Connect With Us
Facebook-f X-twitter Youtube Instagram

MOUNTAIN BLUE: The Top 22 Swimming Holes in the Blue Ridge

Blue Hole, Tennessee.

The votes are in, now it’s time to celebrate the Best Swimming Holes in the Blue Ridge, as selected by our readers.

Best VA Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Devil’s Bathtub (Scott County)
  • Gold – Blue Hole (Rockingham County)
  • Silver – Whiteoak Canyon (Madison County)
  • Honorable Mention – Dismal Falls (Giles & Bland County)
Best WVA Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Seneca Rocks (Pendleton County)
  • Gold – Glade Creek (Raleigh County)
  • Silver – Blue Hole (Preston County)
Best NC Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Sliding Rock (Transylvania County)
  • Gold – Deep Creek (Swain County)
  • Silver – Skinny Dip Falls (Haywood County)
  • Honorable Mention – Elk River Falls (Avery County)
Best SC Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Wildcat Branch Falls (Greenville County)
  • Gold – Reedy Cove Creek (Oconee County)
  • Silver – Long Shoals Roadside Park (Pickens County)
Best TN Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Elkmont (Sevier County)
  • Gold – Blue Hole (Carter County)
Best GA Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Dicks Creek Falls (Rabun County)
  • Gold – Raven Cliff Falls (White County)
  • Silver – Blue Hole (Towns County)
Best KY Swimming Hole
  • Platinum – Happy Hollow (Barren County)
  • Gold – Eagle Falls (McCreary County)
  • Silver – Blue Heron (McCreary County)

About Our Mountain Blue Reader Survey: The winners above were selected by our readers in online voting that took place in early 2020. Our thanks to our readers for their time, expertise and knowledge in the voting. Please click here to view the rest of the winners!

You Might Also Like:

A Virginia Historical Marker stands at the entrance to Green Pastures. Green Pastures’ picnic area was build by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the late 1930s.

Green Pastures Reborn

When it officially opened in 1940 — in the depths of the Jim Crow era — Green Pastures was likely the first U.S. Forest Service recreation area in the nation constructed for African Americans.
Chimney Tops Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park rewards a steep climb with exceptional mountain views. Inset: Gatlinburg, Tennessee’s Chimneys Picnic Area sits beside the West Prong of the Little Pigeon RIver.

11 Picnics with a View

These bucket-list destinations are perfect spots to kick back, enjoy a delightful meal and take in the great outdoors.
Vernon and Toni Wright turn grains grown on their family farm into freshly distilled spirits.

Virginia Century Farm Home to New Distillery

For nearly 200 years, Vernon and Toni Wright’s family has raised corn, cattle and quarter horses at Hill High.
Spring wildflowers bloom early in the New River Gorge of West Virginia. From the photographer: “Bloodroot is one of the first to blossom, fittingly coming in around the first day of spring. The reddish sap that exudes from all parts of the plant — especially the root — when cut is what gives bloodroot its common name.”

Scenes of Spring: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers reveal the fresh sights and subtle joys of the season.
At Hayfields State Park in Highland County, Virginia, easy-to-moderate trails wind through quiet forests and past historic structures.

Greening the Blue Ridge Region

New Parks, Healthier Creeks, Solar Power, Protected Lands and More.
John Scrivani bags female flowers from atop a 40-plus-foot-tall chestnut.

The Good Steward

Veteran forester John Scrivani dedicated his career to restoring American chestnut trees — and helped lay the groundwork for the effort’s next generation.
The pond next to the visitor center entrance is easily accessible and a beautiful spot for a selfie or an afternoon of plein air painting.

How to Make a State Park

The opening of Virginia’s newest state park marked the culmination of a community dream carefully nurtured for more than a decade.
Daybreak at Elakala Falls in West Virginia’s Blackwater Falls State Park on a perfect winter morning.

Quiet Beauty of Mountain Winter: A Photo Essay

Our contributing photographers braved the chill to capture the calm of the cold months.
The original Academy burned in 1911.

Curios: When Lynchburg, Virginia, Was King

With the likes of Douglas Fairbanks, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong performing live, the little city with the highest per capita income in the U.S. was a national hotspot for entertainment.
Hendersonville, North Carolina, offers a walkable downtown.

Slow Travel in 7 States

It's perfect for the mountains!

Current Issue

CALENDAR OF EVENTS