Summer Swimming Holes

When the heat is on, lower the thermostat! Seek out hidden pools where you can swim, splash, picnic, and relax. Naturally, we’re talking au naturel—swimming holes in beautiful natural settings. Where the cool get cool!

Week: 07.19.2018
Regions: Southern CA

Cool Pool in the ’Bu

Hiking to Rock Pool in Malibu Creek State Park

Best place to cool off on a hot LA day? Our vote goes to Rock Pool in Malibu Creek State Park. A completely natural swimming hole reached via a short and easy trail (2.4 miles round-trip), Rock Pool is perfect for a dip and a splash in a glorious setting. From the parking area, f
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British Columbia's Top Five

Five Amazing Summer Adventures in British Columbia

Wine touring by bike along the Kettle Valley Railway
1) Hello, Sunshine! Hike BC’s Sunshine Coast Trail, Canada’s longest hut-to-hut trail system—and the only free one! Hikers from around the world come to do this 111-mile journey along the coast, through old-growth forests and up to panoramic mountaintop views, all with the comfor
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Heavenly Devil's Hole

Hiking to Devil's Hole in the San Bernardino National Forest

Recipe for the perfect swimming hole: cool pool in a mountain stream, remote mountain setting, great approach hike. Just add a few friends and a sunny summer day, then hike, stir, and splash! You’re at Devil’s Hole in the San Bernardino Mountains. From Splinters Cabin Trailhead i
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No Rapids in This Whitewater

Cooling Off at Whitewater Preserve

Here’s a little desert hideaway that’s a surprisingly cool escape, even when the weather’s hot! Whitewater Preserve in Sand to Snow National Monument is an oasis in a rugged stretch of land just northwest of Palm Springs. The former trout hatchery was recently renovated into a tr
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Trending Stories NorCal

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  1. Hidden Botanical Garden

    Forget a dozen roses. Give your love a botanical garden. Hidden on the western slope of Sonoma Valley’s Mayacamas Mountains, Sonoma Botanical Garden has one of the Bay Area’s best displays of Asian flora—and it’s a brilliant place for a quiet picnic and some calming contemplations.

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  2. Sunnyvale and Salty

    For up-close bird watching, it’s hard to beat a walk along the San Francisco Bay. This 5-mile loop on the Sunnyvale coast is a favorite of local wildlife photographers.

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  3. A man takes a break at a temple spot on a hike at Dragon Mountain in Milptas

    Dragon Quest

    The newly reopened, 4-mile out-and-back hike at Dragon Mountain in Milpitas mixes the physical with the spiritual for a serene hiking experience.

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  4. woman hiking Buck Gulch Falls Novato

    Buck Wild!

    Tucked back beyond the residential ranch-style homes and golf courses of Novato in the North Bay is a wild and wondrous 30-foot waterfall that springs to life in the rainy season. Buck Gulch Falls in Novato’s Ignacio Valley Preserve is in peak flow right now, and it’s a short and Middle-earthy hike to reach it.

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  1. A woman stands at Dante's View in Death Valley, looking out to Telescope Peak and Manly Lake, Badwater Basin below.

    Sunset Hike at Dante's View

    It’s one of the world’s best places to watch a sunset. Dante’s View is a 5,476-foot vantage of the whole southern basin of Death Valley from the top of the Black Mountains. Right now there's a banner and bonus view of a rare lake formation that appears only after big rains.

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  2. Keough's Hot Springs

    Soaking Up History

    When you slide into the soothing water of Keough’s Hot Springs, you’re bathing in a piece of Owens Valley history.

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  3. It's a Waterfall Life

    Tahquitz Canyon’s crystalline stream and lush stands of desert lavender, honey mesquite, and leafy sycamores is home to an easy day hike with a big bonus: a 60-foot waterfall that runs with remarkable gusto after winter rains.

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  4. Grover Hot Springs

    State Park Soaker

    Set in an alpine meadow at 6,000 feet and surrounded by the 10,000-foot granite peaks of the Sierra, Grover Hot Springs State Park—just outside the town of Markleeville—has its very own hot springs.

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