Bolton Potholes

Plan your visit to Bolton Potholes

Swim: not recommended. Visit tab for Bolton Potholes—**high hazard** informal potholes: Vermont River Conservancy and the Town of Bolton document **no legal car parking** at the potholes: access is **foot or bicycle only**; parking is prohibited on Smilie Memorial Elementary grounds, along US-2 per state statute, and on Bolton Valley Access Road for two miles north of US-2 per town ordinance. Mapped coordinates along Bolton Valley Access Road are a **walk-or-bike approach reference only**—not a parking space. Re-read current ordinances before you go.

Open map page

Parking & approach

Quick planning notes. For the trail map, coordinates, and driving links, use the full map page.

Parking

Vermont River Conservancy and the Town of Bolton document **no legal car parking** at the potholes: access is **foot or bicycle only**; parking is prohibited on Smilie Memorial Elementary grounds, along US-2 per state statute, and on Bolton Valley Access Road for two miles north of US-2 per town ordinance. Mapped coordinates along Bolton Valley Access Road are a **walk-or-bike approach reference only**—not a parking space. Re-read current ordinances before you go. Confirm lot names, fees, and posting on site.

Driving & GPS

Approach Bolton, Vermont. Use the Map tab for the maintainer pin and driving link.

GPS tip

Primary coordinates mark **parking or trailhead access** for this guide—not a pool centerline, brook midpoint, or feature pin. **Navigate your car to this pin**, then walk from there to the swim or river edge—often a short distance; see Walk-in for typical minutes.

Open full map page

Can I go right now?

Same quick read as the top of Conditions: weather and river can update from public data when it is available; crowd, trail, and similar lines stay from the guide. For hourly detail, water sections, and sources, open Conditions.

  • Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 27°F. National Weather Service forecast, updated Apr 7, 2:02 AM.
  • River flow: 1610 cfs. WINOOSKI RIVER AT MONTPELIER, VT · updated Apr 7, 1:45 AM · USGS
  • Crowd & parking: Plan ahead. Hot days stack people and cars—have a backup plan.

Details

Parking

Vermont River Conservancy and the Town of Bolton document **no legal car parking** at the potholes: access is **foot or bicycle only**; parking is prohibited on Smilie Memorial Elementary grounds, along US-2 per state statute, and on Bolton Valley Access Road for two miles north of US-2 per town ordinance. Mapped coordinates along Bolton Valley Access Road are a **walk-or-bike approach reference only**—not a parking space. Re-read current ordinances before you go. Confirm lot names, fees, and posting on site.

Driving approach

Approach Bolton, Vermont. Use the Map tab for the maintainer pin and driving link.

GPS clarification

Primary coordinates mark **parking or trailhead access** for this guide—not a pool centerline, brook midpoint, or feature pin. **Navigate your car to this pin**, then walk from there to the swim or river edge—often a short distance; see Walk-in for typical minutes.

Trail map, pinned coordinates, and turn-by-turn links: Map.

Seasonal note. Spring snowmelt and summer thunderstorms often drive the highest flows; winter is a different access picture.

For landscape and stewardship context, see Learn.

Explore nearby spots

Other places in the catalog you may want to compare for access, water, and conditions.