Oregon's swimming holes are river work: gravel bars, bedrock pools and dam-and-plunge spots that rearrange themselves every spring runoff. Water level is the whole story, so treat anything written here as a starting point and look at the river before you commit to a scramble.
Traveling through Oregon? Swimming holes are as seasonal as anything on this map — a spring torrent and an August trickle are the same pin. Check the season line and any recent reports before you drive out.
Oregon's statute is ORS 163.465, and it reaches exposing the genitals “with the intent of arousing the sexual desire” of someone, so intent is an element of the offence rather than a description of it.
It is not drafted to reach ordinary, non-sexual nudity.
That is not the same as “it's legal here.” Counties and cities legislate separately, and whoever manages the ground, whether that is State Parks, the Forest Service, BLM, a county or a private owner, sets its own rules on top. Check the land manager for the spot you're actually going to.
Nanitch is a map, not a law firm, and none of this is legal advice. Rules change and enforcement is local, so if it matters, check with the agency that manages the land before you go. Statute last read August 2026.
Confirmed or written up (12)
These have a page here because somebody has been to them: curated by Nanitch, confirmed by a member, or written up with real access notes.
Clear LakePublic swim spot · near Santiam Pass (E of Eugene) · Jun to Sep
A spring-fed lake so clear you can see a 3,000-year-old submerged forest through the water. Rustic resort, rentals, cold swimming.
Broad swimming hole with a pebble beach and wide rock ledges on the Little North Santiam. Popular and family friendly. Parking is $5 a day or $30 for the Marion County annual pass,…
The famous glassy green pool where Opal Creek meets the Little North Santiam, reached by an easy old-growth trail. Day-use.
Salmon Falls ParkPublic swim spot · near Lyons (E of Salem) · Jun to Sep
Reopened 18 May 2026 after the 2020 fires, with the entrance moved about a third of a mile east on North Fork Road. Turn right and the parking lot is right there, with a sign showi…
A 13 acre county park on Butte Creek, open sunrise to sunset. Parking is $5 a day or $30 for the Marion County annual pass, charged 1 April through 31 October, and it is the same p…
Tamolitch (Blue Pool)Public swim spot · near McKenzie Bridge (E of Eugene) · Jun to Sep
Oregon's iconic electric-blue pool where the McKenzie resurfaces from underground lava — a ~4 mi round-trip hike on the McKenzie River Trail.
A cobble bar on the Molalla River with clear green water, deep enough to swim in places. The pin is the pullout about a quarter mile north of Three Bears Campground, which is the s…
Three PoolsPublic swim spot · Elkhorn, near Lyons (E of Salem) · Jun to Sep
A string of deep emerald pools, cliffs, and grottoes on the Little North Santiam in the Willamette NF. Day-use area; NW Forest Pass. ~50 min from Salem.