Rainbow Pool

Groveland, California

4.5/5

based on 2 reviews

Save

View all 4 photos

All 4 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Route Type

Out-and-Back

Description

Added by Delaney Eicher

Rainbow Pool is such an amazing place to explore, swim, or just relax. A slide made off the rocks, and cliffs to jump off of into the icy water. Water is warmest in mid July, and everything is lush. Camping is not permitted at Rainbow Pool, but across the freeway is a campground.

Finding Rainbow Pool is a little tricky, since it is off the side of a highway, but when you find it there is parking and bathrooms. There is a easy walkway to get down to the pool itself, and trails to climb to the top to slide or jump off the rocks. Many people tend to fish up top underneath the bridge, but be careful for some slithery friends! The water is quite cold since it does come from the melted snow, but is bearable. Many kids like to slide off of the "slide" which is where the rocks are smoothed out and creates a waterfall into the pool. Daredevils can jump off some of the rocks above into the icy water. Besides the cold water, it is worth it. Camping is not permitted at Rainbow Pool, but across the street there is a campground.

Please remember to keep this area clean and take all trash out with you when you leave.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Chillin

Fishing

Photography

Bathrooms

Easy Parking

Family Friendly

Forest

River

Scenic

Waterfall

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Swimming Hole

ADA Accessible

Rainbow Pool Reviews

marissa reyes

Rainbow Pool

07/14/20

The water is so warm it was actually surprising. The lagoon under the falls is beautiful & fun, the jump is intense and exhilarating. Above the falls, there are small water holes that are very fun to explore. The bottom is small gravel, not painful for my older kids but I put water socks on the 2 year old. They had a wonderful day and we had to return the next day for more. The creek (river?) is easy to access from the parking lot, there are bathrooms and it is very clean, which was awesome. I definitely recommend it on those hot 100 degree days that hit the Stanislaus county.

5.0

Andrea Kaber Lewis

Rainbow Pool

07/24/17

This is a great spot for some easy swimming, and if you're brave enough a nice jump off of the big rock! My dad grew up in Sonora and has been taking my sisters and I here since we were small. The word has gotten out though, so depending on the day you go it can get pretty crowded, but the people are friendly and it's a nice place to go for a afternoon of fun.(:

4.0

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Drive the Yosemite Valley Loop

Upon entering Yosemite Valley National Park I made it a point to see Half Dome, El Capitan, and Washington Column and several other famous Yosemite formations. What I didn't realize was as soon as I entered The Village was that all could be seen within a 15 minute loop around the valley floor. There was plenty of space to park and obviously an abundance of trailheads to hike down. During the dr...

Merced Grove

Merced Grove is technically the smallest and most secluded of the three sequoia groves found in Yosemite National Park, which lends itself to be less crowded offering a peaceful solitude hike. The trailhead is located at the Merced Grove parking lot on Big Oak Flat Road. This trail begins by following an old road, after 0.6 miles (1 km) bear left at the junction to continue heading down and int...

Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias

The Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias is one of three sequoia groves in Yosemite National Park. This particular grove has gorgeous forest scenery and provides great solitude compared to the crowded Yosemite Valley. The trail used to be an old road offering a wide path with a gradual descent, making it a great hike for families even with children. The trail is just over a mile downhill to the fir...

Camp at Crane Flat Campground

Hetch Hetchy to Rancheria Falls

Situated in the northwest portion of Yosemite National Park, Hetch Hetchy is is a not often visited treasure of the Central Sierra Nevada. In 1913, in an extremely controversial move, work on the O’Shaughnessy Dam was started to provide water to the growing population of San Francisco. Today, Hetch Hetchy is an enormous reservoir that offers almost year round hiking without the crowds of the va...

Wapama Falls

Hetch Hetchy has a completely different character than other areas of Yosemite National Park, and the hike to Wapama Falls is an excellent way to explore this relatively remote section of the park. You can only imagine what this valley looked liked before it was dammed and is second to none compared to Yosemite Valley. The hike is relatively easy as the trail wanders around the northern shore...

Rainbow Pool

Details

Description

Download the Outbound mobile app

Features

Rainbow Pool Reviews

Leave No Trace

Nearby

Drive the Yosemite Valley Loop

Merced Grove

Tuolumne Grove of Giant Sequoias

Camp at Crane Flat Campground

Hetch Hetchy to Rancheria Falls

Wapama Falls

Discover

Community

Company

Follow Us

Mobile Apps