Listing correction
Bash Bish Falls: Swimming Prohibited
, MA
Do not swim here
Entering the water, swimming and diving are prohibited at Bash Bish Falls State Park. Stay in the designated viewing area. Earlier recommendations to swim upstream were incorrect.
We previously described this location as a swimming spot. That recommendation was incorrect. We have removed it from our swimming recommendations, directory results, and swimming maps. This page remains available to correct that information for anyone following an older link.
Do not treat older directions, photographs, or reports of people swimming as permission to enter the water. Check the managing authority's current notices and obey all posted access restrictions, including any park or trail closures.
Official swimming prohibition
Entering the water, swimming and diving are prohibited at Bash Bish Falls State Park. Stay in designated viewing areas and follow current trail restrictions. Earlier recommendations to swim upstream were incorrect. Read the DCR visitor rules and trail information before a scenic visit.
Choose a viewing approach, not a swimming entrance
DCR describes the Massachusetts trail as difficult, approximately 0.6 miles round trip. Its New York approach is moderate, approximately 1.5 miles round trip. Both have rocky, uneven footing and neither is wheelchair accessible. A shorter distance does not make the Massachusetts route easier.
Parking and seasonal facilities
DCR lists free Massachusetts parking on Falls Road with space for 24 cars. Roadside parking on Falls Road and Route 344 is prohibited. Do not use the Massachusetts lot to seek upper-gorge access. Portable toilets are listed seasonally from May to mid-October, not as a guaranteed service for an October 20 visit. Camping or swimming facilities at another park do not establish those services at Bash Bish Falls.
Visitor questions
Can you swim at Bash Bish Falls?
Entering the water, swimming and diving are prohibited at Bash Bish Falls State Park. Stay in the designated viewing area. Earlier recommendations to swim upstream were incorrect.
Which approach is shorter, and is it accessible?
DCR describes the Massachusetts approach as difficult and about 0.6 miles round trip, compared with a moderate approximately 1.5-mile New York approach. Neither trail is wheelchair accessible; swimming remains prohibited.
Can I park on Falls Road if the lot is full?
No. DCR lists 24 spaces in the Massachusetts lot and prohibits roadside parking on Falls Road and Route 344. Do not substitute an unsigned pull-off or upper-gorge route.
Official sources
Rules checked: