Perry Swimming Hole is a small county park on the Grande Ronde River at the community of Lower Perry, about two miles west of the La Grande city limits in Union County, Oregon. Union County Public Works runs it as part of the county parks system. The park sits on a parcel of about 1.3 acres that the county once used for gravel, and it holds one of the few stretches of the upper Grande Ronde deep enough to swim in. Locals have been coming here for generations, and the county keeps it open for day use.

To get there, take exit 257 off Interstate 84. The parking is a gravel area along the road on the south side of the freeway, close to the eastbound on-ramp, and short dirt paths drop from the road to the water. The river comes out from under the I-84 bridge here and bends east past the parcel toward La Grande. Expect freeway noise overhead and an active Union Pacific rail line across the valley, so stay off the tracks and the highway shoulders.

The swimming is in an open river channel, not a developed beach. Union County describes it as one of the few deep spots on this part of the river, and away from that pool the river runs shallower, so check the depth before you jump or dive. The Grande Ronde drains the Blue Mountains, which keeps the water cold well into summer. Spring snowmelt brings fast, high water that is not safe for swimming, while by late summer the flow drops a long way and the pool can get noticeably smaller. The USGS gauge on the Grande Ronde River near Perry, a short distance upstream, is the best way to check current flow before you go. There are no lifeguards, and the county's own listing says swim at your own risk.

There is no entry fee and no permit to buy. The county lists the park as day use only, so there is no camping. The county page lists no restrooms or drinking water, so bring what you need. Union County also asks visitors to keep the area clean and free of glass.

The park nearly disappeared in 2008, when the county board of commissioners listed the parcel as surplus property for auction. A Lower Perry resident told the board that the swimming hole had been used for generations and that a private buyer could close it to the public, and the commissioners withdrew it from the sale. It has since been listed among the county's parks alongside Mt. Emily Recreation Area, Pilcher Creek, Thief Valley and Wolf Creek reservoirs.

About a mile west on the frontage road is the Upper Perry Arch Bridge, a 1924 concrete arch designed by Conde B. McCullough and restored in 2009, with a small viewpoint, benches and interpretive signs. It makes an easy stop on the way in or out. La Grande has the nearest groceries, fuel and restrooms.