Ask any Vermonter to share favorite summer memories, and chances are you’ll hear the words “swimming hole.” For locals and visitors alike, these beloved oases have given people the chance to splash and play, connect with family and friends, and find peace in the day-to-day. These communal favorites, perhaps remnants of a simpler time, help define Vermont’s rural and urban landscapes.
Here in the Green Mountains, water tumbles off the slopes in streams and rivulets, brooks and rivers, giving Vermont more than its fair share of cascades and chasms. For eons, people have been drawn to waterfalls and gorges for their mesmerizing, ever-changing flow, the roar and thud, luxuriant green mosses, and quiet beauty. Thanks to the miracles of 500-million-years of geologic change, Vermont’s pools and cascades are graced with a kaleidoscope of pebbles, pools and riffles, and deep potholes.
Will favorite swimming holes be here for our children and grandchildren? Will the water be swimmable?
No. Not without action. That’s why Vermont River Conservancy works to protect access to communities’ favorite swimming holes. Discover Vermont’s best swimming holes and waterfalls, then invest in the future of the places you love with a gift today.
Want to see lists of sites to visit in your region? Check out our Central Vermont and family-friendly swimming hole itineraries.
