The Best Swimming Holes Near San Francisco

It’s hard to beat spending the summer in the Bay Area. Whether you’re a local to San Francisco or you’re visiting, there’s plenty this famous city has to offer. Let’s take a look at some of the coolest spots you can check out when those summer temperatures start to soar!

Garden Of Eden

No one can refuse this well-liked swimming spot with a name like “The Garden of Eden?” A swimming spot for decades, Henry Cowell State Park’s hidden jewel is hiding among the trees. It’s a terrific area to spend a few hours escaping the heat during the sweltering summer days. 

No matter the season, this is a lovely location to visit. Plan a hike to the Garden of Eden for a special experience in a divine bathing hole. It’s as enticing as it sounds. Vegetation surrounds the swimming hole, moss-covered rocks, and enormous stones. It has the impression of being a tiny oasis removed from society. This venue can definitely become crowded on the weekends. 

Over the years, the swimming hole has grown in popularity. It’s now a sought-after location to visit on a hot day. You can always wander upstream or downstream and establish a more secluded position along the river if you discover that the primary beach area is overcrowded.

Cannonball Camp

This next spot is great for kiddos! Whenever anyone says the words “summer camp,” for many kids, this is the place that comes to mind. Many more people got their start learning to swim there! Nothing truly captures the essence of summer like jumping from the pier with your pals after a hot afternoon of outdoor recreation. 

Being near the water is very magical. This is especially true as the sun sets behind the trees and the water turns a vibrant rainbow of colors. The fact that few campers get to enjoy this lake at home, though, is by far its best feature.

The most popular pastime at Camp Cannonball is plain ol’ swimming. Swimming provides an opportunity to gradually develop a skill, much like every other camp activity. Regardless of whether you realize it, swimming becomes a stronger skill if you spend every summer on the lake. Kids will probably have the skills to be a lifeguard by the time they’re in high school!

Sunset Beach

On the Russian River, Sunset Beach is a popular summertime recreation area. Popular warm-weather pastimes include canoeing, swimming, tanning, and picnics. Year-round, fishing, birdwatching, and wildlife watching are common pastimes. 

A short, gravel hike from the parking lot goes to a rocky shore with sights of the river, the Hacienda Bridge, and redwood-covered hillsides upstream. In close proximity to the parking lot, there are picnic spaces and temporary restrooms. Summer tubing excursions that start at Steelhead Beach are advised to terminate at Sunset Beach. 

All year long, you can launch canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards from the beach. The beach access trail must be used by paddlers to carry their watercraft from the parking area to the river.

Bass Lake

This lake can be reached by hiking the Coast Trail from the Palomarin Trailhead in the Point Reyes National Seashore. The path passes along the seaside bluffs and offers panoramic ocean vistas, making the journey as enjoyable as the destination. 

A dirt trail that isn’t well-marked passes through a clearing at just over 2.5 miles and offers easy accessibility to the lake. The lakefront, which is shaded by trees, is the ideal location for a summer picnic. In the summertime, the lake is frequently packed with nature lovers and swimmers who jump into the water from the rope swing while floating on inner tubes and rafts. 

If you want a longer trip, think about going 1.5 miles further to witness Alamere Falls cascade from the bluffs into the beach. Then, on the way back to the trailhead, drop by to take a cool plunge.

Salmon Creek

Make sure to stop at Salmon Creek Falls for a respite from the drive if your summertime travels have taken you south on Highway 1. The Salmon Creek walk is less than a quarter of a mile from the parking lot and takes you to the foot of the 120-foot Salmon Creek Falls, which are located several hours south of San Francisco. 

Relax in the chilly waters at the foot of the falls while admiring the imposing waterfall above. The primary route ascends along Salmon Creek for more than three miles after the side path to the waterfalls, winding through oak woodlands and giving hikers vistas of the shoreline below. 

Backpackers can set up a tent in Spruce Camp, which is around two miles from the entrance, or Estrella, which is 3.25 miles away, and indulge themselves with a swim on the way back.

Summary of The Best Swimming Holes Near San Francisco

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