Best Natural Swimming Holes, Including My Adirondack Favorites
Katherine Butler over at Greenopia put together a list of a the 7 Best Natural Swimming Holes in America.
The list includes:
- Bristol Falls, Vermont
- Kauai, Hawaii
- Alsea Falls, Oregon
- Rainbow River, Florida
- San Marcos River, Texas
- Aqua Caliente Canyon, Arizona
- Stowe, Vermont
Swimming holes are not typically something I seek out by themselves, but I do enjoy a nice swim at the end of (or during) a long hike.
A few of my personal favorites are in the Adirondacks, along the Northville Placid trail:
Big Eddy
Big Eddy is a large pool on the Cold River where the water swirls back on itself after a very small drop/falls. It has a lot of exposure to the sun, but river conditions seem to dictate how “pool like” Big Eddy is. Some years I’ve seen it flow a little too fast. But if you catch it at the right time, and the weather is nice, it can be a real treat.
Duck Hole Dam
Technically not a swim hole, and definitely not ‘natural’, but Duck Hole and its Dam create an invigorating “swim” opportunity that is hard to pass up. As the waters cascade over the top of the dam it creates a small pool that you can wade into. Get close enough to the dam and it is like standing under a water fall. However, I must caution that this dam has fallen into disrepair and many feel it is likely to collapse soon. The DEC has resisted fixing it due to fiscal issues and concerns over the Adirondack’s Forever Wild clause, but I recently heard that an engineer’s assessment deemed it stable enough to consider a restoration effort.
Wanika Falls
Wanika Falls forms a small pool at its base which can be very refreshing… and by refreshing I mean… COLD! It is still a great experience and worth checking out. This is a small area and is within overnight reach of Lake Placid, so on popular weekends your chances of solitude while visiting the falls is slim. However, when we’ve hiked past it on weekdays it has been empty.
Honorable Mention: Kelly’s Point, Long Lake
Long Lake would never be considered a “swim hole”, but Kelly’s Point offers some of my favorite swimming along any hiking trail in the Adirondacks. It has an outcrop of rocks that hang over a relatively calm section of the lake. The water next to the rocks is deep enough to jump in without worry of hitting bottom, and calm enough to have a relaxing float. The area also gets solid sunlight throughout the day and there are lean-tos and camping spots nearby. The only downside of this spot is that it is popular with boaters, so on busy weekends you are likely to be sharing it with others.
