Rainbow Pool

Rainbow Pool is a natural swimming hole on the South Fork Tuolumne River, right off Highway 120 about 30 minutes from Yosemite's western entrance near Groveland. It's a popular stop for a reason: a deep pool below a small waterfall, a rock for jumping, and a shaded picnic area beside the water. With a 4.6 rating from nearly 900 reviews, word has gotten around, so this isn't a quiet spot you'll have to yourself.

What's there

• A tall rock for jumping into the deep pool below the falls
• A calmer, shallower pool upstream of the falls that's better suited to younger kids and non-swimmers
• A picnic area next to the water
• On-site attendants who monitor the area and will ask you to move for wildlife or safety reasons

Practical details

Rainbow Pool is open daily from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Several visitors mention paying a small day-use fee at the entrance; restrooms are on-site but reviewers describe them as not always well maintained. The parking area and swimming space fill in fast — plan to arrive in the morning if you want room to spread out, since reviewers describe it as crowded by early afternoon.

Safety near the falls

Jumping from the rocks around the falls is common but technically discouraged, and the drop is a genuine hazard — one reviewer describes someone fatally falling from the falls, though the account is undated and unconfirmed elsewhere. Current and water depth also shift with the season: expect faster, colder water during spring and early-summer snowmelt, and water too cold for swimming by late fall. Keep kids away from the falls' edge and don't rely on the crowd for a sense of how safe any particular spot is.