ME
Lake beach
Echo Lake Beach (Acadia NP)
Mount Desert, Maine
Acadia NP's freshwater swim beach on the southwest side of Mount Desert Island. Seasonal lifeguard, park fee.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
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Guides in Maine
Showing 48 of 612 guides.
MEQuarryThe Ledges
MILLINOCKET, Maine
Flooded granite quarry near Millinocket, Maine. Cold deep water with rough, unmanaged entry.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
MEPondTumbledown Pond (mountain)
Weld, Maine
Alpine-feeling mountain pond on the saddle of Tumbledown Mountain in Weld, Maine. Strenuous hike-in cold swim.
Walk: shortTrail: hardParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3
MEBlockRumford Falls
Rumford, Maine
A major Androscoggin River waterfall through downtown Rumford, Oxford County, Maine.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offNot recommended
MEPunchbowlScrew Auger Falls (Gulf Hagas)
T7 R9 NWP, Maine
Gulf Hagas Screw Auger Falls: slot-canyon chute on the West Branch Pleasant River in T7 R9 NWP, Piscataquis County.
Walk: shortTrail: hardParking: roadside / pull-offWading / shallow
METieredSwift River Falls
Roxbury, Maine
Tiered drop on the Swift River in Roxbury, Maine. Roadside scenic stop along the Route 17 corridor.
Walk: shortTrail: moderateParking: roadside / pull-offNot recommended
MEPlungeMoxie Falls
Moxie Gore, Maine
A roughly 90-foot single-drop waterfall on Moxie Stream in Moxie Gore near The Forks, Somerset County, Maine.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: trailheadNot recommended
MEMulti StepGulf Hagas
Bowdoin College Grant East, Maine
Maine's classic slate gorge on the West Branch Pleasant River in the KI Jo-Mary country. 8-mile AT-linked loop.
Walk: shortTrail: hardParking: roadside / pull-offNot recommended
MEPunchbowlRattlesnake Pool
Lovell, Maine
A deep clear plunge pool below Rattlesnake Flume in Lovell, Oxford County, Maine, near Evans Notch.
Walk: shortTrail: moderateParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
MEMulti StepStep Falls
Newry, Maine
Multi-tiered cascade and ledge pools on Wight Brook in Newry, Maine. Short walk from a preserve lot off Route 26.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
METieredCoos Canyon
Byron, Maine
A short gorge on the Swift River in Byron, Maine, on Route 17. Pools, low jumps, and a classic rest-area swim and gold-panning stop.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
MEMulti StepDunn Falls
Andover, Maine
A tall multi-tier waterfall on the West Branch of the Ellis River in Andover, Maine. AT access from East B Hill Road.
Walk: shortTrail: moderateParking: roadside / pull-offWading / shallow
MECascadeGrand Falls
Township 3, Maine
Lesser-known Maine Highlands cascade in the Wellington / Kingsbury area of Piscataquis County, Maine.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offNot recommended
MEMulti StepSmalls Falls
South of Rangeley, Maine
Tiered Sandy River roadside waterfall south of Rangeley on Route 4, Township E, western Maine.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
MEPunchbowlFrenchman's Hole
Bethel, Maine
Classic Bull Branch swim hole off Sunday River Road north of Bethel, Maine, with deep pool, ledge, and cliff jumps.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
MEPunchbowlScrew Auger Falls (Grafton Notch)
Newry, Maine
Grafton Notch State Park's polished slot-rock waterfall on the Bear River in Newry, Maine. Route 26 roadside.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possible
MEPlungeAngel Falls
Township D, Maine
A tall narrow drop on Mountain Brook in Township D, reached by an unpaved approach west of Houghton / Rangeley.
Walk: mediumTrail: moderateParking: roadside / pull-offWading / shallow
MEHorsetailHouston Brook Falls
Pleasant Ridge, Maine
A short-trail horsetail waterfall off Route 201 near Bingham, in Pleasant Ridge Plantation.
Walk: shortTrail: easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleAllagash Lake
Allagash Lake region, Maine
A remote paddle-only wilderness lake inside the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Annabessacook Lake (public access)
Monmouth / Winthrop area, Maine
A warm central-Maine lake between Monmouth and Winthrop; small town landings, quiet dip rather than a beach day.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Aroostook State Park
Presque Isle, Maine
Maine's first state park, with a small sandy swim beach on Echo Lake below Quaggy Jo Mountain in Presque Isle.
