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New England's finest swimming holes
15
items For a region as festooned with rivers and streams as New England, finding a swimming hole on a summer day can be surprisingly difficult. Many of the lakes and ponds here, as in other regions of the U.S., are landlocked by private property; making it ...
Map
Sections
6
Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Rhode Island
Vermont
Connecticut
In centuries past, many of New England's waterways were harnessed for industrial production. Burr Pond, which is located in the northwest hills of Connecticut, used to be the site of a mill that powered the world's first condensed milk factory. After...
Burr Pond (Torrington)
The rocky soil along the Farmington River, near Hartford, was a farmer's worst nightmare: hence why this stretch of the river lands was dubbed “Satan's Kingdom” back in the pre-industrial era. But these days, the Kingdom is best known as one of the m...
Satan's Kingdom (New Hartford)
Maine
Flowing east from the heart of the White Mountains, the Saco River meanders through the woods of Western Maine. Its ample sandy beaches and gentle currents make for prime swimming and inner-tubing territory. Local tube outfitters will set you up with...
Saco River (Fryeburg)
Nestled deep in the forest near Grafton Notch State Park on Maine's northwest side, and accessible by way of a long, winding dirt road, Frenchman's Hole is one of the best kept secrets of the Pine Tree State. Fed by miniature cascades and surprisingl...
Frenchman's Hole (Newry)
Those who are willing to make the journey to Baxter State Park (home of the tallest mountain in Maine) are rewarded with direct access to the enchanting Blueberry Ledges: a series of sloped and exposed rock faces where rivulets of water spill down in...
Blueberry Ledges (Millinocket)
Massachusetts
In the 19th Century, newly emancipated Black Americans made their homes in the woods by Walden Pond. Henry David Thoreau followed in their footsteps, building a cabin here and penning his now-famous treatise on “living deliberately” in the pondside f...
Walden Pond (Concord)
On summer afternoons, the beaches along the vast cerulean reservoir at Ashland State Park are bustling with visitors sunbathing, snoozing, and hosting barbecues. And the reservoir waters themselves are reliably clear and crisp throughout the season. ...
Ashland State Park (Ashland)
Drawing Berkshires residents and visitors like moths to a porch light each summer, Benedict Pond is the star attraction of the Bear town State Forest: a piney juggernaut that spans roughly 12,000 acres! The pond features a sandy beach, a beautiful tr...
Benedict Pond (Monterey)
New Hampshire
Mount Monadnock, looming above the hills of southern New Hampshire, is one of the most prodigiously climbed mountains in the world. But what many visitors don't realize is that there's also a world class swim zone next door: Dublin Pond. While the to...
Dublin Pond (Dublin)
The Sandwich Range is a quieter realm within the White Mountain National Forest, and the pool at the base of Beede Falls might be the best swimming hole in the region. Accessible via a dirt road and a very short hike, the shallow and reliably refresh...
Beede Falls (Sandwich)
It's not often that you find a world class swimming hole right next to a major highway, but Echo Lake is a stunning exception. The lake is located in Franconia Notch, an iconic mountain pass where Interstate-93 turns into a skinny and twisted road. A...
Echo Lake (Franconia)
Rhode Island
Town beaches in suburban New England (especially its southern states) are often roped off to the general public. While the town of Burrillville does charge a modest day-use fee for Spring Lake visitors, it's a bargain compared to the beach fees you'l...
Spring Lake Beach (Burrillville)
Vermont
Back in the 1960s 70s, when hippie subculture took off in Vermont enclaves, you could show up to Falls Of Lana on a summer afternoon and find legions of young people basking in the sun or smoking weed on its rocks, while others paddled around in the ...
Falls Of Lana (Salisbury)
The West River is a liquid giant, weaving through the woods of Jamaica State Park in alternately serene and sloshing fashion. And one of the calmer pockets along the river is Salmon Hole. It's one of several attractions within the park, and if you fe...
Salmon Hole (Jamaica)
Vermont's Northeast Kingdom is the quietest corner of the state and it might also be the most naturally enchanting: a maze of dirt roads that visit sunny hillsides and rustling forests. Caspian Lake, located in the village of Greensboro, is where eve...
Caspian Lake (Greensboro)