Southern Idaho’s Best Swimming Hole Where Swimming Isn’t Allowed

Southern Idaho has so many incredible spots to spend an afternoon cooling off in remote, picturesque surroundings. One of my favorite places to hang out I visited multiple times before I was informed that the park's most beautiful attraction is actually off-limits to the general public for safety concerns.

I know what many of you in southern Idaho are already thinking. "Oh great, why don't you tell people where this place is so people will swim there illegally." Well, I beat you to the punch, because unless you've already identified this spot from the photo I used, I'm not revealing its location.

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I will say that the swimming hole is in Gooding County. Some friends and I kayaked to the site which is surrounded by rocks a few years back. I didn't recall seeing any warning signs stating the site was prohibited at the time we hiked to the pool, but I was told by a co-worker days later that water runoff from above can pose a safety threat to anyone swimming below.

I never went back to the pool after that, but still visited the surrounding river and waterfalls from time to time. It's always better to obey Idaho park rules than to disregard them, because there are reasons they want to keep the public out, and most are due to safety. I have heard that people do visit the pool regularly still.

My opinion on the matter is that there are too many amazing, natural sites outdoors in southern Idaho that are legal to enjoy and aren't a safety concern, so I'd rather not risk a trespassing citation.