Swimming in Leeds

Many Amherst students originally from coastal areas may miss their beaches during the semester, but Leeds, Mass. offers the next best thing, possibly even better.

Hidden away in a neighborhood of Northampton is a river, which is dammed, and at the bottom is a perfect pool for swimming.

The water is deep in some areas of the river, but others are shallow to allow visitors to wade. With rocks of varying size in the river, there are all ranges of depths to cool off during the summer heat.

Jessica Sacco, a senior at UMass, heard about the dam from a friend. “I like that it’s pretty exclusive and not a lot of people know about it. It’s something totally different,” she said. “With puffers pond everyone knows about it, and it’s always busy, but this place is more personal."

One side of the dam allows water to gush down a path of rocks, making it the perfect place to sit down and have the water rush around you without being fully submerged. The other side creates a large waterfall that you can swim under.

Trees surround the area at the bottom of the dam, and the ground is made up of rock with large boulders spewed about. These rocks make the perfect place to sit or lie out and catch some rays.

“When I went with my friends it was just us so we got to explore it and enjoy it with no one else around,” Sacco said. “The water is really nice and there are a lot of rocks to jump on and a waterfall.”

Visitors may park on the side of the street on Arch St. closest to Main St. and then walk across the bridge that passes over the dam. At the end of the bridge, just before The Northampton Country Club, there is a break in the fence and a trail that leads down to the bottom of the dam.

*Swim and explore at your own risk. “No Trespassing” signs are posted in certain areas of this location, however it seems to be loosely enforced.