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Your guide to over 1,000 beautiful, natural places for a dip in the US and Canada. A refreshing swimming hole or warming hot spring in a river, creek, spring or waterfall is the perfect complement to your favorite outdoor activity - be it hiking, camping, canoeing, tubing, rafting or just exploring. Come back and visit us often, we are always adding new places.
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667,000 VISITORS TO THIS PAGE IN 2008 - 13 YEARS ON THE WEB
Are you a camper?  Have a look our new "sister" site www.USCampgrounds.info Guide to ALL US Public Campgrounds.

NOTE: AS OF 6/20/2009, GOOGLE MAP LINKS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY.  IF YOU GO TO A GOOGLE MAP, IGNORE THE RED PIN, CLICK  "SEARCH MAPS" AT THE TOP OF GOOGLE MAPS THEN THE GREEN ARROW SHOULD INDICATE THE CORRECT LOCATION.  OTHER WEB SITES HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM. WE ARE WORKING TO FIGURE IT OUT.

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SAFETY FIRST!

Do not go in if you see any tree branches or other debris in the water. Do not let peer pressure get you into a situation you cannot deal with. Each time, wade in gradually and check the current as you go. Do not jump in until you have checked both the depth AND the current first. NEVER dive in head first.

Large rivers have hidden currents below the surface - assume large rivers are NEVER safe to swim regardless of how calm they look on the surface.

PLEASE, NEVER, EVER:
  • Dive headfirst (paralysis, death)
  • Swim alone
  • Drink alcohol and swim
  • Go barefoot (glass, sharp rocks)
  • Stand directly under a water fall (rocks wash over falls)
  • Swim in upper pools of a waterfall (you wash over falls)
  • Climb above or alongside a waterfall (many deaths from this)
  • Try to stand up in strong currents (feet get trapped in bottom rocks and current holds you down.) Instead, float on your back with feet downstream until current subsides.

    FOLLOW THESE ADDED CAUTIONS:
  • Don't put your hands or feet into places you can't see (snake dangers)
  • Be careful when on a rope swing (rope dangers)
  • Be careful when swimming where alligators may be present (alligator safety)

    FOR YOUR HEALTH:
  • A very rare but sometimes fatal aomeba infection has occured in Florida waters recently where stagnant mud on the bottom of warm water is stirred up and gets into a person's nasal passages. Avoid waters like this - but if you go you should: 1) not submerge your head, 2) wear a nose clip, 3) pinch your nose closed if you jump into the water. THIS PRECAUTION SHOULD BE FOLLOWED WITH ALL NATURAL HOT SPRINGS AS WELL!
  • If the water runs through farms, pastures or developed areas, do not get it in your mouth, eyes, ears or nose. 
  • If you get in poison ivy, put some rubbing alcohol on a tissue and wipe the skin as soon as possible.
  • DISCLAIMERS:

    SAFETY

    Swimming in natural places can be dangerous. There are risks to life, limb and health involved. Caution can minimize but not eliminate these risks. The Webmasters assume no responsibility for sickness, injury or death resulting from use of information contained herein.
    LEGALITY

    Much of the information on this web site is derived from other sources - such as hiking and travel books, magazine articles, publications, emails from visitors and other Internet sites. Our intent is to relay this information as accurately as possible; we do not direct the public to use these swimming holes. The existence of private property or other matters of legality may have been inadvertently omitted or may be inexact in some cases. We are not able to do an on-site visit to each place, and even when we do property ownership or legality is sometimes not evident. It is not our intention to cause negative impacts to private property owners or to increase their liability. When this is brought to our attention by bona-fide sources, we act promptly to add this information to the listing or otherwise resolve the matter on a case-by-case basis.
    • WELCOME TO SPRING 2009
    Many swimming hole accidents are due to STRONG CURRENTS, which occur especially in the Spring! A swimming hole that is safe at low flows may be unsafe at high flows. Stop and think every time you go! Do not assume that, because it was safe last summer or last week, that it is safe now! If it looks unsafe for your skill level, DO NOT GO IN!
             --------------------------------------------------------------

    Remember the "old swimmin' hole"? Well, many are still there and they are still lots more fun and naturally beautiful than a chlorinated swimming pool!

