Gentlemen's Swimming Hole

Gentlemen's Swimming Hole and Meeting of the Waters Loop Trail Into the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, This walk down into the Clear Fork River gorge and along the river until it joins White Oak Creek is beautiful, ecologically diverse and historic. You'll pass by huge rocks and along high rock shelters. You'll pass the spot where Buck's Mill once stood and can linger at the Meeting of the Waters where Rugby folks have been gathering to fish, picnic and loaf for some 130 years. Tree, shrub, fern and wildflower species are abundant. As the Rugby newspaper once stated, Rugby is a great place to study all the "ologies.", Most of the approximately 2.2 mile loop trail was built by Rugby colonists in the 1880s and today is owned and maintained by the National Park Service. You can also choose to walk only the 4/10 mile section to the swimming hole and return the same way., Rugby founder Thomas Hughes, in his October 5, 1880, opening day speech stated, "We have here two beautiful streams which will be a delight forever to those who dwell here, if they are left free for the use and enjoyment of all. Therefore, in laying out the town we have reserved a strip of various widths along the banks, which will remain common property, and along which we hope to see walks and rides carefully laid out and kept in order.", The trail that you walk today was continuously maintained by the Rugby community for more than a century until these lands became part of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. Thomas Hughes would be pleased that these rivers are now protected "for the enjoyment of all.", An illustrated trail guide with both cultural and nature information is available here in Rugby at the Historic Rugby Visitor Centre, the Harrow Road Café and the Rugby Commissary. It is also available at the Big South Fork Bandy Creek and Stearns Depot Visitor Centers., [Caption]: This 19th century watercolor of the Gentlemen's Swimming Hole on the Clear Fork River beautifully captures this sylvan spot. You'll find it unchanged today. The artist is not known.