If you need a place to cool off in the summer heat but want a unique location that is a lot more fun than the local pool, swimming holes in creeks, rivers and lakes are just the place for you.
WV has thousands of potential spots for this, so we can only highlight a few. There are some classics like Blue Hole that students from WVU have been visiting for decades and Summersville Lake that features climbs right off of your boat up the cliff face and a fall back down to the water. There are also wilderness spots that require hiking miles from your vehicle to little visited waterfalls and pools that provide a brisk swim. Dolly Sods & Otter Creek are good examples of this.
Best times to go:
Of course the heat of the summer is the best time to play around in swimming holes. There is a high likelihood of swimming holes being popular party spots, so a focus on safety and care of our beautiful wild places is important.
Swimming Hole Education & Safety:
We Are Explorers - How to Stay Safe Around Water: Swimming Hole Safety. This is an Australian site (watch out for Crocs may not apply to your swimming hole), but it has great general information.
Vermont Dept. of Health - 9 Tips to Keep You Safe...