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The 3 Best Swimming Holes in Maryland

Every verified swimming hole in Maryland, ranked from most to least visited by real review counts: 1 lake, 1 reservoir, 1 river, including 2 top-verified destinations. Each entry covers the swim itself, the hike, parking, restrooms, and what you can bring on the water, and links to a full guide with photos, directions, fees, and safety notes.

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Every verified place to swim in Maryland. Tap a marker to open its guide.

Table of contentsall 3 spots▾

1. Cove Beach Park

Bivalve, Marylandriver

Cove Beach Park is a tiny county-run waterfront park, just 1.25 acres, on the lower Nanticoke River near the little community of Bivalve, close to where the river opens into Tangier Sound and the Chesapeake Bay. Wicomico County designates it for swimming and sunbathing, and the county's own description is the selling point: calm, shallow water it calls perfect for young children.

That makes this swimming hole one of the more genuinely kid-friendly river spots on the Eastern Shore. It's a long, narrow beach separated from the parking area by tall grass, with shaded picnic tables and a grill area nearby, and folks fish and crab here too. Just remember the water is tidal and brackish, so depth shifts with the tide, and there are no lifeguards.

  • The water: Calm, shallow, brackish water on the lower Nanticoke River, described by the county as perfect for young children. Depth changes with the tide.
  • Getting in: No hike. The beach sits just past a stretch of tall grass from the parking area.
  • Parking: Free, but the small lot fills quickly. Arrive early.
  • Facilities: No restrooms. Amenities are limited to shaded picnic tables and an adjacent grill and picnic area.
  • Good to know: No lifeguards, and the park is open sunrise to sunset. A good fishing and crabbing spot as well as a swim beach.

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2. Cunningham Falls beach

Thurmont, Marylandlake★ Top verified

Cunningham Falls beach is the designated swimming area on Hunting Creek Lake, a 43 acre mountain lake inside Cunningham Falls State Park in the Catoctins. To be clear, this is where you swim, not at the waterfall the park is named for, where swimming is prohibited. What you get instead is a sandy beach lake with three lifeguarded swim zones, North Beach, South Beach, and a Day Use area.

It is a family swimming hole through and through, with lifeguards on duty 11am to 6pm during the Memorial Day to Labor Day season, a bathhouse, and boat rentals on the water. The catch is popularity, the park regularly fills and turns cars away on warm weekends, so arrive early.

  • The water: A man made 43 acre mountain lake with three designated, lifeguarded swim zones off sandy beaches; no swimming allowed at the falls.
  • Getting in: No hike, parking lots serve South Beach, North Beach, and the Day Use area directly.
  • Parking: Paid day use entry, $3 to $7 depending on residency and day; lots fill and turn cars away on warm weekends, so come early.
  • Facilities: Accessible bathhouse at South Beach, plus day use restrooms near the beaches.
  • On the water: Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and sailboats allowed; Eastern Watersports rents at the lake.
  • Good to know: Lifeguards cover 11am to 6pm with limited Monday coverage; swimming outside those hours is at your own risk, and cell service is unreliable.

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3. Mill Run Recreation Area

Friendsville, Marylandreservoir★ Top verified

Mill Run Recreation Area is a Corps of Engineers campground on Youghiogheny River Lake near Friendsville, Maryland, up in the Laurel Highlands where Pennsylvania meets Maryland. The draw for swimmers is simple: the campground has its own maintained swim beach right on the reservoir shoreline, so campers get a lake to swim in without leaving the site.

The setting is genuinely pretty, a 16-mile-long reservoir threading through narrow valleys and high rounded hills covered in beech, sugar maple, and ash forest. The beach sits next to the boat launch on a lake known for powerboating and water skiing, so expect some boat traffic and wakes near the swim area, and note that no lifeguard presence is documented.

  • The water: A maintained swim beach directly on the shoreline of Youghiogheny River Lake, a 16-mile reservoir with channels up to half a mile wide.
  • Getting in: No hike. Parking is inside the campground and day-use area near the beach and boat launch.
  • Parking: No day-use parking fee is documented. Campsite fees apply for overnight stays.
  • Facilities: Yes, flush toilets in the campground and day-use area, plus a dump station.
  • On the water: Kayaks, canoes, paddleboards, and motorboats, with a boat launch at the recreation area.
  • Good to know: The beach sits beside the boat launch on a busy powerboating and water-skiing lake, and no lifeguard is documented, so watch kids closely.

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Planning a swimming hole trip in Maryland

Maryland has 3 verified natural places to swim in this guide: 1 lake, 1 reservoir, 1 river. The most visited is Cove Beach Park near Bivalve, with 154 reviews.

Maryland swimming holes: FAQ

How many swimming holes are there in Maryland?

We've verified 3 natural swimming spots in Maryland, including 1 lake, 1 reservoir, 1 river. Every listing was checked against USGS water data, public-land records, and first-hand accounts before being published.

Are these Maryland swimming holes free?

Many are free, while some state parks and recreation areas charge a day-use fee. Each listing shows the fee we found in official sources, and where no fee was documented, we say so rather than guess.

When is the best time to swim in Maryland?

Most spots are at their best from late spring through early fall, but conditions vary by site. Each listing includes the best-season note from our research plus a live weather link for planning your visit.

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