In the Blue Ridge, a tall cold one means a 40-foot waterfall cascading off a granite precipice deep in untouched wilderness. Having a pool in your backyard means the crystal clear swimming hole in the hemlock-shaded cove just around the mountain. When it comes to summer, we have it good. How good? Check out our annual swimming hole guide, featuring the Southeast’s hottest spots to chill.

BEST SLIDING ROCK

Bridal Veil Falls
Tallulah Gorge State Park, Ga.

Natural water slides abound in the Blue Ridge. Mountain streams over the eons have rubbed big granite slabs glassy smooth. As the water rushes down, simply sit, slide, and repeat.

It’s big fun, which means big crowds. Unless you head to Tallulah.

At Tallulah Gorge, the 1000-foot drop from rim to gorge floor serves as a natural deterrent to the car-and-cooler crowd. To reach the sliding rocks of Bridal Veil Falls at the bottom of the gorge, you need not just a permit but sure feet and strong nerves to climb down the ultra-steep slopes of Sliding Rock Trail (and back up again). Alternately, you can descend a 600-step staircase and rock-hop three-quarters of a mile to the falls.

Of course, once you get there, how can you beat a cool, slippery rock slide with the highest cliffs east of the Grand Canyon soaring up on either side? Bring lots of drinking water, lunch, and your best holler. Once you start to whoop it up here, you won’t ever want to go top-side again.

Bathing suits required? Yes.

Family friendly? Only for the toughest little mountain goats.

Safety considerations: Bridal Veil itself is mellow-once you get there. The trip down and back requires care and planning. Fences and railings are minimal on the trail. Also, make sure you start your trip out well before the sun begins to set. Once it’s dark, the risk of a fall increases exponentially. At the bottom of the gorge, there are no signs to indicate the swimming area. You’ll need to pay close attention to the map and the park ranger’s instructions, which you’ll hear when you get your permit. The park hands out permits starting at 8am. The permits are free, first-come first-serve, and limited to 100 a day. In summer, get there early. To really enjoy the gorge, give yourself at least three hours.

Directions: Tallulah Gorge is along US 441 about 5 miles south of Clayton, Ga.

BEST CLIFF JUMP

Courthouse Falls, N.C.

Though western North Carolina’s granite bedrock offers plenty of great ledges for perfecting your cannonball, the winner of this category was really a no-brainer. Legendary among generations of college students and the nightmare of every paranoid parent, Courthouse is the quintessential place to drop the bomb-or break your neck, depending on your point of view.

No one knows for sure, but unofficial estimates by regular jumpers put Courthouse at some 40 feet from top to bottom. Whatever you do, make sure to jump the first time with someone who has already made the plunge. Otherwise, your sweet day on the rocks may end with you eating rock.

Bathing suits required? Not really.

Family friendly? No.

Safety considerations: See above. Any kind of cliff jumping is inherently dangerous. If you needed someone to tell you that, you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place. And though Forest Service regulations already ban the consumption of alcohol on national forest property, it goes without saying that boozing it up on the edge of a slippery 40-foot cliff will probably get you an obituary in News of the Weird under the headline “Thinning the Herd.”

Directions: From the Blue Ridge Parkway, take NC 215 east. Go 6.5 miles. Turn left on FR 140. In three miles, find a parking area on the other side of the bridge at the trailhead to Summey Cove Trail. A short hike on the marked trail leads to Courthouse Falls.

BEST ROPE SWING

Burrell’s Ford
Chattooga River, Ga./S.C.

In the northeastern-most corner of Georgia, where the Peach State bumps into both Carolinas, a bridge crosses the East Fork of the Chattooga River at a place known since the old days as Burrell’s Ford. Burrell probably didn’t have a bridge this nice when he first started crossing the river here. Probably didn’t have a bridge at all.

But in the summer he didn’t care. Because here the Chattooga, known around the world for its raging whitewater, runs quiet and calm. Burrell could just wade out after a day of working the land and cool off for a spell. For all anyone knows, Burrell even put up the first rope swing here, just a short walk . Today’s rope probably isn’t the same one he used; with so many swingers over the years, even the hardiest hemp would grow threadbare. Still, once you grab the handle and whisk out with your toes scraping the green water as the sun sets behind the hills some sweaty summer day, you’ll see why Burrell didn’t care that he didn’t have TiVo, PS2, or a jet ski. He had more fun things to do with his time. So do you.

Bathing suits required? Maybe.

Family friendly? 10 and up.

