Cool Down in These Lamoille County Public Swimming Holes
By: Lea Kilvádyová
When summer temperatures spent days hovering close to 90 degrees, I found it refreshing to cool down in Vermont’s bodies of water. Brooks, rivers, ponds and lakes, Lamoille County has got it all!
In Johnson, where I live, the community has been working diligently to preserve public access to water so we all can enjoy this precious resource in perpetuity. “Journey’s End” is a spectacular swimming hole and waterfall carved into the bedrock of Foote Brook. It takes a short 10-minute walk to reach Journey’s End from a public parking pull-off about 0.4 miles up Plot Road. The trail has been cleared, is well marked, and the walk is easy thanks to Johnson Conservation Commission building wooden bridges and steps along the way.
My other recommendation is for Beard Recreation Park, located on School Street just below the Powerhouse Covered Bridge. For generations, local residents and visitors have enjoyed a beautiful, Olympic-sized swimming hole and a beach along the Gihon River. The Town purchased and conserved the land in 2015. Thanks to the Town’s effort, this land will now forever be accessible to the public as the “Beard Recreation Park”. With approximately 600 feet of river frontage, this parcel possesses beautiful shoreline, waterfalls, and swimming spots along the Gihon River. The park also features a picnic table, a grill, and a stone stairway installed by Johnson Conservation Commission.
For more information on places to enjoy in Johnson all year long, visit www.johnsonconnect.net.