5 Amazing Kid-Friendly Swimming Holes

Don’t let the unsexy name of this swimming hole turn you off. Yes, it happens to be just a hop, skip and jump off Interstate 90, and yes, you can hear the cars speeding by in the near distance. But this noise mingles musically with the babbling brook and birdsong, and the proximity to civilization makes this spot ideal for a spontaneous swim. With so many climbing spots, bike routes and hiking trails around, Exit 38 is another swimming hole perfect for a drop-by. When the water level is low and the current is slow, it’s a fine place to bring kids, with a beach near picnic areas — as good as you can get, river-wise.

From the trailhead, it’s a 0.1-mile shady, green walk on Dirty Harry’s Trail. You’ll be far enough away from your car that, for you die-hard urbanites, you’ll feel like you’re getting a break from the city and a little taste of ruggedness, but not so far away that you can’t easily go back to get your left-behind cooler or use the restroom.

After a short jaunt down some rocks (this is the only part that may put older folk and little kids to the test), you arrive at a three-quarters-of-a-circle swath of medium-sand beach. The sun shines brightly here, providing an area to warm up post-swim. Despite its accessibility, the beach is generally very tidy, especially in the early summer. However, later in the season when this turns into more of a picnic spot, it’s likely that signs of human activity will be more evident. In case of beach overpopulation, some river wading will take you to a wide, flat island. The sand here is a little chunkier, but you’ll be surrounded on both sides by the river’s flow.

The water is a lovely clear moss-green, and you can see small fish down below. If you swim perpendicular to the current, you’ll get to a short wall of natural rock across from the beach — it’s more of a shady perch than a jumping-off point. Just north is a bridge, and Instagram tells us that people do occasionally jump off of it, but we aren’t certain about the water being an appropriate depth, so we don’t recommend it (safety first, people, safety first!). Fortunately, if you are jonesing for that splash, on the underside of the bridge are two wee rinky-dink rope swings. A little swing gets you to the deeper part of the river without much to-do. Ponder the graffiti under the bridge, which says, “Takin’ the Plunge.”

Getting there

From I-90 eastbound: From North Bend, take exit 38 west. Turn right and follow Southeast Homestead Valley Road for about 2 miles, then turn left under the freeway rather than taking the onramp back onto I-90. Park at the Far Side Trailhead in Olallie State Park.

From I-90 westbound: From Snoqualmie Pass, take exit 38 east. Turn right and park at the Far Side Trailhead in Olallie State Park.

Details

• Type: Lowland-forest river, current, beach
• Location: Short walk in Olallie State Park east of North Bend via I-90
• Water: Cold to cool, clear, clean, blue-green
• Season: Summer into early fall
• Who’s here: Kid-friendly, dog-friendly; bikers, hikers, climbers, teens with colorful t-shirts, families
• Note: Day-use fee or Discover Pass required
• Local’s tip: Climbers, check out the Far Side area, which includes five different crags (Overhaul, Gritstone, Gun Show, Interstate Park, and Winter Block); visit the Mountain Project website for more information. Mountain bikers, check out a long, all-levels downhill ride off exit 38, given 3.2 hot peppers by a mountain biking website.
• GPS coordinates: 47.4309 W, –121.6322 N

Next up: Leavenworth town beach