Swiming hole in RR?

I've seen some pics of spots that look like awesome swimming holes in Red Rocks. Can someone gimme some beta on that?

Peace, B.

My guess would be that you may have seen pictures of Calico Tanks, a super popular trail destination that starts at the Sandstone Quarry.

Without a picture though it's hard to be sure.

I'm not sure I would want to swim there...the water is stagnant. A lot of animals use the tanks for their drinking water.

...and often in the summer heat it's pretty dried up to nothing but green goo and a puddle.

I've seen some swimming holes on the way into lotta balls (first creek i think)

I'd agree that water is such a scarce commodity in the desert we shouldn't pollute the water by swimming in it. Save that for Lake Mead. I can think of a number of tinajas throughout the park (Calico Tanks, White Rock Spring, etc.) and most of the creeks have traditionally flowed year-round in isolated places in the canyons, but I say leave the water for the animals...

All that being said, here's a picture of my favorite undisclosed water hole in RR...

John Hegyes wrote:I'd agree that water is such a scarce commodity in the desert we shouldn't pollute the water by swimming in it. Save that for Lake Mead. I can think of a number of tinajas throughout the park (Calico Tanks, White Rock Spring, etc.) and most of the creeks have traditionally flowed year-round in isolated places in the canyons, but I say leave the water for the animals... All that being said, here's a picture of my favorite undisclosed water hole in RR...

Thanks for that note John.
Water is the elixer of life here and Red Rock is a haven or more accurately an island in the desert for wildlife. The tinajas are important water sources for the native residents here. Yes we see flowing water in some areas at some times of year but the tanks are stagnent when water is most important during the dry season. When is that? It's a desert so who knows! Admire the wonder of those watering holes in the desert but leave it for those who need it to survive and preserve Red Rock.

There is a lot of water in Oak Creek Canyon right now, including up in the North Fork. Some of the pools are pretty deep. As others have said, I wouldn't go swimming, but they're nice to scramble around.

One nice place to grab a soak is Arizona Hot Springs, just past the Hoover Dam in AZ. It's about a 45 min trip from LV. The hike down the slot canyon and along the river is very scenic and then it's a short scramble up a side canyon to the springs. Excellent trip for a day off from climbing.

bryan swett wrote:I've seen some pics of spots that look like awesome swimming holes in Red Rocks. Can someone gimme some beta on that? Peace, B.

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10 minutes to RR!

Awesome,
Never been to RR, and I'll be there in a couple of weeks. I'm super stoked to check it out, and I will certainly respect every little corner of that place. Good to hear all your opinions; we have plenty of places to swim here in Oregon, so I will leave Nevada's swimming holes well alone.

Hank Caylor wrote: 10 minutes to RR!

You are forgetting there is actually a really good swimming hole right at Red Rock