Public Apology: Why the Hudson Valley Keeps their Swimming Holes Secret

I feel like I sold out my hometown.

Swimming Holes in the Hudson Valley, NY

With summer unofficially here and the temperatures rising, I wanted to share all the places to cool off that didn't include membership or chlorine. I knew it wouldn't be a problem to share state-run swimming destinations like Minnewaska State Park in Ulster County, NY or  even Fahenstock State Park in Putnam County, NY, but I was debating whether or not to share the "unofficial" swimming holes of the Hudson Valley.

Secret Local NY Swimming Holes

Secret, undisturbed swimming holes in our area are like endangered species: rare to find and quick to disappear. The demise of locals-only swimming spots can be boiled down to two words: the internet. Everyone from travel bloggers to Facebook posters help advertise the locations of some of the best spots in the Hudson Valley, and unfortunately, not everyone who visits them has the best intentions.

Public Apology to the Hudson Valley

This is where my apology comes in. I let my desire to show off the Hudson Valley cloud my judgement on what may be best for the Hudson Valley. Not that there weren't warning signs. A recent Facebook post in a local hiking group that asked for swimming hole locations was met by a flood of comments lamenting the destruction of favorite spots:

"Nobody tells of a good swimming hole, especially in NY, because then it will no longer be a good swimming hole.."

Yet I soldiered on, and added some local, albeit not top-secret, swimming spots. Then I received this email, which will be censored to protect both the swimming hole from prying eyes and your work computer from the NSFW language:

Exclude ******* *****  from your articles about swimming holes. We don't want these nasty a**  people swimming in our streams anymore. The state doesn't provide bathrooms they're p***ing and s***ing all over the water because there's no other place for them to go. Can we put garbage on the side of the road but G** d**n slobs.

That's when I was snapped to my senses. Do I want to be a helpful local resource? Yes. Do I want to sell out my hometown while I do it? Absolutely not. Consider my lips sealed. Want to go on a hike instead? You may find a swimming hole on your route... check 'em out below. Keep scrolling to see the best public swimming options, too.