New Haven River Upper Pools

The New Haven River Upper Pools sit on the reach of the New Haven River above Circle Current and Bartlett Falls, east of Bristol on Lincoln Road (Lincoln Gap Road). From the VT 17 and VT 116 junction in Bristol, drive east on VT 17 and then turn onto Lincoln Road toward Lincoln; the pull-offs for the upper pools are about a fifth of a mile upstream from the main Circle Current cascades. Park in a legal dirt pull-off and scramble down the worn bank to the pools. The water runs cold and clear most of the summer over smoothed ledges, with a couple of deeper pockets you can read from above. Current picks up quickly after rain, rocks around the pools stay slippery, and there are no lifeguards or official signage. Plan this as a quiet cool-off stop rather than a destination; for the better-known swims, drop down to Circle Current or Bartlett Falls.