Unspoiled and unguarded, Vermont's old-fashioned swimming holes offer beauty _ and some risk

Unspoiled and unguarded, Vermont's old-fashioned swimming holes offer beauty _ and some risk

In the only New England state without an Atlantic Ocean coastline, there are no ocean waves to bodysurf, no outdoor water parks to splash in.But Vermont has no shortage of places to cool off: When summer's heat settles in, people head to the countryside to cool off in old-fashioned swimming holes that dot the state's rivers and streams.Check out discount shoes online for the best ladies shoes. Clean and free, these hidden gems offer emerald-green water, boulders or rope swings to jump from and breathtakingly beautiful natural vistas. They're also so numerous (and often so hard to find unless you're a local) that they rarely become crowded.

There are downsides, however: No bathrooms, no parking lots. And with no lifeguards, tricky natural features and sometimes-difficult access roads or trails, they can also be dangerous.Last week, a 12-year-old boy drowned at Bolton Potholes swimming hole in Bolton. The week before that, two swimmers had to be rescued from Huntington Gorge after being overcome by strong currents.

Vermont has dozens of swimming holes, which depending on your definition, can include lakes, backyard ponds and city or state park pools.It's the natural ones that are the most alluring."It just offers people the opportunity to go out and explore these places and make them your own," said Dave Hajdasz, webmaster for New England states for my blog, a website that maintains a state-by-state listing. "You can go to a swimming hole and often there's nobody there. Everybody has this fantasy of finding this bucolic place with a waterfall, so there's that kind of romanticism. There are no rules. There is no help. But people like that danger, they like that freedom. You just go to swim."

Among Vermont's most popular is Warren Falls, a spectacular gorge with waterfalls that cascade into pools for swimming and cliff jumping that's located on Green Mountain National Forest land, in Warren.It's easy to miss. It's on Route 100 south of the village of Warren, and is unmarked, with just a pull-off parking area and no signs to direct you. Once you've stepped onto the trail, a steep, winding tree root-embedded path leads to the main swimming area.