New Hampshire is home to some of the most exquisite swimming holes. From turquoise lakeside pools, hidden in majestic forests, to serene rivers tucked away between mountain peaks – opt for one of these top 10 swimming spots and take a dip into nature’s backyard!
Best Swimming Holes in New Hampshire
Diana’s Baths
- Address: 3725 West Side Rd, Bartlett, NH 03812, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (2748)
- Phone: +1 603-536-6100
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMTuesday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMWednesday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMThursday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMFriday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMSaturday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMSunday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
5 Replies to The 12 Best Swimming Holes in New Hampshire (According to Me)
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Top 12 Most Popular Swimming Holes in New Hampshire
Lower Falls
- Address: Kancamagus Hwy, Albany, NH 03818, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (1288)
- Phone: +1 603-447-5448
- Website: Link
- Reviews:
Lower Falls is a beautiful spot to pull off and take in the colors. There are multiple falls to photograph. Trails are well defined and cleared. The parking lot can accommodate approximately 40 cars. There are two bathrooms for use. You will need to arrive very early or late to get into the lot, as its on a two lane road and very popular. If you arrive mid-day especially during the height of the fall colors, its exceptionally crowded and traffic stacks up quickly.By T Beshears (2 months ago)What a fun place. A must stop.
We were driving down the scenic drive and saw an opening in trees and a sign announcing Lower Falls and hoards of people. Made a stop to explore more. Ended up spending an hour or more swimming in the nice water and going down the natural water slides that form here. Conveniently two levels are present, a small one that even the little ones can handle, and a longer one that I’d be more comfortable standing at the end if kids went down it. Lucky for us a couple of people were standing there and were happy to give kids a hand should them pick up too much speed and needed help slowing down towards the end.
There’s also a fun camping location. It was busy. Parking could be tricky. We got the only open spot quickly, but saw others having to wait a bit.
There’s a parking/use fee. Bring cash, it’s the stuff in an envelope put in a box kind deal.
Definitely worth a stop. We left with a lifetime of memories. Will be back someday!
By Ali RB (5 months ago)Rode the Kancamagus Highway!
Absolutely stunning! Highly recommend at least a pass through! Amenities throughout the trek, volunteers are available for information. Local towns accommodate the “tourists”. Just do it.By Stephanie Thomas (6 months ago)Such a great time at the lower falls. Stopped to have a picnic before moving on to see the other falls on the scenic byway. There were a lot of people there initially but we came back later and my son had a great time swimming.By Jennifer Johnson (6 months ago)This place is a gem, easy parking. Natural swimming pool! This year’s foliage peak comes late,if you want to come to New England for the foliage, Oct 6th-10th probably the perfect time.By Chuanchuan Dong (3 months ago)
Echo Lake State Park
- Address: 68 Echo Lake Rd, North Conway, NH 03860, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (1082)
- Phone: +1 603-356-2672
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PMTuesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PMWednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PMThursday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PMFriday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PMSaturday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PMSunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Reviews:
Beautiful Lake that looks reflects a granite face mountain. Plenty of parking and well-maintained hiking paths. Lots of picnic tables for families to enjoy the view. Fall colors are more pronounced along the Northern end of the lake. Returned during the full moon to see if I could capture the stars with the moon illuminating the trees and White Horse Mountain.By T Beshears (2 months ago)What an amazing state park! Echo Lake is so beautiful. Entrance fee is $4 for adult. The park is well maintained and parking is nearby. The trail around it is short and easy (for all ages) and it’s really pretty. Highly recommended!By Zohar Stup (3 months ago)Great spot for a swim, picnic and hike. We hiked up Cathedral ledge but you can also drive up for a great view. We saw some rock climbers and eagles. Only complaint is the $4 a person charge. This seemed especially high since it was between summer and leaf peeking seasons. If you drive up, there is an hour limit. And no toilet paper in the dirty outhouse on top.By Marian Giovannini (3 months ago)can not recommend enough for the North Conway area. I’ve gone at every time of year now and it’s just beautiful. The color of the water is insane and beautiful and is great to swim in. Small, so it stays relatively warm. No motor boats, so it’s safe, too. I’ll be bringing my kayak next time! There’s awesome trails I’ve yet to explore that will take you up the mountain that the lake frames. In the winter you can walk out on the lake, I’ve seen snowmen built pretty far out! There are bathrooms & changing rooms that are usually locked when I’m there, picnic tables too. You can walk around the entire pond and there are SO many tadpoles in the spring!!By Olivia Bowley (11 months ago)This is one of the most gorgeous state parks I’ve ever been to. The lake with the granite backdrop is jaw dropping. Park rangers do a great job of keeping the park well managed – that means you either make a reservation or arrive at 9am when it opens (which is what we did). Our friends arrived at 10:30am and they were the last car they allowed in. Highly recommend for family fun. There are also trails behind the lake that were fun to walk – very easy.By Sarah Nguyen (4 months ago)
Rocky Gorge Scenic Area
- Address: Kancamagus Hwy, Albany, NH 03818, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (997)
- Phone: +1 603-447-5448
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMTuesday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMWednesday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMThursday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMFriday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMSaturday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PMSunday: 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Reviews:
Just a 15 minutes walk from the parking lot… and so worth the stop! Its a charming walk… beautiful moss covered trees and rocks…. lovely trees…. and walking along the rush of the water over the rocks… there’s nothing like it!By Rich n Sue (2 months ago)An easy walk. This was an incredible site with rushing water falls, a peaceful lake and plenty of trails if you want to go further. Check out the photos. Its a must stop!!By Jim Cep (2 months ago)It’s a great quick stop on the kangamangus hw. You can lounge on the rocky shore there with large boulders and platforms. On hot summer days you can just chill in the water, but not too close to the drop off! Also, there area trails accessible from there and a pond to check out not too far into the path across the bridge.By cesar rios (a month ago)Had an awesome time here. The pond was peaceful and full of tadpoles. We ate lunch on the bench. The trails were fun to walk. The rocks were great to climb on and sit and watch the beautiful falls. The bridge gives opportunity for great photos and we saw ducks as well. Very beautiful place.By Marylene Ruiz (a year ago)Nice place for photography, visited this place in fall and it was awesome. There is bridge on river and you can also walk by river.
