Swim in Graves Bay Swimming Hole

To get to this swimming hole you drive south from Hungry Horse on the West Side Road (Forest Road 895) 33.6 miles to the Graves Creek Campground. Park in the small parking lot with the bear box and outhouse, opposite the campground closer to the lake. Follow the path as it leads you past the cascades and down to the lake. The turquoise swimming hole will be to your right once you reach the lake. 

Graves Bay Swimming Hole is a lovely swimming hole at the base of Graves Creek. A few factors contribute to making this an excellent hole. It is a comfortable temperature to enjoy and you won’t freeze. The hole itself is lined by rocks to sit on and enjoy, in or out of the water. Beyond the rocks, it drops off to be extremely deep, which makes it good for diving. There are several rocks closer to the creek that are high enough to maybe qualify as cliff jumping if you were to leap from. Adjacent to the swimming hole is a nice beach with beautiful mountain views.

Graves Creek cascades into the swimming hole quite beautifully, but the water is significantly colder than it is in the bay. If you swim close enough to the creek you will notice the temperature change, so I recommend staying close to the lake.

If you choose to, you can camp on the beach right next to it.  There are picnic tables, restrooms, and firepits nearby. This is our favorite place in Montana to get away from the crowds, cool down, just relax and enjoy the day, and hopefully it  might become a favorite of yours as well.