Walk: mediumTrail: easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Aziscohos Lake
Parkertown / Lincoln area, Maine
A large cold reservoir on the Magalloway in Lincoln Plantation, in western Maine's Rangeley country.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Babb's Bridge swimming hole (Presumpscot)
Gorham / Windham, Maine
An informal Presumpscot River swimming hole downstream of Babb's Bridge on the Gorham / Windham line.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleBarker Pond (Waterford)
Waterford, Maine
A quiet Waterford pond in the hill country east of Bethel; informal swim access, not a developed beach.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Barrett's Cove (Megunticook Lake)
Camden, Maine
Camden's free town beach on Megunticook Lake, with a sandy entry, picnic tables, and Mount Battie views.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleBaskahegan Lake
Brookton / Wesley area, Maine
A large quiet Downeast interior lake in the Brookton / Wesley area of Washington County.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Blueberry Ridge Pools
Lovell, Maine
Ledge pools associated with the Blueberry Ridge Trail in the Cold River / Evans Notch country; stored town value needs field verification on which state line the pools sit.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleBonne Eagle Pond (Hollis)
Hollis, Maine
The Saco River impoundment above the Bonny Eagle dam in Hollis / Buxton, in York County west of Portland.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Boyden Lake (Perry)
Perry, Maine
A large freshwater lake in Perry, in Washington County near the Canadian border. Informal swims and paddling.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Brassua Lake (public boat access)
Somerset County, Maine
A large Moosehead-country lake west of Rockwood; public boat access with informal swim off the launch.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Bristol Dam
DAMARISCOTTA, Maine
The low dam and historic alewife fish ladder at Damariscotta Mills; a spring wildlife spectacle, not a true swim hole.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offBryant Pond (Woodstock area)
Woodstock / Greenwood, Maine
A small village pond with a public town beach in Bryant Pond (Woodstock and Greenwood), in Maine's Oxford Hills.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Bunganut Pond / Limerick area ponds
Limerick, Maine
A York County pond in Limerick and the wider small-pond network of southern Maine; casual summer swim and paddle.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Charles Pond
Phippsburg, Maine
A small freshwater pond in Phippsburg, Maine, on the Midcoast peninsula between the Kennebec and New Meadows River.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleChina Lake State Park (China)
China, Maine
Public access on China Lake in the town of China, Maine. Small town-level swim area; there is no formal state park here.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialSwim possibleCobbosseecontee Lake (public landings)
Manchester / Litchfield area, Maine
Public boat-launch accesses on Cobbosseecontee Lake across Manchester, Monmouth, Winthrop, and Litchfield.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Crescent Beach State Park
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
A mile-long crescent-shaped sand beach in Cape Elizabeth, south of Portland. Family-friendly state park with a bathhouse and picnic grounds.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialSwim possibleCross Lake (Saint John Valley)
Fort Kent / Saint John VIC, Maine
A large Fish River chain lake in Aroostook County's Saint John Valley, with state boat-launch access near Fort Kent.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Crystal Lake (Harrison)
Harrison, Maine
Harrison's town-beach lake in Cumberland County's Sebago / Long Lake country. Small family swim area and boat launch.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Cutler Coast Public Reserved Land
Cutler, Maine
A 12,234-acre Bold Coast public preserve in Cutler, with 10 miles of coastal hiking on the Bay of Fundy.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleDamariscotta Lake (public access points)
Jefferson / Nobleboro area, Maine
Small public and town-level shoreline access points on Damariscotta Lake across Jefferson, Nobleboro, and Newcastle.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Damariscotta Lake State Park
Jefferson, Maine
A sandy freshwater swim beach at the north end of Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson, Maine.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleDonnell Pond Public Reserved Land
Sullivan, Maine
State-managed reserved land in Sullivan with Schoodic Beach and Redman's Beach on Donnell Pond, reached by short hikes.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offSwim possibleDrews Lake (Hodgdon area)
Hodgdon, Maine
A southern Aroostook lake off the I-95 corridor near Houlton. Public boat landing, quiet camp-lined shoreline.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3Eagle Lake (Aroostook town / lake)
Eagle Lake, Maine
A large St. John Valley lake in northern Aroostook with a town waterfront park and state boat landings.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3East End Beach (Portland)
Portland, Maine
A small Casco Bay city beach at the foot of Portland's Eastern Promenade, with boat launch and waterfront park.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: confirmed / officialSwim possibleEast Grand Lake (public landings)
Danforth / Weston area, Maine
An international-border lake in eastern Maine with Weston and Danforth public boat landings and a small town beach.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3East Musquash Lake
Topsfield, Maine
A quiet Washington County lake in Topsfield, east-interior Maine. Small boat landing, very limited beach access.
Walk: shortTrail: very easyParking: roadside / pull-offCrowd: 3