Safety considerations: The art of rope swinging is one inevitably learned through trial and error. To make those errors hurt as little as possible, remember to let go of the swing at the apex of its arc, i.e. at the last moment before it starts to swing back toward shore. The more you hesitate, the more likely you are to land on dirt. Also, don’t jump from the bridge unless you like broken bones.

Directions: From Walhalla, S.C., head north on Rte. 28. Where it crosses the Chattooga River, look for Burrell’s Ford Rd., just north of the Chattooga River Bridge. Turn right and follow the road to Burrell’s Ford. The swimming place is downstream from the bridge here.

BEST SPOT FOR SWIMMING LAPS

Hooker Falls
DuPont State Forest, N.C.

Though heavily trafficked in the summer months, the pool at the foot of Hooker Falls will never get too crowded for a swimmer who wants to combine a day in the forest with a good workout. Hooker Falls is the fourth falls on the Little River in DuPont State Forest, one of western North Carolina’s new outdoor hot spots. It drops 11 feet into an Olympic-size swimming hole with a rocky, woodsy shoreline on both sides. A few laps from one side to the other will definitely help you meet your cardio quota for the day.

Bathing suits required? Yes.

Family friendly? Yes.

Safety considerations: Stay below the falls. It may not seem like much of a drop from the top, but that avalanche of water won’t treat you kindly at the bottom.

Directions: From the Hooker Falls parking lot in DuPont State Forest, located in southern Transylvania County, Hooker Falls itself is a five-minute walk down the dirt road past the gate. Stay left and follow the river. You can’t miss it.

MOST SCENIC SWIMMING HOLE

Cane Creek Falls
Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tenn.

So the most scenic swimming hole in the Blue Ridge isn’t even in the Blue Ridge, at least not technically. But we’ll make an exception for the Cumberland Plateau. Narrow sandstone canyons cover this vast forested wilderness in east Tennessee, one of which shelters the prettiest place to swim this summer: Cane Creek Falls.

Reminiscent of scenery you might find at middle elevations in Utah or Arizona, the cliffs at Cane Creek Falls form an alcove that embraces a deep, wide pool perfect for practicing your backstroke or lounging on a raft. The falls themselves plummet some 40 feet in three luxurious cascades, none of which would look out of place in a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue photo shoot. Still, even a baker’s dozen of sun-fried supermodels would barely register on the beauty scale next to the simple, sublime elegance of Cane Creek. It’s gorges.

Bathing suits required? Yes.

Family friendly? Yes.

Safety considerations: Big cliffs with precipitous, crumbling ledges. Stick to the trail on the way down. But beware: the trail itself is so steep that park rangers installed a steel cable that you must use to rappel down to the water.

Directions: Fall Creek Falls State Park lies just west of Pikeville, Tennessee. Once in the park, signs point the way to Cane Creek Falls.

BEST SPOT FOR SKINNY DIPPING

Paradise Falls, N.C.

To certain folk who remember life in the mountains before gated communities and trailer parks, “swimming naked” sounds redundant. How else would you do it? God never meant for us to get our pants wet.

Yet despite the advent of the so-called sexual revolution, contemporary mores proscribe skinny dipping as an affront to so-called family values. The more naturally inclined among us must venture ever further from the bloated confines of civilization to find places we can let it all hang out. Thankfully, the Blue Ridge has no shortage of places we can still go to get nekkid. Way back in the Nantahala National Forest, Paradise Falls serves up Edenic scenery miles away from the trench coat crowd. Three tiers of falls and plenty triple your swimming options, and big rock slabs make an ideal lay-out spot for catching sun in places it doesn’t usually shine.

Bathing suits required? No.

Family friendly? Depends on whether you’re that kind of family.

Safety considerations: Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. And watch your footing on the falls. Unless you’re a real purist, you might consider sandals.

Directions: Take NC 107 southeast from Sylva to NC 281. Turn left and go 13 miles to Wolf Creek Baptist Church on the right. Just past the church, park in a small parking area along the road. A trail leads down to the falls.

BEST HOLE TO AVOID ON WEEKENDS

Deep Creek
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, N.C.

The Smokies get a bad rap these days. Too polluted. Too crowded. Nine million people visit the nation’s most popular national park every year, the majority of them in summer. You don’t have to look too hard to find your own secret Smokies where you can escape from the masses. But you won’t find it at Deep Creek.

One proven rule of the Smokies is that the closer a place is to the road, the more crowded it will be. Deep Creek lies just a short drive north of Bryson City. It flows past one of the park’s most popular campgrounds and not too far from several other campgrounds just outside the park. It also happens to be really fun. Deep places to swim. Waterfalls. Rapids for tubing. You won’t find an easier place to cool off on a hot summer day on the North Carolina side of the Smokies. Too bad for you, everyone else has found it, too.

