View Full Version : Swimming Holes and Cliff Jumping along the AT
FinnMelanson
03-31-2014, 23:42
I am relatively new to Whiteblaze, but I have gotten a ton of help by reading a lot of these threads and cannot thank you guys enough. I love the hiking community. I will be starting my own NOBO thru hike the first week of May, but before I leave, I was wondering if anyone could fill me in on the best swimming holes along the trail and more specifically, swimming holes with sweet cliffs to jump off (the ones with water below them lol)? Happy Hiking!
Alleghanian Orogeny
04-01-2014, 05:56
Elk Falls, NC, aka Elk River Falls, is a short distance E of the AT and close to Jones Falls, just a very few miles nobo from US 19E. Appalachian State University students made the hour-long drive to Elk Falls for cliff-jumping and freelance partying in the 1970s. There have been a number of deaths at Elk Falls, where one must take 2-3 good running strides in order to gain distance from the cliff. It's something like 50-60' high and the plunge pool is around 100' across to the easy exit on the far side. AO
squeezebox
04-04-2014, 18:40
The 2nd or 3rd most cause of spinal cord injury in men 15 - 35 is cliff jumping. Do a good check of the pool, or risk turning up as a quad, even then !!!
Between the brain eating amoebas and the number of rattlesnakes I saw in the rivers last year, swimming is not high on my list of things to do on the AT.
bamboo bob
04-04-2014, 19:28
It would be rare for a hiker to spend time doing an activity off trail. Usually just too busy or tired. I guess i happens.
Starchild
04-04-2014, 19:31
The 2nd or 3rd most cause of spinal cord injury in men 15 - 35 is cliff jumping. Do a good check of the pool, or risk turning up as a quad, even then !!!
Or be over or under that age range :D
In Mass. I often swim in Guilder pond and Benedict pond, Both Right on the trail..
StichBurly
04-04-2014, 21:05
There are lots of Swimming Holes along the AT. My favorite is upper goose pond.
Slo-go'en
04-04-2014, 21:49
The fairly frequent ponds along the trail in NJ and NY made those states almost tollerable in 90 degree heat and humidity. The ponds in Maine are just too damn cold - the cold water even killed one guy last year. Straton and little rock pond in Vermont are usually warm enough in August.
Pierce Pond in Maine. Little Rock Pond in Vermont. The Potomac River near Harpers Ferry -- popular for tubing. Right along the AT.
Yankytyke
04-04-2014, 23:55
Pierce Pond in Maine. Little Rock Pond in Vermont. The Potomac River near Harpers Ferry -- popular for tubing. Right along the AT.
The number of river rescues & fatalities in the section of the Potomac last year was crazy. Yes there is a lot of tubing, but I'd would not swim there!
Prime Time
04-05-2014, 08:42
My favorite in the Whites is Thoreau Falls, just .2 E off the AT (NOBO) about 2.5 miles after Zealand Falls (nice also). You need to walk down the face of the falls, which is really a cascade and easy to walk, to the pool at the bottom. It can't be seen from above making it only frequented by people who know it's there. The pool is about 30 feet by 15 feet and about 7 feet deep. It's surrounded by smooth rocks perfect for sunbathing and you can sit under the cascading water for an awesome hydro message on your head and shoulders at a point of your hike were you really need it! Almost never anyone else there.
Their is only two places i have swimmed near the AT, Fontana Lake and Gulf Hagas, Gulf Hagas is a side trip that is diffinatly worth taking.
Feral Bill
04-05-2014, 12:12
You are all forgetting the Hudson River, which you can jump into directly from the trail.:)
Makes me think of that verse from good night, irene.
sometimes i live in the city
sometimes i live in the town
sometimes i get a great notion
to jump in the river and drown
Bear Mtn. bridge was starting point for two of my 100-mile sections. Did not occur to me to dive off it. We'll be heading to the Clearwater festival in June, right on the banks.
James River bridge, I hear that's a good one for jumping off. I was half-tempted, it was a hot day.
Trail Days 1990, I watched LW convince a hiker named Indiana Dan (Indy) to dive off a bridge in Damascus.
There's gazillions of bodies of water along the trail. I don't know if I'd swim in Nuclear Lake though.
magic_game03
04-05-2014, 12:55
Makes me think of that verse from good night, irene.
Bear Mtn. bridge was starting point for two of my 100-mile sections. Did not occur to me to dive off it. We'll be heading to the Clearwater festival in June, right on the banks.
James River bridge, I hear that's a good one for jumping off. I was half-tempted, it was a hot day.
Trail Days 1990, I watched LW convince a hiker named Indiana Dan (Indy) to dive off a bridge in Damascus.
There's gazillions of bodies of water along the trail. I don't know if I'd swim in Nuclear Lake though.
To be honest the AT sucks for anything besides a well groomed trail (mostly, but not always) and the social life. You want a trail that's the bomb, go do the PCT. A ton of crystal clear lakes to jump into, off high rocks. Pretty much do it every day-all day. As far as the AT; go jump off the Bear Mt. Bridge and they will be collecting your body parts off the Hudson, Jump off the James and they will be collecting your body parts from the bottom of the spill way that is a few hundred yards down stream, Jump into anything around Damascus and they will be collecting your broken body off the rocks down below, AND I agree-don't go swimming in nuclear lake either.
James River Bridge (where the AT crosses) isn't much more than 20 feet above the water surface, I just had no idea how deep it was. It is done, see photo below from some hiking journal.
