naked-falls-swimming-holes_ete7pw The Best Swimming Holes Within 3 Hours of Portland — Naked Falls is a privately owned wonderland of teal pools and rushing water.

When the mercury skyrockets, Portlanders hightail it to the water en masse. But how do you know which of the dozens of swimming holes near Portland are best for you? We’ve got you covered, with 16 of the top places to splash categorized for different types of water lovers. We’ve nailed down all the details—you just need to pack the SPF.

And a safety reminder: Changing conditions—river currents, wildfires, weather events, late season snow blocking roads, and more—can make swimming or wading unwise. Always obey posted signs and local warnings, and enter the water at your own risk.

For Families | For Thrill Seekers | For Birthday-Suit Enthusiasts

For Tranquility Lovers | For Full-Day Adventurers

For FamilIES

Lewisville Regional Park

40 minutes from Portland

This 159-acre park along the shores of the Lewis River holds acres of grassy expanse ripe for wheelbarrow races, plus picnic tables, barbecue shelters, playgrounds, a baseball field, and, of course, several swimming holes. (Note that in summer 2025, several picnic shelters will be closed for construction, and some play equipment is being removed and replaced.) Families seeking a mellow day on the water should head for the park’s Larch area, where a smallish sand-and-pebble beach affords easy wading and swimming for those still sporting water wings. Parents can watch from the grass clearing directly behind the beach … or return alone another day for more secluded lounging in the Ponderosa part of the park, where the current is stronger and the beaches are smaller, but curtained by rows of swaying trees.

Henry Hagg Lake

50 minutes from Portland

Despite (invalidated) rumors of ghostly underwater cemeteries at Forest Grove’s 1,113-acre dammed lake, it’s one of Portland’s best spots for recreational water sports, with picnic areas, 15-plus miles of hiking trails, and two boat launches. Bring your fishing rods, because this lake also offers great opportunities to catch big trout.

pomo_0816_swimming_holes_keenig_creek_zdl71m The Best Swimming Holes Within 3 Hours of Portland — Wilson River at Keenig Creek dishes up delights for all ages.

Wilson River at Keenig Creek

1 hour from Portland

As you head west from Portland toward the coast, a quick turn at Highway 6’s milepost 18 leads sweaty carloads to a relatively still, wide section of the Wilson River, near where it meets trickling Keenig Creek. Kids and the young-at-heart will enjoy rock steps fit for Q*bert and a rope hanging from the bridge, offering a variety of heights from which to jump in and cool off, while risk-takers launch from the bridge deck itself. For pleasures less vertical, a rocky bar in the middle of the river is perfect for wading.

Lost Lake

2 hours from Portland

Isolated (think 26 miles on winding back roads) but accessible (they’re good roads), Lost Lake sits high on Hood’s slopes, at a heat-blasting 3,100 feet. Besides the 10 degrees of mercury you’ll lose on your way up, you’ll also ditch the crowds. Shrouds of firs and pines ring the 167-foot-deep emerald waters, and the onsite resort has cabins, yurts, A-frames, and campsites, including one loop that’s first come, first served. You’ll need a person-powered craft, like one of the paddleboats for rent outside the 1950s-esque General Store, to gain the best view of Hood’s perfect peak—from the middle of the lake—because no motorized craft are allowed. That means only one thing will interrupt your serenity: water-bound first-timers’ inaugural whoops of glee.

For Thrill Seekers

Punchbowl Falls

45 minutes from Portland

A little over two miles into the iconic Eagle Creek trail, hikers find refuge by scrambling down to the oft-photographed, bowl-shaped pool, fed by a powerful, 36-foot waterfall. The scars of the 2017 Eagle Creek Fire are still blatant, though the forest’s quick rebound with underbrush and saplings is just as inspiring as the falls themselves.

Dougan Falls

50 minutes from Portland

At the end of winding Washougal River Road, you’ll find a most picturesque landing: 19-foot-tall cascades tumbling into a giant, blue-green pool and a rocky beach for lying out below the adjacent bridge. Dougan requires a Discover Pass, which can be purchased online or en route at the Washougal River Mercantile.

Naked Falls

55 minutes from Portland

No longer clothing optional, Naked Falls, just past Dougan, is a privately owned wonderland of teal pools and rushing water, with pool party energy by July. Enthusiastic regulars scale a steep path down to a rocky platform, where revelers lay blankets and fire up camp grills. The determined Washougal has worn the stone down so rapids can flow through, creating whirlpools for feet-kicking and lounging. Kids cannonball from the top of the namesake cascades, and the pool at the base of the falls is roomy enough for full-on laps. Those intimidated by tree root–assisted bouldering can head to a calmer walk-in entry point at the end of the gravel road where you park ($13 parking day pass required, available online or at the Washougal River Mercantile).

Moulton Falls

1 hour from Portland

The utility player of swimming holes, 387-acre Moulton Falls Regional Park has something for everyone: Instagram-worthy falls surrounded by plentiful flat rocks for playing lizard in the sun, inviting flat water upstream, two miles of trails tracing the Lewis River’s banks, and a three-story arch bridge daredevils (illegally) leap off. Even better, it’s free, though that means it can get crowded. Arrive early to stake out your bit of beach or stone and savor this MVP.