Bathing suits required? Yes.

Family friendly? Yes.

Safety considerations: Keep an eye on kids. Deep Creek may seem gentle, but sharp rocks and rough, steep falls have a way of cutting short a fun family outing. Only swim in designated areas.

Directions: The route from Bryson City to Deep Creek is well traveled. Just follow the traffic jam.

BEST HOLE FOR SUNBATHING

South Toe River, N.C.

Sometimes a swimming hole doesn’t have to be hard to find to be fun. The South Toe River runs right next to the Carolina Hemlocks campground in Pisgah National Forest for a half-mile, an easy-to-reach place to catch some rays. Unlike most mountain swimming holes, the South Toe’s proximity to the campground means you’ll have a place to change, set up your camp chairs, and spread out your picnic blanket without having to haul everything down a gully through tangled laurel slicks. Just park and play.

Down by the deepest point of the river, true sun worshippers can spread out their towels on a concrete platform, though they might get splashed by jumpers. Or just hop in an inner tube and float down past the giant rocks. The light bouncing off the river will brown you on both sides.

Bathing suits required? Yes.

Family friendly? Yes.

Safety considerations: Though the river is relatively safe, it does feature some true rapids. Know your river safety rules before you jump in. Also, don’t float past the bridge at the end of the campground.

Directions: From Burnsville, take U.S. 19-E for five miles. Turn right on NC 80 and travel nine miles.

MOST ROMANTIC SWIMMING SPOT

Blue Hole
Mill Creek, Tenn.

Imagine a day in summer, say mid-July. The clock reads 3:47pm. All the windows of the house are wide open, and a warm breeze blows across your bare chest. You just told the owner of that restaurant to shove it. You don’t have anywhere to be.

So what are you waiting for? Call that girl who works the counter down at that new coffee shop. You don’t remember its name, but you remember hers. Tell her you’ll come by in the truck if she wants to go for a swim. Tell her you know about this little place in Tennessee.

Of course you packed some fruit, some olives, ice water in that Nalgene you finally cleaned. You park and the two of you head down the ravine until you hear the telltale rush of waterfalls spilling down the side of a hidden gorge. You’re both acting a little shy but it feels, you know, comfortable.

Down at the creek, you could try to impress her by jumping off the cliff. But you know that would just come off cheesy. Instead you sit, tucked away in the forest, just you and her by the water. A ruby-throated hummingbird buzzes by and startles you. Her hand touches yours.

Bathing suits required? None of your business.

Family friendly? Two’s company, three’s a crowd.

Safety considerations: Don’t come on too strong, or you might end up getting shoved off that cliff.

Directions: That would be telling. (Some clues: Hunter, Tenn., and the intersection of Rte. 91 and Panhandle Road.)

BEST TUBING

Davidson River
Pisgah National Forest, N.C.

Remember those old Juicy Fruit television commercials? The ones where the girls with the Farah Fawcett hair cavorted and splashed with guys in cutoff jean shorts under the deep orange glow of a 1970s sun? (“Take a sniff, pull it out. . . .”) That’s what tubing on the Davidson feels like: endless teenage summer.

Right before you pass through the big granite pillars that mark the entrance to Pisgah National Forest, pull off to your right just next to Dolly’s Ice Cream, to find the tube man, Dick Ford, at Davidson River Rafting. He rents tubes for four dollars a day, which is about the best fun-per-dollar ratio you’ll find anywhere in these mountains.

Once on the river, be forewarned: that first moment when butt hits water makes you feel like you just sat in a bucket of popsicles. After the initial shock, however, you’ll ease into a mellow rhythm as you bob and spin down the Davidson. On either side, the sycamores and rhododendron arc over the river and enclose you in deep green. The river is mostly shallow, but one swimming hole proper along the way is deep enough for a true dip.

If it’s big thrills you seek, don’t come to the Davidson. It’s too hot for that. Just come ready to lollygag under the summer sun and float like the day will never end.

Bathing suits required? Yes.

Family friendly? Yes.

Safety considerations: Like any other river, the Davidson can be more powerful than it looks. Parents should keep a close eye on small children, especially in the small sections of rapids. Wear sandals or sneakers to protect your feet from sharp rocks. When close to the banks, watch out for overhanging twigs and branches. They have a thing for eyes.

Directions: The NC 276 entrance to Pisgah lies just east of Brevard. The tube man will give you directions to a number of different places to park along the river depending on how long you want to float for. Remember you’ll need two cars: one at the start of your trip and one at the end. Sycamore Flats picnic area in Pisgah is the universal take-out spot for Davidson tubers. •