    SwimmingHoles.info focuses on moving, fresh water spots - like creeks, rivers, springs and waterfalls. Also listed are some selected hot springs (in the west) and other swimming places on lakes, quarries or bays which have unique features that make them especially beautiful or fun for swimming. (Click on pictures below for listing.)
    CLICK HERE
    You may need to get into some cold water to enjoy many of these (but not the hot springs!), but the cold doesn't last while the warm memories of a swim in a beautiful setting certainly will.
    THE FINE PRINT: This web page is operated as a hobby only, with no income to the authors. The information presented is compiled from many sources with varying degrees of reliability. Local conditions also change over time. Accuracy of the information and the safety and legality of visiting these places cannot be assured. Our intent is to relay this information as accurately as possible; but we do not "direct" the public to use these swimming holes. Each visitor is personally responsible for safety and legality (including observance of private property) each time a place is visited. Also, inappropriate behavior continuously reduces our access to these special places - don't contribute to this tragic loss!
    RELATED LINKS
    See our HUGE collection of links to other web pages, books, articles and other information related to swimming places, hot springs, waterfalls, hiking, camping and other outdoor activities.
    NEW CLICK for a sample of fabulous swimming holes worldwide
    We have latitude and longitude in the listing for every swimming hole.  See GPS and GOOGLE MAPS TIPS for how to get these into your GPS.
     Do you visit several swimming holes in a couple of days as we do? Do you want to spread ROCK SNOT? We thought not! ABOUT ROCK SNOT Note the section on "Preventing the Spread".
     MISCELLANEOUS OUTDOOR AND TRAVEL ARTICLES BY THE WEBMASTERS
    ADOPT A SWIMMING HOLE
    Fun movies from YouTube:
    * SWIMMING HOLE MOVIES
    * HOT SPRINGS MOVIES
    * Good one of Sugar Hollow, VA
    If YouTube one of our places, send us a link!
    This summer, grab your map and GPS and join in the great American BLUE HOLE HUNT!
    SKINNY DIPPING INFO
    The real skinny on finding these places!
    WALDEN'S PONDS
    Swimming holes that are safe and fun for the whole family.
    CLICK HERE
    SOME SPECIAL PLACES
    Tube in a circle, swim with an alligator, dive into a waterfall!
    BEST SWIMMING HOLE SCENE IN A MOVIE:
    "A Walk On The Moon" (rated R). Rent it at your video store.
    ABOUT SWIMINGHOLES.INFO Learn more than you would ever want to know about the why, when and how of this web site.
    PRINTING TIPS
    This material is copyrighted but you can print from it for your own personal use.
    BEST SWIMMING HOLE DESCRIPTION IN A BOOK: "Little Altars Everywhere" by Rebecca Wells, see chapter titled: "Skinny Dipping". Borrow it at your local library.
    EXPLANATION OF TERMS
    clarification of our terms and descriptions.
    EMAIL US

    MAILBOX mail@swimmingholes.info If you have a new swimming hole or hot spring for us, or better information about one we have - PLEASE - Good directions are VERY important, refer to a MAP to give directions!

    COPYRIGHT

    All the material on this web site is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office (Registration Number TX6-245-508, Date 5/23/2005) and may not legally be reproduced except for personal use without permission of the WebMaster.
    Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Hillegass
    .

    ABOUT THE WEBMASTERS

     PHOTO OF TOM HILLEGASS

    Tom Hillegass has explored natural areas both near and far from his home in Alexandria, Virginia for over 35 years. With a patient wife and enthusiastic children, he has learned by experience how to have exciting (but comfortable) outdoor experiences. A pleasant swimming hole has cooled many a warm day for him. Tom is a retired engineer and a dabbler in idle pursuits far and wide; in the East- canoeing, hiking and camping; in the West - exploring deserts, mountains, river rafting and soaking in hot springs - and electric bass rock/blues whenever possible.

    PHOTO OF DAVE HAJDASZ

    Dave Hajdasz owns and operates a financial services firm in Connecticut. He's an avid outdoor enthusiast who has enjoyed exploring fun and unique places such as caves, waterfalls and remote forests for the past 25 years. He's an experienced rock climber, kayaker, hiker, mountain biker and trout fisherman, though he always manages to get in a bit of swimming no matter where he goes. He holds the unusual distinction of swimming in 12 different natural bodies of water (one each month) in New England during the course of a year.