Nothing screams Summer more than swinging off a rope into a clear lake on a hot sunny day. How about upping the thrill by completing a rope swing circuit on Dale Hollow Lake? We’ve mapped out every rope swing (that we know about), added descriptions on how to find them, and what to expect. Check out Dale Hollow Lake’s first rope swing circuit.
We’ve uncovered 7 rope swings on Dale Hollow Lake, each offering its own unique experience. To give you an idea of what you’re in for, we rated them each out of 5 (5 being the highest) – on the following 4 criteria:
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- Difficulty of climb
- Quality of Rope
- Amount of Swing
- Depth of Water
We also rated them from sketchiest to best at the end. Let us know if you agree with our overall rating.
Where are the rope swings?
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- Big Hollow
- Garrett Hollow
- Cove Creek
- Ashburn Creek
- Behind Geiger Island
- Sulphur Creek
- Robert’s Creek
Big Hollow
A fun rope swing that’s worth the trip! Anyone who has snaked their way back to East Port knows what a gorgeous ride it is, and the Big Hollow rope swing offers an added treat for your trouble. The bank looks steep, but there are a lot of places to step on your climb up. The water is deep here, so we had to grip the rope really high to avoid swinging right into the water. The rope is a good quality and has lots of knots to help with grip. An ideal time to visit would be when the water levels are a little lower than Summer pool – but anytime would really be worth it to check this one out.
Difficulty of Climb: 4 Lots of convenient places to step for your climb up.
Quality of Rope: 5 Excellent rope with plenty of knots.
Amount of Swing: 4 Good. Hold high onto the rope in the Summer.
Depth of Water: 5 Deep
How to get there: Long cove on the right side just over 1/2 way to East Port Marina from the cliffs. There is a Big Hollow sign marking the cove. The rope swing is 1/2 way into the cove on the right side.
Overall Rating: 18
Garrett Hollow
If you’ve discovered the cliffs past Sunset Marina, you’re nearly there. This little rope swing is tucked into to cove on the right just past the cliffs on the way to East Port Marina. The climb up is pretty easy, and there is a lot of slack in the rope, making it easy to grab and climb with. The slack, or rope length, is too long. We felt we needed to be careful not to get caught up in it on the swing. Someone kindly added a stick to the rope for easy gripping on your swing. It only vaguely entered our mind that the stick could break. The overall swing isn’t enormous, and this is a rope swing best done when the water is high. We touched the bottom in Summer, so Fall would likely be too shallow.
Difficulty of Climb: 4 Pretty easy climb.
Quality of Rope: 3
Amount of Swing: 2
Depth of Water: 1 Shallow. We touched the bottom in the Summer.
Overall Rating: 10
How to get there: First cove on the right just past the cliffs after Sunset Marina.
Cove Creek
Tucked back about halfway into Cove Creek, this rope swing is easy to miss. The bank looks impossibly steep to climb, but that’s what makes this rope swing a best-to-do-in-Summer. When the water goes down, you’ll need some serious upper body strength to hoist yourself up the steep embankment, and just as much bravery to navigate the shallower water. There is a climb assist rope to help you up the bank, and the swing rope is long enough to grab and bring with you, so no awkward throws for the rope are needed. The rope itself also has a nice ski handle placed at an almost perfect height depending on the lake level. A second rope was recently installed further out on the tree to give you an even bigger swing.
There are wooden steps nailed into the swing tree all the way to the top. We’re not sure if these were installed to initially put up the rope, or if they’re intended to use to gain height for the swing, but the swing seems best when climbing up the embankment. One word of caution: “leaves of three, let them be” – there is a bit of poison ivy that you’ll want to navigate around.
Difficulty of Climb: 2 The climb assist rope makes this challenging climb doable in Summer.
Quality of Rope: 4 A second rope has recently been attached for a longer swing.
Amount of Swing: 4
Depth of Water: 3 Shallower, but we didn’t touch the bottom in the Summer.
