal city precautions
NOT A SOAKING SITE — it is a drinking-water fountain (~143F/62C) where locals and visitors fill jugs for free; Hot Springs NP has NO outdoor soaking springs
Water comes out at ~143F — let it cool before drinking; do not touch bare skin to the spout flow
Multiple jug fountains exist: NPS Admin Building (101 Reserve St), Libbey Memorial Physical Medicine Center (500 Reserve St), and city-run Hill Wheatley Plaza (629 Central Ave); the dataset coords match the OSM 'Thermal Water Jug Fountain' node on Reserve St at the south end of Bathhouse Row
The Libbey jug fountain was closed indefinitely from Feb 26, 2024 for a damaged water line — check NPS alerts for current status of individual fountains
Open 24/7, free, no park entrance fee for Bathhouse Row area

Temp not reportedFree when open (reported)

Check access status Browse Arkansas springs

Current status

Spring

Open

Road

Open

Access

Public land

Soaking

Soaking prohibited

Water

Dangerously hot at source

Crowds

Busy weekends

Checked September 2026 · verified against an official source · 6 sources ↓

About this spring

VIEW-ONLY — not a soaking destination. A public drinking/jug-filling fountain in Hot Springs National Park dispensing ~143°F thermal spring water. NOT a soakable hot spring — the park's thermal fountains are for drinking and bottle-filling only, a tradition encouraged by the NPS since the springs were protected in 1832. Bathing is only available at commercial bathhouses on Bathhouse Row. Water is ~143°F — far too hot for immersion. Drinking fountain only; no soaking.

The thermal jug fountains of Hot Springs National Park continue a tradition Congress set up in 1832, when the springs were protected specifically so the water could be used — drinking it, as the park says, is "perfectly normal, even encouraged." The fountains dispense water that fell as rain more than 4,000 years ago and returns to the surface at an average of 143°F, far too hot for immersion but fine for filling jugs, which visitors do free of charge around the clock.

The best-known is the Libbey Jug Fountain on Reserve Street, in front of the Libbey Memorial Physical Medicine Center near the south end of Bathhouse Row; a second jug station stands by the park administration building, and decorative fountains (Noble, Shell, Dripping Spring) dot the Row itself. NPS analysis of the water lists modest dissolved minerals — silica, bicarbonate, and calcium dominate — plus a radon emanation of 43.3 picocuries per liter, a relic of the era when radioactivity was marketed as a health benefit. The stations are wheelchair accessible, and regulations prohibit reselling park water.

Directions & trailhead access

Access is restricted; do not use historical directions to plan a visit.

Arkansas geothermal context

Arkansas thermal water comes from fractured-rock recharge in the Ouachita Mountains, not volcanism — rainwater percolates thousands of feet down, warms, and rises along faults. Most of the famous flow is captured inside Hot Springs National Park's developed bathhouses rather than natural pools.

What a developed site means here

A developed site sits between primitive and resort: improved soaking infrastructure — built tubs, decks, stairs, sometimes changing rooms or vault toilets — often run by a land trust, nonprofit, or small operator. Expect modest fees or donation requests, posted etiquette rules, and more predictable conditions than a wild pool.

Fact sheet

Source temp (historical)	143°F
Trail access	Recorded coordinates — access unverified
Access fee	Reported free — verify locally
Geothermal data reference	NOAA Thermal Springs List (1980 archive)
Check land status	NPS — Reserve Street Jug Fountain (Hot): in front of Administration Bldg at 101 Reserve St; water averages 143F/62C