Skip to content

Top Navigation

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Home
  • Garden
  • Holidays & Entertaining
  • Videos
  • Sweeps and Contests

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Midwest Living

Midwest Living Midwest Living
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 40 Favorite Comfort Food Recipes

      Macaroni and cheese, Amish apple dumplings and chicken pot pie are among our Midwest comfort food favorites. Read More Next
    • 50 Romantic Midwest Getaways

      Romance, of course, can be wherever the two of you are. But wonderful surroundings help. We found some of the most romantic places anywhere in the Midwest—in the city and country. All you have to do is get away together! Read More Next
    • 50 Decadent Chocolate Dessert Recipes

      Chocolate lovers, these are for you: 50 of our best rich-and-gooey chocolate dessert recipes, including pie, pudding, cake, cookies, fondue and brownies. Read More Next
  • Travel

    Travel

    See All Travel

    50 Midwest Resorts We Love

    Our favorite Midwest resort destinations range from cozy lakeside lodges to indoor water park behemoths. Dive in to check out our top picks for a fabulous Midwest getaway.
    • Illinois
    • Indiana
    • Iowa
    • Kansas
    • Michigan
    • Minnesota
    • Missouri
    • Nebraska
    • North Dakota
    • Ohio
    • South Dakota
    • Wisconsin
    • Around the Region
    • Free Travel Info
  • Food

    Food

    See All Food

    Midwest Living November/December 2020 Recipes

    • Comfort Foods
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Breakfast
    • Quick & Easy
    • Chicken
    • Soups & Stews
    • Midwest Favorites
    • Fruits & Vegetables
    • Fish
    • Grilling
  • Home

    Home

    See All Home

    50 Quick and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas

    Give your home holiday style in a flash with these simple yet creative decorating projects.
    • Quick Decorating
    • Featured Homes
    • Organizing & Storage
    • Outdoor Living
    • Seasonal Decorating
    • Room Decorating
  • Garden

    Garden

    See All Garden

    14 Cheerful Winter Container Gardens

    Create bountiful outdoor winter arrangements with a little help from Mother Nature.
    • Container Gardens
    • Flowers
    • Featured Gardens
    • Midwest Gardening Calendar
    • Garden Ideas & Inspiration
  • Holidays & Entertaining

    Holidays & Entertaining

    See All Holidays & Entertaining

    40 Easy Christmas Crafts

    Decorate your home, make a gift or create an ornament with our 40 ideas for fun and easy Christmas crafts.
    • Christmas
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • July 4th
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
  • Videos

    Videos

    See All Videos
    • How to Make an All-Butter Pie Crust
    • How to Make Pumpkin-Spice Icebox Cake
  • Sweeps and Contests

    Sweeps and Contests

    See All Sweeps and Contests

    Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

    • Winter Getaways Sweepstakes
    • Warm-Weather Getaways Sweepstakes

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Email Preferences
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Win Your Dream Getaway!
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Magazine Issues
  • Destinations
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Midwest Living
  2. Travel
  3. Around the Region
  4. Our 10 Favorite Spots for a Summer Splash

Our 10 Favorite Spots for a Summer Splash

June 01, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Pin
These swimming destinations hidden in the heart of the Midwest will cool off even the hottest summer days.
Start Slideshow

1 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Best semisecret swimming spots

Locals know where they are, and they probably would just as soon the rest of us didn't. But we waded in anyway and found perfect, little-known places to take a plunge: rock-rimmed waterfall pools, empty beaches, secluded riverbanks and more. The next 10 slides have some of our favorite Midwest swimming spots. Most of these destinations don't have lifeguards, so be sure to swim responsibly-especially if you're bringing little ones along.Pictured: One of the swimming areas at Amnicon Falls State Park in Superior, Wisconsin.

1 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, Waite Park, Minnesota

Even though it's sanctioned as a county park, this St. Cloud-area preserve delivers thrills equal to the best secret swimming holes. Daredevils climb onto designated spots on rock walls and plunge into a cold, spring-fed pool that's as deep as 112 feet. Swimmers bob across the surface on rafts and inner tubes and do laps between points where the walls aren't as steep. A floating dock (left) makes getting out of the water easy and provides a platform for less-challenging cannonballs. (320) 656-3600; co.stearns.mn.usSt. Cloud Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

2 of 11

3 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Miners Beach, Munising, Michigan