Overall Rating: 13
How to get there: Cove Creek is the long cove right before Cove Creek Campground on the way to Sunset Marina. After entering the cove, the rope swing is just under half way up on the right side of the bank.
Ashburn Creek
Great swing from this rope, and no fears of even coming close to touching the bottom, no matter what time of year. There is no assist rope to get up the bank, but once you’re up there is a rope assist if you choose to climb higher for a greater swing. There are many different jumping points on the embankment, making this swing good for different levels. The rope swing is located in the main open part of Ashburn Creek, so there are some waves from boat traffic. This also makes anchoring in the deep water a little trickier.
Difficulty of Climb: 3 It’s a steep scramble from the water, and if it’s wet you’ll have an extra challenge.
Quality of Rope: 4 Decent quality rope with plenty of knots at different heights
Amount of Swing: 5 The jump from different heights gives this spot a fantastic swing, even from the lower spots.
Depth of Water: 5 Deep year round.
Overall Rating: 17
How to get there: Located on the main part of Ashburn Creek. If you come through the cut through between County Line Island, the rope swing is straight ahead and slightly to the left on the bank.
Behind Geiger Island
Act now – this one won’t last! Seriously, this tree couldn’t get any deader. You’ll think “sketchy” as you watch the giant tree vibrate under its own decomposing weight after a larger person jumps. So far its held, and we’ve never witnessed any foreboding “crack” sounds, so maybe this swing has a little “life” left in its dead limbs. Regardless, this is a great hangout spot for boaters.
Difficulty of Climb: 2
Quality of Rope: 2
Amount of Swing: 1
Depth of Water: 3
Overall Rating: 8
How to get there: Past Lillydale Campground, on the way to Willow Grove you’ll spot Geiger Island on your left. Drive around to the backside of the island, and the rope swing is directly across the cove. It’s a popular hangout spot, with clear, protected water and plenty of space for lots of boats to hangout.
Sulphur Creek
With a big enough swing you could almost jump into another state! Well, not quite, but this rope swing is located just steps away from the Kentucky-Tennessee border on the TN side. The bank is a little steep to climb, but there is an assist rope left of the tree to help you hoist yourself up. The rope swing itself comes with a little bonus: a ski rope handle attached for easier gripping!
Difficulty of Climb: 3
Amount of Swing: 3
Depth of Water: 4
Overall Rating: 15
How to get there: This rope swing is in the first cove on the right side as you enter Sulphur Creek. Spot the Kenucky-Tennessee Border sign on the bank, and the rope swing is just to the right in the cove.
Robert’s creek
If you’re thinking: “hmm, rope swings, I’m not sure they’re for me”, this little rope swing is perfect for testing the waters. The best part is there is no sketchy bank to climb. The tree is at the base of a nice beach with a gentle slope into the water, which means this swing is seasonal and best used when the water is high. To get up to the rope, you climb a metal painter’s ladder. The ladder is a little slippery, so climb carefully. We touched the bottom on our jump so if you’re into rope-swing-acrobatics, you’ll want to skip the head-first dives.
Difficulty of Climb: 1
Amount of Swing: 3
Quality of Rope: 3
Depth of Water: 2
Overall Rating: 9
How to get there: Roberts Hollow is the long creek right before Holly Creek. From the mouth, the rope swing is in the first cove on the left.
Depth: Not deep. Summer is fine, but check the water level before jumping.
From Best to Sketchiest: Dale Hollow Lake Rope Swing Rating
At least check out every rope swing to complete the rope swing circuit on Dale Hollow Lake, but we’ve rated them in order from Awesome – Do Not Miss (#1), all the way down to highly sketchy (#6). How many will you try?
#7 (Sketchiest): Geiger Island Rope Swing
#6: Garrett Hollow
#5: Robert’s Creek
#4: Cove Creek
#3: Big Hollow
#2: Sulphur Creek
#1: (BEST, Don’t Miss It): Ashburn Creek
Thank you so much for this. Been going to DHL since the 80’s and had no idea there were this many. Thank you