A Summer Dip, Part 2
If you missed part one, be sure to check out our additional swimming picks! In part two, we’ll continue the swimming hole hunt. It’s a time-honored activity around here, finding your secluded place to take a cooling dip or dive. And we promise to do our best not to cause a run on your personal favorite – we’re looking at the best-known (and therefore usually the most officially sanctioned) beaches and ponds.
Last time, we looked at the upper reaches of the Deerfield River; Puffer’s Pond in Amherst; and the Deerfield/Whately/Sunderland Tri-Town Beach. Now we’ll turn our attention for starters to a couple of favorites in Franklin County. In Greenfield, the Green River swimming area is tucked away well north of downtown. There’s a charge, but residents and non-residents can purchase season passes as well. There’s a sandy beach, plus a conservation area and nearby Murphy Park, home to summer baseball and softball.
Another secluded Franklin County spot that’s well worth a drive is Lake Wyola State Park, which sits on the northern edge of Shutesbury, en route to Wendell. It’s a big place, complete with lifeguards, and the large lake is often full of families with kids. The name comes from a Native American word meaning “quiet waters,” and it’s worth noting that those quiet waters are available in the winter for cross-country skiers as well.
A fair bit to the west, in Hampshire County, you’ll find DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) State Forest. There’s a whole lot of water, with Upper and Lower Highland Lakes. But this is a great place for a lot more than swimming – it’s got camping, fishing, paddling, picnicking, and an equal lineup of wintry sports. Definitely a place to bookmark as a year-rounder.
In Leeds, not a long drive from downtown Northampton, Musante Beach offers another sandy-beach destination, complete with life guards. It’s open to town residents and non-residents, and there’s a charge, in part to fund those life guards.
In the slightly less-official category, it’s definitely worth a mention that there’s swimming near the rather fetching waters just beyond Smith College in Northampton, on the Mill River. It’s a little harder to describe how to get there – trails behind Smith -- and this one’s a lot more dependent on the ever-varying water level. It’s a spot to know, however, and not least because like with many small area rivers, following its course through hill and dale means you are likely to discover some other less-known if equally pleasant destinations.
It’s always the best way to go if you aren’t after the official beach scene – find a river or a stream, and start hunting. Given New Englanders preference for water over air-conditioning, before long, you’re almost certain to strike some swimming gold.