On a warm summer afternoon, waves with just the right amount of chill wash against this protected swath of white sand. Along the Upper Peninsula's north shore, Miner's Beach (left) is 12 miles east of Munising. The cliffs of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore frame the beach, which is just a short walk from the parking lot. The best part: You'll likely have the beach to yourself even on the warmest summer days. (906) 387-3700; nps.govUpper Peninsula Travel and Recreation Association

3 of 11

Advertisement

4 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Amnicon Falls State Park, Superior, Wisconsin

Swimmers take turns beneath roaring cascades or slip into quiet, pine-shaded rock pools at this natural water park (left), a legacy of eons-ago earthquakes. This series of picture-perfect swimming spots 12 miles east of Duluth/Superior strings along the Amnicon River as it splits and flows around a small island. (715) 398-3000; dnr.wi.govVisit Duluth

4 of 11

5 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Eminence, Missouri

Bluff Hole hides at the end of a path through a tunnel of trees where south-central Missouri's Jacks Forks River widens and takes its time. Gray-green shadows mark this classic swimming spot's deeper water at the base of a rock shelf, and gravel glints beneath the gin-clear shallows near the bank. On a quickly warming summer morning, the hole (left) feels like a discovery, and it has been for generations of local swimmers and visitors to Ozark National Scenic Riverways, about 140 miles east of Springfield. (573) 323-4236; nps.govEminence Chamber of Commerce

5 of 11

6 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Punderson State Park, Newbury, Ohio

A small swimming beach edges a secluded natural lake (left) in this northeast Ohio park better known as a winter sports haven. Families picnic in woods beside the lake and spread out amid toys on the sand. But even on a hot Sunday afternoon, the number of swimmers totals only about 30, including little ones splashing in the shallows. (440) 564-2279; parks.ohiodnr.govGeauga County Tourism Council

6 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lake McConaughy, Nebraska

Beaches so white they recall the Caribbean rim this big blue reservoir (left) in far western Nebraska near Ogallala. Twenty miles long with more than 100 miles of shore when it's at capacity, the lake also draws boaters and anglers. (800) 658-4390; ilovelakemac.com

7 of 11

8 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lake Scott State Park, Kansas

This park appears like an oasis on western Kansas' plains (50 miles north of Garden City). Bluffs and wooded canyons surround a spring-fed lake (left) and swimming beach, with camping nearby. Canoe and paddleboat rentals are available. (620) 872-2061; kdwpt.state.ks.us

8 of 11

9 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Platte River, Michigan

At the southern border of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (30 miles west of Traverse City), this clear and shallow stream twists through woods and undulating sand dunes before emptying into Lake Michigan (left). Floaters in inner tubes and canoes glide past as swimmers splash. (321) 326-4700; nps.gov

9 of 11

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lake Carlos State Park, Minnesota

The water can be as warm as a heated pool's at this western Minnesota lake (10 miles north of Alexandria). Families settle in at the nearby campground. (320) 850-7200; dnr.state.mn.us

10 of 11

11 of 11

Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lake Red Rock, Iowa

Families appreciate the broad beach and roped-off swimming area at White Breast Recreation Area along Iowa's largest reservoir near Knoxville (55 miles southeast of Des Moines). Neighboring North Overlook Beach (left) is great for a boat ride at sunset. (641) 828-2257; redrockarea.com(A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® July/August 2007.)

11 of 11

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 11 Best semisecret swimming spots
2 of 11 Quarry Park and Nature Preserve, Waite Park, Minnesota
3 of 11 Miners Beach, Munising, Michigan
4 of 11 Amnicon Falls State Park, Superior, Wisconsin
5 of 11 Ozark National Scenic Riverways, Eminence, Missouri
6 of 11 Punderson State Park, Newbury, Ohio
7 of 11 Lake McConaughy, Nebraska
8 of 11 Lake Scott State Park, Kansas
9 of 11 Platte River, Michigan
10 of 11 Lake Carlos State Park, Minnesota
11 of 11 Lake Red Rock, Iowa

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Login

Midwest Living

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Contact Us
  • Help
  • Free Newsletters this link opens in a new tab
  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
  • Renew this link opens in a new tab
  • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Affiliate Program
  • Free Travel Info this link opens in a new tab
  • Special Promotions this link opens in a new tab
  • Sweepstakes this link opens in a new tab
  • Video
  • Home Advisor this link opens in a new tab

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en EspaƱol this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
  • Travel & Leisure this link opens in a new tab
Midwest Living is part of the Meredith Home Group. © Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.midwestliving.com

View image

Our 10 Favorite Spots for a Summer Splash
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.