Rocky Gorge Scenic Area — a narrow chute where the whole Swift River funnels through solid granite, with a footbridge to quiet Falls Pond.
Pull in on your right at Rocky Gorge if you'd like to stretch. Here the entire Swift River — all of it — is squeezed down into a slot in the bedrock only a few feet wide, and it rips through that granite chute with a force that's mesmerizing to stand over. A footbridge carries you across the top of the gorge, and just beyond it lies Falls Pond, a still, dark little tarn ringed by forest — a complete change of mood from the violence of the river, a two-minute walk apart. A word to the wise the local rescuers would want me to pass along: the rock around these gorges is polished glass-slick, and people who climb out onto it near the water get into serious trouble every single year. Enjoy it from the railings and the bridge. Back on the road, we're coming up on the river's best swimming and a bit of buried treasure.