Designed parking area with restroom ( not clean).By Arun Sabale (2 months ago)
Sculptured Rocks Natural Area
- Address: 251 Sculptured Rocks Rd, Hebron, NH 03241, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (360)
- Phone: +1 603-227-8745
- Website: Link
- Opening hours:
Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours
- Reviews:
A must go to every year! Great place for swimming or just playing with the kids in the rocky stream/river section above the swimming holes. Gorgeous place to see how nature formed the rocks over time.By Katie Shaw (5 months ago)Beautiful place!! Nice escape from the crowded beaches. Plenty of places to swim, trails to explore and rock formations to climb.By Sheep Davis (5 months ago)Cute spot, we just park the park and went to the bridge. Beautiful formation of rocks. Must check if you’re nearbyBy Rabia Riaz (2 months ago)So ya probably won’t spend a lot of time here. But it’s pretty darn cool. Peaceful water rushing through rocks to make mini waterfalls. Gotta love nature and the history as to how it all happened. Easy to find too with GPS. Or with a know it all wife who only gets upset when you get lost…By Slim Satire (3 years ago)A short walk across the road from the parking lot leads to a small gorge with some cool rocks. Not a day trip by any means, but worth a quick visit if you’re in the area.By Jacob Horwath (a month ago)
Profile Falls
- Address: Mountain Hill Road, Bristol, NH 03222, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (284)
Pollard Mill Falls
- Address: 5-23 Falls Rd, Newport, NH 03773, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.8 (124)
Packer’s Falls
- Address: 191 Packers Falls Rd, Durham, NH 03824, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.4 (113)
Emerald Pool
- Address: State Rte 113, Chatham, NH 03813, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (90)
Campton Falls
- Address: 686 New Hampshire Rte 175, Campton, NH 03223, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.5 (82)
Lower Falls Recreation Site
- Address: Kancamagus Hwy, Conway, NH 03818, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.6 (79)
State Prison Farm + Quarries
- Address: Concord, NH 03301, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 3.6 (76)
Thompson Falls
- Address: Jackson, NH 03846, United States
- Map: Click here
- Rating: 4.7 (62)
That’s it for our list of the best swimming holes in New Hampshire! If you have any arguments or additional information, please leave a comment. We love to hear from our readers. And don’t forget to check out some of the other posts on our blog for more travel inspiration. Happy beachcombing!
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Awesome place, many trails and great views. The trail to the waterfalls is just over a half mile. Definitely worth it! Lots of huge boulders for rock hopping. The trail keeps going after you’ve reached the last waterfall.
We visited Diane’s bath with our 12-week-old puppy. I can see why it has taken the whole summer to finally get lucky enough to get in the parking lot.
The 0.6-mile hike in is a kid-friendly hike. Dogs are welcome too!
At the waterfall, you will have three levels to climb, there is no path at that point you’re on your own but it’s well worth it.
One of those spots for which 5 stars just isn’t good enough. The short hike from the parking lot is easy and flat and the views are more than worth it. Multiple cascades and falls. Best views are at sunset!
Loved it! Definitely a must-see in NH! You pay $5 at the parking lot (honor system) and deposit the money in a drop box. Be sure to have cash on you because service is not always good to buy your pass online. Went toward the end of October and the leaves were still beautiful, although past peak season.
Amazing short trail to beautiful waterfalls at any time of year! 100% recommend to anyone in the area. The winter season can be a bit treacherous here due to ice. If you equip yourself accordingly though, the trail isn’t so bad and very much worth it. Very good to take some beautiful pictures of nature in the area. Wasn’t overcrowded either, though we did go on Christmas Day. Staple of this region and we will continue to visit every year!