About SwimmingHolesGuide.com
The Most Complete Guide to Natural Swimming in America
SwimmingHolesGuide.com is a national directory of natural swimming holes across all 50 US states. We document spring-fed pools, waterfall plunge pools, river swims, and hidden creek spots — with verified GPS coordinates, current entry fees, water temperatures, best visiting seasons, access difficulty ratings, and safety information for every location.
Our goal is simple: make it easy for anyone to find, plan, and safely visit a natural swimming hole near them. No paywalls. No subscriptions. Always free.
What We Cover
Every swimming hole in our guide includes:
- Verified GPS coordinates — navigate directly to each spot, even without cell service if you save them offline first
- Current entry fee information — know exactly what to bring before you arrive
- Water temperature data — so you know what to expect before you jump in
- Best visiting season — avoid wasted trips by knowing exactly when each hole is at its best
- Access and difficulty notes — whether you need a short walk or a challenging hike to reach the water
- Reservation requirements — some of America’s most popular holes require advance booking
- Safety information — honest notes about flash flood risk, water quality, hazards, and conditions to check before visiting
- Managing authority — who oversees each location so you can check for closures directly
Our Database
We currently list over 2,400 natural swimming holes across all 50 states. Our database is built from a combination of National Park Service records, US Forest Service public lands data, state park databases, and extensive research into local knowledge and community recommendations.
We add new locations regularly and update existing listings when conditions, fees, or access change. Every listing goes through a verification process before it is published — we do not simply scrape Google Maps and call it done.
Safety First
Natural swimming carries real risks that public pools do not. We take safety seriously. Locations with known hazards are clearly flagged in our listings. We never publish a location without including relevant safety context — whether that is flash flood risk, cold water shock potential, difficult water conditions, or access challenges.
We also maintain a system of safety flags in our database. Locations with unresolved safety concerns are held as drafts until they can be properly verified. Our amber-flagged locations are published with prominent safety warnings so visitors can make fully informed decisions.
Keep the Guide Free
SwimmingHolesGuide.com is supported by display advertising through Google AdSense and affiliate commissions through the Amazon Associates Program. When you purchase gear through our links, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This revenue allows us to maintain, expand, and improve the guide without charging our visitors anything.
We are transparent about this — see our full Affiliate Disclosure for details.
Contact Us
Know a swimming hole we have missed? Found outdated information in one of our listings? We want to hear from you. Use our contact page to send us a tip, a correction, or any feedback about the guide.
We read every message and update our database based on community input. SwimmingHolesGuide.com gets better with every correction and every new location our readers share.
SwimmingHolesGuide.com — Your guide to natural swimming across America.