12 natural swimming spots across Vermont —
Waterfall Pools,
spring-fed pools, waterfall plunge pools and hidden creek spots.
7 of 12 are free to visit.
12
Swimming Holes
7
Free Entry
7
Regions
🍁
Vermont
12 holes listed
Type:
Swimming in Vermont
Vermont has 12 documented natural swimming spots
ranging from spring-fed pools to waterfall plunge pools and river swims.
7 of them are free to visit. Browse by region below or use the filters above to find the right type of swim for you.
Central Vermont
2 spots
🏖️
Echo Lake (Plymouth / Ludlow area)
📍 Plymouth, Windsor County
Lake🟢 Easy$5 per adult, $2 per…
A scenic central Vermont lake near Plymouth and Ludlow with public swimming beach access.
A classic Vermont state park lake beach in the small town of Barnard, offering a calmer, more developed alternative to the waterfall-jumping spots elsewhere in this file.
A scenic, secluded Green Mountain National Forest waterfall reached via an easy loop trail — this is strictly a viewing destination, not a swimming hole, due to extreme hazards.
A lesser-known, locally cherished set of swimming holes carved by Joiner Brook, maintained by a local conservancy — off the beaten path and completely free, but the approach and shoreline are notably slippery underfoot.
⚠️ Safety Notice
Regional descriptions specifically note slippery shoreline and approach conditions here — proper footwear (not sandals) is worth flagging explicitly in any listing.
A dramatic 125-foot cascade near Stowe, one of Vermont's most photographed waterfalls — note this is a different, taller falls than the smaller Moss Glen Falls in Granville, and is primarily a scenic viewpoint rather than a developed swimming hole.
⚠️ Safety Notice
Vermont has two different waterfalls both commonly called 'Moss Glen Falls' — this one in Stowe (125 ft, primarily scenic) and a separate, shorter one in Granville. Any public-facing listing should disambiguate clearly to avoid sending visitors to the wrong one expecting a swim spot. Swimming is not recommended here due to steep, dangerous terrain.
⚠️ Safety Notice
As with other Vermont gorge swimming holes in this file, treat the terrain as uneven and slippery, and avoid any pools directly above a drop given the documented vortex-current pattern found at nearby Bingham Falls.
Lake Champlain beaches (general, Burlington/Bolton area)
📍 Burlington, Chittenden County
Lake🟢 EasyVaries (some city beaches charge…
Vermont's largest lake offers numerous public beach access points from Burlington north through the islands, mixing casual city beaches with more developed state park facilities.
A family-friendly Vermont swimming hole with two shallow (5-6 ft) pools below the upper and middle falls — genuinely gentler than most of the cliff-jumping-oriented spots elsewhere in this file.
Quarry🟢 Easy$15 per vehicle for parking⚠️ Safety Note
A historic flooded marble quarry, popular with swimmers, cliff-jumpers, and even scuba divers thanks to its unusual ~90-ft average depth and clear water reflecting the surrounding trees.
⚠️ Safety Notice
This is a deep, steep-sided flooded quarry (not a gradually-sloping natural swimming hole) — the same category of site (abandoned quarries) has a well-known general drowning risk profile nationally due to sudden depth changes and cold water at depth.
A scenic West River park best known nationally for scheduled Ball Mountain Dam whitewater releases that draw competitive kayakers — casual swimmers should check the release calendar, since river character here shifts dramatically and predictably between 'calm wading river' and…
⚠️ Safety Notice
This river's character changes dramatically on a SCHEDULE tied to Ball Mountain Dam releases (used for competitive whitewater kayaking events) — a public listing needs to distinguish release days from calm days rather than describing this as a uniformly casual swimming spot.
💧 Cold, and current strength varies dramatically and SCHEDULED around Ball Mountain Dam releases
One of Vermont's most dramatic waterfall swimming holes — a 25-40 ft single cascade into a deep, cold pool in a narrow gorge. Regional safety guidance is specific and explicit here: 'the lower pool is safe for swimming, avoid the…
⚠️ Safety Notice
Regional guides give an unusually specific, explicit safety instruction for this exact site: swim only in the LOWER pool, and stay out of the upper pools and areas above the falls, which have documented-as-dangerous vortex currents. This is a clear, actionable distinction worth keeping front and center in any listing rather than treating the whole gorge as uniformly swimmable.
Vermont's deepest gorge (165 ft) draws crowds to its dramatic overlook bridge — but the swimmable river access is a separate, developed spot within Quechee State Park downstream, reached by trail, not the sheer gorge walls themselves.
⚠️ Safety Notice
Be careful not to conflate the dramatic overlook/bridge area (not a swim spot, sheer drops) with the separate, gentler river access within Quechee State Park downstream — a public-facing listing should make this distinction unmistakable given how visually tempting the gorge itself can look from the bridge.
7 of the 12 swimming holes in our Vermont guide are completely free to visit.
Others charge a small entry fee, typically $5–15 per person.
Use the "Free Entry" filter above to see only the free spots.
When is the best time to visit swimming holes in Vermont?
Late spring through early fall is generally the best season — typically May through September.
Weekdays are significantly less crowded than weekends, especially at popular spots.
Spring-fed holes maintain consistent water temperatures year-round, making them swimmable even outside peak season.
Is it safe to swim in natural swimming holes in Vermont?
Natural swimming holes are generally safe when you check conditions before visiting.
Always check water levels after heavy rain, watch for blue-green algae in warm still water,
never swim alone in remote locations, and heed any posted closure signs.
Spots with known safety concerns are marked with warning badges in our listings.
What should I bring to a swimming hole in Vermont?
Essentials: dry bag for your phone and keys, water shoes for rocky creek beds,
reef-safe sunscreen, plenty of drinking water, and a microfibre towel.
If visiting a remote spot, bring more water than you think you need and let someone
know where you're going before you leave.