Best swimming holes across the USA
— -- In the dog days of summer, nothing beats a leap, wild and free, into a good old-fashioned swimming hole. Grab your swimsuit and head for the river. We've rounded up 10 refreshing pools where you can float behind plunging waterfalls, swan dive from rocky ledges, ride through chutes, and find skinny-dipping seclusion. C'mon in. The water's fine.
Sliding Rock, Pisgah National Forest
N.C.
Break out your old cutoff jeans shorts for this 60-foot natural waterslide just off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Asheville. Each minute 11,000 gallons of water pour over a huge, mostly smooth boulder and into a seven-foot plunge pool. If the ride doesn't take your breath away, the water temperature will. The cool mountain stream that powers this Sliding Rock ride is only about 50 to 60 degrees in summer. Sliders of all ages shriek, grimace, and tiptoe through it but come back for more, even when long lines snake down the entire rock face. Lifeguards supervise in summer, and small kids can ride in an adult's lap.
What's Nearby: To see an authentic slice of Appalachia, check out Brevard, which was named one of America's Coolest Small Towns by Budget Travel magazine in 2010. The woods and waterfalls of DuPont State Recreational Forest were the film set for the arena in The Hunger Games.
Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve
Dripping Springs, Texas
When summer temps hit 100, Austinites have plenty of great swimming holes to choose from, including Barton Springs right in the middle of town. But the legendary get-away-from-it-all spot is Hamilton Pool Nature Preserve, about 25 miles west of Austin off Highway 71. A quarter-mile trail descends to the canyon pool. Rimming one edge of the clear blue-green waters are a limestone grotto and a 50-foot waterfall; here you can play in the shower or find a shady seat on the rocks beneath its overhang. At the other end is a sunny beach. On summer weekends, when the 75-vehicle parking lot reaches capacity, preserve officials manage the one-in, one-out system, which is not such a bad thing once you're in.
What's Nearby: Preserve trails lead to scenic areas along the Pedernales River. At Pace Bend Park on Lake Travis, swimming and boating are popular.
Diana's Baths
Bartlett, N.H.
Once the location of a sawmill operation and now a protected historical site in the White Mountain National Forest, the Diana's Baths swimming hole is best on a warm, full-moon night. Locals say it's the most romantic spot in Mt. Washington Valley: secluded, private, and perfect for skinny-dipping under the stars. By day, the cascading falls and pools, waterspouts, and granite basins are a family favorite. An easy half-mile trail leads from the parking area to Diana's Baths just past Echo Lake State Park near North Conway.
What's Nearby: A drive to the top of the park's Cathedral Ledge reveals a great view of the valley. The ledge is also a popular rock-climbing area. Take the kids on a Conway Scenic Railroad train ride or to the sandy beach at Echo Lake.
Havasu Falls
Supai, Ariz.
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