Lesser-Known Connecticut Swimming Holes
“Lesser-known” here means quieter or lower-profile on the calendar, not unposted bushwhacks. Every row still links to a real place page with parking and access notes.
Expect tighter posting in Connecticut than elsewhere in New England. Read swim lines, parking, and seasonal closures in each guide before you drive. For the main swim list, see Best Connecticut Swimming Holes.
Rank 1: Cotton Hollow Cascades — Glastonbury (posting and access vary)
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Cascades and plunge pools on Roaring Brook in Glastonbury's Cotton Hollow Preserve. Swimming prohibited by town ordinance.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 20-30 min
Rank 2: Greenleaf Falls — Stamford area (lower-profile brook scene)
Viewing only, not a swim stop
lost Stamford waterfall in the Long Ridge district. No confirmed public access.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 10 min
Rank 3: Westledge Trail Cascades — Simsbury (ledge pools; read posting)
Viewing only, not a swim stop
8 ft overhanging ledge on the Westledge Trail inside McLean Game Refuge, Simsbury. Short 0.3 mi walk from Firetown Road.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 10 min
Rank 4: Chaplin Natchaug River swimming spots — eastern brook corridor
Ledgy Natchaug River pools along Route 198 in Chaplin. Diana's Pool gorge nearby; swim at your own risk.
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 10 min
Rank 5: Blackledge Falls — East Glastonbury
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Three 22–25 ft plunges in a town preserve that abuts Gay City SP; parking at 3874 Hebron Ave in East Glastonbury.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 20 min
Rank 6: Dean's Ravine Falls — Canaan area (quieter off-peak)
Viewing only, not a swim stop
~50 ft Reed Brook drop on the Mohawk Trail in Canaan, a former Appalachian Trail segment.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 25 min
Rank 7: Nonnewaug Falls — Woodbury
Viewing only, not a swim stop
0.9-mi out-and-back through Bethlehem Land Trust fields to a steep multi-tier cascade on the Nonnewaug River.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 25 min
Rank 8: Chaplin area brook swims — eastern Connecticut
Ledgy Natchaug River pools along Route 198 in Chaplin. Diana's Pool gorge nearby; swim at your own risk.
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 10 min
Rank 9: Dividend Falls — Rocky Hill area (short approach)
Viewing only, not a swim stop
28 ft triple horsetail below Dividend Pond in Rocky Hill, reached by stone steps from the lot.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 5 min
Rank 10: Hopeville Pond — Griswold (quieter pond swim when open)
Lifeguarded pond beach in Griswold's Hopeville Pond State Park. Campground and Pachaug Trail access.
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 5-10 min