Lower Lewis River Falls

2 hours from Portland

Photographs just don’t do this place justice. A wall of water, 200 feet across, gushes from 43 feet high into a turquoise plunge pool big enough to shelter Shamu. With a crazy (but not death-wish-crazy) vertical drop from the rim and smaller pools etched into pockets of the rock wall, this is a cliff jumper’s paradise. Hike east upriver through lush old-growth forest to discover Middle (1.5 miles) and Upper Lewis River Falls (about another mile on), stunning in their own right and ripe for swimming if the lower section is overcrowded.

For Birthday-Suit Enthusiasts

Collins Beach

40 minutes from Portland

On Sauvie Island’s northeastern shores, the sandy, one-mile stretch along the Columbia River makes for a quick, refreshing dip. Find the segment of Collins Beach that is well-known for its clothing-optional policy.

Rooster Rock State Park

30 minutes from Portland

Oregon’s only other designated nude beach, this three-mile long stretch of Rooster Rock sits just 24 miles east of Portland on the south side of the Columbia River Gorge.

For Tranquility Lovers

Wahtum Lake

2 hours from Portland

For true tranquility, you have to drive a bit. But rarely does a buttery-smooth paved road and a five-minute jaunt from the car lead to a densely forested lakeside retreat free of RVs and motorboats. (Make sure to check that the road is open, as snow can linger into summer.) Descend a winding staircase through hemlock, Pacific yew, and huckleberry to reach the glassy waters. There are several lakeside campsites and hiking options abound—including a stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail. Take the four-mile round trip up Chinidere Mountain for a close-up of Mount Hood.

Buck Lake

2 hours from Portland

Pristine Buck Lake sits 70 miles from downtown Portland—15 of them on corkscrewing forest service roads. But the crucial last half-mile is what keeps this stream-fed swimming hole relatively secluded and unspoiled: it’s traversable only by foot. Hike through gorgeous stands of old-growth fir, serenaded by a chorus of croaking frogs and willow flycatchers to the edge of the lake’s spectacular emerald waters, which are so clear you’ll be able to see every rock and log (and sometimes fish) beneath the placid surface. A rocky section to the left of where the trail meets the lake offers the best perch for the day—besides a raft in the middle of the lake, of course.

Boulder Lake

2 hours from Portland

Nestled in a thicket of evergreens in a remote swath southeast of Mount Hood, Boulder Lake is uncommonly still; if someone swats a fly across the lake, or an eagle swoops overhead, you’ll hear it. The 13-acre pool sits at the base of soaring scree slopes, with a sequence of rustic campsites, some with picnic tables, tucked in the woods by its east and south shores. Travel light for a day of basking, swimming, and fishing, or pack a tent and stay the night. Twilight here is stunning.

For Full-Day AdventureRs

Blue Pool

2 hours and 30 minutes from Portland

The coldest and clearest water you’ll ever experience flows up through a lava tube and into this tranquil, turquoise pool. The four-mile round-trip hike to take a dip is fairly easy, and is quickly accessible from other adventures along the McKenzie River. Plenty of riverside campgrounds provide opportunities to stay and explore the area.

North Fork of the Willamette

2 hours and 30 minutes from Portland

This fork of the state’s 187-mile artery is too far afield for the masses looking for a speedy escape from town. Look for sweet spots 1.4, 3.5, and 11 miles east of Lane County’s Westfir Covered Bridge, with protected pools of super-clear water and big boulders for sunbathing and lounging. If things get busy—and they sometimes do, owing to the river’s proximity to Eugene—simply drive a few miles farther to find a secluded patch of your own.

Cleawox Lake

3 hours from Portland

Families take note: With dunes on one side and leafy forest on the other, the sandy-bottomed Cleawox Lake, inside the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, offers sun and shade for swimmers, paddlers, and fishers (the lake is stocked through spring with trout). A sandy beach and roped-off shallow zone, just an easy stumble from the parking lot, become kid central in the summer. Once the youth tucker out, catch the sunset from the Eye of the Needle sculpture on the lake’s eastern shore, or drive to the nearby South Jetty to watch it set over the Pacific.

Waldo Lake

3 hours and 15 minutes from Portland

Don’t even bother taking your phone out of your car at Waldo Lake. For one thing, you probably won’t get service in this secluded basin, one of the world’s purest alpine lakes and the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Willamette River. Plus, you won’t want any pings and rings interrupting the silence. Thanks to a 2010 ban, nary a whir of a gas motor will tarnish your serenity at this 9.8-square-mile jewel. (Electric motors are allowed, though, at speeds under 10 mph.) In fact, except for the occasional whoosh of a bald eagle’s wings or the harmonic song of a hermit warbler, all you’ll hear is the echo of your paddle dipping into Waldo’s eerily clear blue waters.

Source link

Share this content: