Address
CA-120
Groveland, CA 95321
Experience Type
Water & Coastal
EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION
Rainbow Pool is a series of natural swimming holes carved into the granite of the South Fork of the Tuolumne River, sitting just off Highway 120 about nine miles west of the Hetch Hetchy junction. The pools drop in tiers below a small waterfall, the lowest deep enough for a cliff jump from the rock shelf above. In high summer the water runs cold from Sierra snowmelt and the canyon stays shaded into the afternoon. It is one of the most accessible river swimming spots in Tuolumne County and draws a local crowd on warm days that reflects the communities along this stretch of the 120, not Yosemite Valley tourists.
OPERATOR STORY
Rainbow Pool is managed by the Stanislaus National Forest, part of the same national forest system that borders the lodge to the west. The site was originally a toll stop on the Big Oak Flat Road during the stagecoach era and later a small resort development before returning to public land. The Forest Service maintains the parking area and basic facilities; the pools and river are unchanged from the natural granite formations that have made this a local swimming destination for generations.
