Summer in much of the United States and/or anywhere near the equator means a lot of time seeking refuge indoors, but it doesn’t need to signify a break from outdoor adventuring entirely. The truly dedicated can still brave plenty of hiking routes in the early dawn hours, but for those of us who are a little less likely to rise before first light, choosing a hiking route that features a swimming hole can help us get out into geology and nature while still staying cool.
Grab plenty of water and sun protection and head out to one of these swimming holes. Each is situated in scenery that provides interesting geology to examine while you cool off in the water.
Jacob’s Well in Wimberley, Texas
Located roughly an hour from Austin and San Antonio, the small Texas town of Wimberley is known for Jacob’s Well, an artesian spring, the headwaters for Cypress Creek and home to what is believed to be the longest underwater cave in Texas. The water is roughly 68 degrees year-round.
According to the local tourism bureaus, slightly acidic rain interacted with the limestone in the area, forming the cave system below over millennia. The cave system opens at the center of the swimming area. The opening extends 23 feet downward before branching off at an angle through a series of “silted rooms.” The passageway reaches a depth of 137 feet and includes two main caves, one 4,500 feet long and the other 1,300 feet long.
It is very dangerous and forbidden to dive here. At least eight divers have lost their lives in the caves below. But you can still jump into the pool from one of the many surrounding rocks!
Trip tips:
- Swimming is permitted May 1 to Oct. 1, but you need to purchase a day pass or half-day pass to enter the park.
- I’d recommend staying at Collective Hill Country. The luxury camping retreat offers everything you need to create a camping atmosphere, with the amenities of a luxury hotel.
- Make sure to walk through the main town square in Wimberley and visit its many shops and boutiques. You can find everything from modern kitchenware and gifts, to antique home décor.
Tamanique Falls, Tamanique, El Salvador
El Salvador once held a reputation as one of the most dangerous places for violent crime worldwide, but in the past three years or so, it’s become a safe tourist destination. It’s also home to many volcanoes, more than 1,200 named mountains, 300 rivers and even several hot springs, creating an interesting geological setting for the adventurous traveler.
The mountain town of Tamanique in the country’s northwest is known for its series of four waterfalls called Tamanique Falls. The falls are situated in the El Bálsamo Mountain Range, which showcases Late Miocene volcanic rocks and remnants from two large basaltic andesite to andesite stratovolcanoes.
“They show periclinal dips and facies zoning from lava flows and coarse epiclastic volcanic breccias of the proximal zone through epiclastic volcanic breccias/conglomerates of the medial zone to epiclastic volcanic conglomerates and sandstones of the distal zone. Their ages are 7.2–6.1 Ma and 2.6–1.5 Ma respectively,” reads the Journal of Geosciences published by the Czech Geological Society.
The tallest of the falls is 50 meters high, and hikers cannot jump the full distance, but the smaller three falls do allow cliff jumping into the cold water below.
Trip tips:
- Because of its location in the Southern Hemisphere, May to October is the rainy season in El Salvador, but the temperatures still average between 73- and 90-degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity.
- I’d recommend staying in the nearby coastal town of El Tunco. The area is a top surfing haven worldwide and very friendly to tourists. It also boasts a coastline littered with dark volcanic minerals and sediments.
- To get to the falls, drive or take the bus from El Tunco to Tamanique (roughly 25 minutes by car, 45 by bus). Once you arrive, head to the tourist center to hire a guide for the hike (having a guide is required to see the falls).
- The hike to the falls is steep in several places, and the trail infrastructure is a bit undermaintained. I would not recommend making the hike if you have any kind of physical or medical limitations.
- You will need cash to hire the guide and pay for just about anything in El Salvador. The currency is U.S. dollars.