The 7 Best Swimming Holes in Nevada

Sand Harbor is the polished kind of swimming hole, a 55-acre sandy beach and cove on Lake Tahoe's northeast shore that has been the showpiece of Nevada's state park system on the lake since the beginning. The sand slopes gently into famously clear water, which makes getting in easy for families and casual swimmers, and clear enough that people snorkel and scuba dive right off the beach.

The catch is that everyone knows about it. Lots fill to capacity by mid-morning on summer weekends, and from May 15 through September 30 you need a day-use reservation just to arrive between 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. Go early, or use the paid Tunnel Creek overflow lot and shuttle, because parking along Highway 28 outside the lots is prohibited.

Nevada Beach is a U.S. Forest Service beach and campground on Lake Tahoe's east shore, about 2 miles north of Stateline at 6,100 feet. It is one of the widest sandy beaches on the entire lake, up to a mile of shoreline depending on who is measuring, with panoramic views across the water to the Sierra Nevada. Less a tucked-away swimming hole than one of the broadest official places to swim on this side of Tahoe.

Swimming here means clear, cold alpine water with a wide sandy walk-in entry rather than a rocky scramble, which is exactly why families like it. The lake stays notably cold year-round, and the Forest Service flags sudden storms and unexpected waves as things to respect. There are no lifeguards mentioned anywhere, so come prepared for brisk water and keep watch on the kids.

Round Hill Pines Beach Resort is a concessionaire-run beach on Forest Service land along Lake Tahoe's south shore, tucked in a cove off Highway 50 with views toward Mt. Tallac and Emerald Bay. It is a developed, family-oriented beach with a restaurant, bar, and full rental marina, not a backcountry swimming hole, and that is the appeal for a lot of people.

You walk straight off the sand into the same incredibly clear, cold water Tahoe is known for, as one visitor write-up put it. There is no lifeguard on duty, the water runs very cold, and sudden storms and waves are called out as hazards, so this suits casual family swimming and beach lounging more than serious open-water sessions. The lot fills fast in summer, so aim for the 8am opening if you want a spot.

Fish Lake Valley Hot Well is one of those wonderfully odd Nevada desert stops. Ranchers hit hot water while drilling for oil in the 1880s, and over the decades people built up a small concrete-decked soaking pool, about 12 by 6 feet with a gravel bottom, fed by roughly 105 degree geothermal water. The overflow cascades into rock-lined pools and shallow ponds that cool to around 85 degrees, and those lower ponds are stocked with goldfish.

Be clear on what this is, a soaking spot on open BLM land rather than a swimming hole for laps, with one visitor admitting the main pool only tempted them to soak their feet. The payoff is the setting, high desert at about 4,800 feet with the White Mountains and 13,146-foot Boundary Peak on the horizon, plus free access and free dispersed camping right at the well.

Boulder Beach is Lake Mead's officially designated swim beach near Boulder City, and it delivers exactly what a desert swimming hole should. A buoyed swim area keeps boats away from swimmers, the water warms past 80 degrees by late summer, and the whole thing sits against a mountainous backdrop just minutes from Las Vegas. The beach itself is rocky, so pack water shoes.

Know what you are getting into, though. There are no lifeguards and no routine water-quality monitoring, so this is unsupervised natural-water swimming rather than a managed facility. NPS also warns that as lake levels drop, exposed lakebed can turn into silty mud that traps people and vehicles, and that underwater hazards shift with the water level. Fine for casual and family swimming, just keep your eyes open.

Zephyr Cove is a sandy beach on Lake Tahoe's Nevada shore, run as part of the privately operated Zephyr Cove Resort along US Highway 50. This is a developed swim beach rather than a hidden swimming hole, with rentals, food service, beach volleyball, and a full marina next door offering cruises and watercraft.

The draw is the water itself, which the resort describes as incredibly clear alpine water. It is also cold most of the year, averaging near 52 degrees, and only warms into the comfortable 64 to 70 degree range in July and August. Plan a midsummer visit for actual swimming, and keep in mind the beach adjoins an active marina, so watch for jet skis and boats near the swim area in peak season.

Hot Creek Springs is one of Nevada's stranger and better swimming holes, a warm spring pool in the remote White River Valley about 32 miles south of Lund. The spring runs around 85 degrees and forms a clear teal pool that visitors repeatedly compare to Caribbean water, clear enough to watch the endangered springfish swim below you. It is a designated National Natural Landmark, and NDOW itself lists it as a swimming destination.

Parts of the pool are shallow enough to soak in, but other sections are deep enough that you have to actually swim, so keep an eye on non-swimmers. The bottom is silty in spots, and just about every account recommends water shoes. Spring through fall is the sweet spot, since 85 degree water loses its charm in a Nevada winter.