21 Free Swimming Holes near Colfax, CA 95713
first prev 1 2 next lastShowing Swimming Holes within 50 miles Distance miles of Colfax, CA 95713, USA City, Zip, or Address
Upper Lake Clementine
Auburn
9.3 miles SA cobble beach at the head of Lake Clementine in Auburn State Recreation Area, reached by a steep dirt road off Foresthill Road. $10 per vehicle, open mid-April to mid-October, with weekend reservations required in summer.
Canoe, Kayak, Swim 1.2-2.7 mi
Lake Clementine Trail Loop
Auburn, California
13.5 miles SFour connected trails loop around Lake Clementine on the North Fork American River — wheelchair accessible, pet friendly, and great for fishing, camping, and family summer outings.
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Mountain Bike, Swim
American River Confluence
Auburn, California
13.6 miles SThe Confluence — where the North and Middle Forks of the American River meet below Foresthill Bridge — is Auburn's favorite swimming and rafting hub.
Hike, Horseback, Kayak, Rock Climb, Swim, Whitewater
Hoyt's Crossing
Nevada City
15.5 miles NWA deep pool and boulder beach on the South Yuba River in South Yuba River State Park, reached by a 0.75-mile walk on the Hoyt Trail from the Highway 49 bridges north of Nevada City. Free to walk in.
Hike, Swim
Jones Bar
Nevada City
15.5 miles NWA primitive South Yuba River swimming hole at the mouth of Rush Creek in South Yuba River State Park, reached by a steep trail from the Independence Trail lot on Highway 49 or a rough 4WD road. No fee posted at the bar.
Hike, Swim 0.1 mi
Edwards Crossing
Nevada City, California
15.9 miles NDeep blue water, rock cliffs, and a sandy beach on the Yuba River — with a half-mile walk from the parking lot and cliff jumping spots up to 20 feet deep.
Hike, Swim
North Fork Falls
Colfax, California
18.3 miles NEClear water, cliff-jumping pools, and waterfalls at Sierra Nevada's North Fork Falls — a summer hike to two deep pools with 10-to-25-foot cliffs ready for leaping.
Camp, Hike, Swim
Granite Bay Main Beach
Granite Bay, California
25.9 miles SWThe largest sand beach on Folsom Lake, guarded in summer, twenty five minutes from downtown Sacramento at the end of Douglas Boulevard.
Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Hell Hole Reservoir
Georgetown
29.0 miles EA 4,630 foot Rubicon River reservoir in the Eldorado National Forest, 51 miles and two hours east of Georgetown, where the boat ramp cove is the only drivable shoreline and the lake drops over 100 feet by September.
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Palisades Creek Trail
Truckee, California
31.0 miles NEA difficult Sierra Nevada trail past Palisade Falls — one of the tallest on the American River — with views of Devils Peak, alpine lakes, and 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
Hike, Swim
Heath Falls Overlook Trail
Truckee, California
31.0 miles NEHike and Swim near Truckee, California
Hike, Swim 4.1 mi
Shirley Lake Canyon Trail
Olympic Valley, California
38.7 miles EA 2.5-mile hike from Squaw Valley Village past streams and waterfalls to a pure Sierra lake — rocky near the top, with a free gondola ride back down from High Camp as a reward.
Hike, Swim
China Cove Beach
Truckee
40.4 miles EChina Cove Beach is the sandy, shallow corner at the west end of Donner Memorial State Park, on the south shore of Donner Lake outside Truckee. California State Parks runs it, access is open to anyone paying the 10 dollar day use parking fee, and there is
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
William Kent Beach
Tahoe City
43.0 miles EA free Forest Service swim beach on Lake Tahoe's West Shore, two miles south of Tahoe City on Highway 89, with a pebbly shore, cold clear water and picnic tables across from William Kent Campground.
Kayak, Swim
Gold Lake
Graeagle
43.7 miles NGold Lake is the largest lake in the Plumas National Forest's Lakes Basin Recreation Area, with a free cartop launch and day-use area by the dam on its north shore where swimmers can get in.
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Commons Beach
Tahoe City
43.8 miles EFree public beach and lakefront park in downtown Tahoe City on Lake Tahoe, run by the Tahoe City PUD, with cold clear water, a sand and cobble shore, kayak rentals and free summer concerts.
Kayak, Swim
Paradise Beach
Sacramento
44.0 miles SWA free sandy beach on an oxbow bend of the American River in Sacramento's River Park neighborhood, reached on foot over the levee from Glenn Hall Park and open sunrise to sunset.
Hike, Swim
Sugar Pine Point Beach
Tahoma
45.2 miles EA quarter-mile walk from the parking lot puts you on a sand beach at the foot of Ed Z'berg Sugar Pine Point State Park, where General Creek meets Lake Tahoe and the water runs clear enough to read the bottom. It is also genuinely cold, even in August.
Camp, Hike, Kayak, Swim
Lake Forest Beach
Tahoe City
45.2 miles EA free public beach at the end of Bristlecone Street, owned by Placer County and run by the Tahoe City Public Utility District. Sandy, pine shaded and genuinely quiet, with the one real constraint being how few cars fit at the end of the road.
Camp, Canoe, Kayak, Swim
Lester Beach
South Lake Tahoe
46.3 miles ELester Beach is the sandy main swim beach at D. L. Bliss State Park on Lake Tahoe's west shore, with clear, cold, shallow water and a $10 per vehicle day-use fee in season.
Camp, Canoe, Hike, Kayak, Swim
