lakes. rivers. waterfalls on the a.t.

[balloonatic]

a question for those who have done the whole A.T. how often are there lakes, waterfalls or rivers big enough to take a dip in to cool down?
balloonatic

[balloonatic]

I am doing a thrue hike.

[Cookerhiker]

Assuming you're thruhiking NOBO with a March-April start, you probably wouldn't start swimming for a few months yet.

In general, the first natural lake you encounter is Sunfish Pond in NJ but it's rather rocky around it as I recall. Lakes begin in earnest in NY around Harriman Park but Maine is where you pass them every day.

Some of my favorites are the lakes & ponds in New England. A few examples:

Stratton Pond - VT
Little Rock Pond - VT
Sabbath Day Pond - ME
Lower Jo Mary Lake -ME

New England also has lots of woodland brooks & streams in which to cool off. One of the nicest IMO is at Sages Ravine on the CT/MA border.

[Jim Adams]

You will pass alot of "swimming" places but usually they won't be warm enough until you reach northern Virginia.
Ever see the hikers on the rope swing at Watauga Lake?...see how fast they swim to shore!

geek

[Driver8]

Some of my favorites are the lakes & ponds in New England. A few examples:

Stratton Pond - VT
Little Rock Pond - VT
Sabbath Day Pond - ME
Lower Jo Mary Lake -ME

New England also has lots of woodland brooks & streams in which to cool off. One of the nicest IMO is at Sages Ravine on the CT/MA border.

Sages Ravine beckons you, sweetly, to take a dip in it. And Cooker is right, it's primaevally beautiful. The Great Falls of the Housatonic in Falls Village, CT are also a popular spot for a swim. Guilder Pond on the north side of Mt. Everett in southern Mass is also a good spot, as it Upper Goose Pond a day or two northward from Everett.

If the waters are running well when you pass through, I highly recommend a waterfall detour between Mts. Race and Everett in Mass - about a mile east of the trail on the Race Brook Trail are a series of very beautiful falls. It's gently downhill most of the way, but it does get steep, naturally, around the falls. There's very nice falls, so I hear, about two miles south of Mt. Race on Bear Rock Stream, too.

Oh, also, probably a good idea to AVOID Nuclear Lake in New York, near Connecticut. I hear that its name is not by accident and that it's not safe for swimming or as a water source.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Nuclear Lake was cleaned up years ago. There was a nuclear research facility there years ago (cold war era). An explosion (not thermonuclear) contaminated the area around the plant where the windows were blown out. Been shut down for some 40 years or so and cleaned up in the 80's. Lot's of locals fish there. Really pretty lake. Nice swimming.

[Driver8]

Nuclear Lake was cleaned up years ago. There was a nuclear research facility there years ago (cold war era). An explosion (not thermonuclear) contaminated the area around the plant where the windows were blown out. Been shut down for some 40 years or so and cleaned up in the 80's. Lot's of locals fish there. Really pretty lake. Nice swimming.

Thanks, Buzzard. I was relying on the Barefoot Sisters' books. Nice to add another spot to the list of swimming holes.