I do think there are scads of swimming opportunities on the AT, it's just a question of whether one is willing to deal with the cold water and occasionally questionable water quality. How many rivers and streams does the AT cross or follow? How many lakes, ponds, marshes and waterfalls does it skirt? Thousands.
I understand the PCT has better views. But credit where credit is due: the AT has no shortage of swimming opportunities.
26638
Sarcasm the elf
04-05-2014, 14:12
To be honest the AT sucks for anything besides a well groomed trail (mostly, but not always) and the social life. You want a trail that's the bomb, go do the PCT. A ton of crystal clear lakes to jump into, off high rocks. Pretty much do it every day-all day. As far as the AT; go jump off the Bear Mt. Bridge and they will be collecting your body parts off the Hudson, Jump off the James and they will be collecting your body parts from the bottom of the spill way that is a few hundred yards down stream, Jump into anything around Damascus and they will be collecting your broken body off the rocks down below, AND I agree-don't go swimming in nuclear lake either.
The fact that Bear mountain bridge has a telephone at each end that is a direct line to a suicide prevention hotline made it fairly clear to me that it wasn't safe to jump off of it.;)
WingedMonkey
04-05-2014, 14:14
If someone can find the stats, I'm sure that drowning (including waterfalls) is the number one cause of accidental death on the AT.
Sarcasm the elf
04-05-2014, 14:23
If someone can find the stats, I'm sure that drowning (including waterfalls) is the number one cause of accidental death on the AT.
By coincidence I was recently wondering if these sort of stats existed. I would guess that heart attacks are by far the biggest killer on the A.T. with either accidental falls or drowning being the second biggest.
WingedMonkey
04-05-2014, 14:35
By coincidence I was recently wondering if these sort of stats existed. I would guess that heart attacks are by far the biggest killer on the A.T. with either accidental falls or drowning being the second biggest.
Heart attacks probably are number one cause of death on trail, but are considered death by natural causes.
Well now, the thread has taken an interesting turn, from swimming holes and cliff jumping to... causes of death on the trail. :rolleyes:
WingedMonkey
04-05-2014, 16:53
Well now, the thread has taken an interesting turn, from swimming holes and cliff jumping to... causes of death on the trail. :rolleyes:
To be more clear, my point is that swimming in ponds and under waterfalls may get you killed.
To be more clear, my point is that swimming in ponds and under waterfalls may get you killed.
So can a walk around the neighborhood. I gather from the title of the thread that the OP has considered the risk. Or to put it another way, I'm living proof that the risks are manageable. ;)
Old Grouse
04-05-2014, 17:01
iMO you' be a lot safer swimming in Nuclear Lake than in the still-PCB laden Housatonic River a few trail miles further on. Thanks fo nothing, General Electric!
Prime Time
04-05-2014, 17:03
To be more clear, my point is that swimming in ponds and under waterfalls may get you killed.
Not if you can swim. Automobile accidents are the number 1 cause of accidental deaths among people under the age of 25. Maybe they shouldn't drive. For me on my hike, finding a swimming hole was one of the absolute highs especially once the weather turned hot. Proper caution is always called for but life is better when you take some calculated risks once in a while.
Sarcasm the elf
04-05-2014, 17:29
iMO you' be a lot safer swimming in Nuclear Lake than in the still-PCB laden Housatonic River a few trail miles further on. Thanks fo nothing, General Electric!
Careful now, that's my back yard you're talking about! (Literally)
To be more clear, my point is that swimming in ponds and under waterfalls may get you killed.
As with many activities, there are ways to make the activity safer, if not completely safe. It isn't as if you can sit at home encased in bubble-wrap and live forever.
By coincidence I was recently wondering if these sort of stats existed. I would guess that heart attacks are by far the biggest killer on the A.T. with either accidental falls or drowning being the second biggest.
Those kind of statistics are impossible to get for the AT. Thru Hikers eat their dead.
Old Grouse
04-05-2014, 18:58
Careful now, that's my back yard you're talking about! (Literally)
Sorry, brother- no offense meant to the Valley!
Sarcasm the elf
04-06-2014, 01:35
Sorry, brother- no offense meant to the Valley!
No worries! Trust me there are plenty of reasons to make fun of the valley :cool:
That said, there is no love for GE down in the valley. My one saving grace is that I live south of Stevenson dam/lake zoar and supposedly (according to the locals) the Stevenson is holding back most of the PCB contamination.
Most Nobos don't think about a swim in GA but with a May start a dip in Lake Winfield Scott may make for a delightful break on a hot May afternoon before your climb up Blood Mtn. Short mile hike down the Jarrard Gap Trail to the lake. Sandy beach with pavilion.
Cliff diving and poisoned rivers notwithstanding, Sages Ravine on a hot day in June was like a touch of heaven. Not necessarily for swimming but certainly for dipping hot tired feet. The air temp in the ravine was an oasis compared to the summits on either side, it was literally cool just to hang out. I never thought I'd be cursing the heat... in Massachusetts of all places.
The heat and mosquitos nearly drove me insane in mass. I hitched into Lee just to sit in the a/c for a few hours and not be demolished by bugs. Anyway you're cheating yourself if you don't jump in some water every once in a while. In pa there is an icy cold springfed pond with a rope swing at hertlein campsite (i think). Definitely worth jumping into. Also at port clinton there is a huge cliff that i saw a bunch of locals jumping off. I chickened out, but it looked like they were having fun. Of course most of them were drinking.