Best Massachusetts Swimming Holes
Massachusetts swim culture around waterfalls is real, but it is uneven: some spots are mostly for wading or scouting, while others can support a fuller swim when the water level is right.
Treat this list as a planning map, not a guarantee. Open each page for what the water is doing, what the landowner expects, and where slippery rock or cold shock is the actual risk. Pair it with top Massachusetts waterfalls when you want more scenery than swim time.
Rank 1: Umpachene Falls — New Marlborough
Town-owned falls park in New Marlborough with a river-pool swim above the tiered cascade. Day-use hours; non-resident fee in…
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 2 min
Rank 2: Chapel Falls (Chapel Brook Reservation) — Ashfield
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Short Trustees trail in Ashfield to a tiered hemlock-shaded cascade. Half-mile round trip; no swim.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 10 min
Rank 3: Tannery Falls — Savoy
Viewing only, not a swim stop
~50-foot ribbon drop on Ross Brook in Savoy Mountain State Forest. Short steep trail from Tannery Road; paired with Parker….
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 25 min
Rank 4: Sages Ravine (Lower Falls) — Mount Washington
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Shaded MA/CT border gorge on Sages Ravine Brook, crossed by the AT. Lower cascades below the crossing; access via Northwest…
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 60 min
Rank 5: Wahconah Falls — Dalton
Viewing only, not a swim stop
DCR day-use park in Dalton with a strong single-drop cascade. Short walk from the lot to the overlook and base pool —…
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 5 min
Rank 6: Trap Falls — Ashby
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Small rocky cascade on Trapfall Brook, off Route 119 in Willard Brook State Forest. Short walk from the DCR lot.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 5 min
Rank 7: Whirley Baths — Charlemont area
Deerfield River pothole swim off Route 2 in Charlemont. Shallow 'baths' in bedrock and a deeper pool below.
- Can you swim?
- Swimming allowed when posted rules and staffing say it is open
- Walk
- 3 min
Rank 8: Goldmine Brook Potholes — Huntington area
Rock-sculpted potholes on Goldmine Brook in Chester-Blandford State Forest. Not a designated swim; viewing and wading (Chester, Massachusetts).
- Walk
- 5 min
Rank 9: Race Brook Falls (Lower Falls) — Sheffield
Viewing only, not a swim stop
Lower tier of Race Brook Falls, ~0.5 mi from the Route 41 trailhead in Mount Everett State Reservation, Sheffield.
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 20 min
Rank 10: Glendale Falls — Pittsfield area
Viewing only, not a swim stop
~160-ft multi-tier cascade on Glendale Brook in Middlefield. Trustees reservation, ~7-car lot on Clark Wright Road (Middlefield, Massachusetts).
- Can you swim?
- No swimming. View only
- Walk
- 15 min