{"id":15197325,"date":"2026-07-05T21:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-06T01:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/devils-pool-attracts-locals-trying-to-beat-philly-heat-but-should-they-swim-there\/"},"modified":"2026-07-06T01:33:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T05:33:40","slug":"devils-pool-attracts-locals-trying-to-beat-philly-heat-but-should-they-swim-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/devils-pool-attracts-locals-trying-to-beat-philly-heat-but-should-they-swim-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Devil\u2019s Pool attracts locals trying to beat Philly heat. But should they swim there?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends.\u00a0<\/em>Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n

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Devil\u2019s Pool has long been a legendary natural swimming hole and oasis in the middle of Wissahickon Valley Park. Above the water body is the impressive old stone arch, built in the 1890s. <\/p>\n

Every summer, locals descend with floaties, pups, grills, snacks and speakers to escape the oppressive summer sun. The brave ones cannonball from a 15-foot rock, making a giant splash.  <\/p>\n

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Barbie the dog enjoys her Sunday at Devil’s Pool. (Julia Binswanger\/ Billy Penn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With this week\u2019s intense heat wave<\/a>, such a public amenity is all the more vital. <\/p>\n

Still, despite the natural beauty of Devil\u2019s Pool, the water is filled with harmful chemicals and runoff. The Philadelphia Water Department<\/a> on its website notes that it \u201cdoes not recommend swimming in any river or creek in Philadelphia,\u201d citing exposure to bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness.<\/p>\n

Why is Devil\u2019s Pool not recommended for swimming?<\/h2>\n

At Devil\u2019s Pool, signs asking guests to leave the spot as they found it are often ignored. Hikers leave trash behind and even tag large boulders with spray paint. <\/p>\n

The group Friends of Wissahickon<\/a> sends a handful of employees every Sunday to clean up the space. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe got here around nine and have been bagging a bunch of things,\u201d said Mateo Keitzman, a seasonal employee of FOW. The group, with help from locals, had piled over 20 large trash bags along Cresheim Creek \u2014 five times as many as their usual pick up. <\/p>\n

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The group Friends of Wissahickon cleans up trash on Sunday mornings at Devil’s Pool. (Julia Binswanger\/ Billy Penn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cFourth of July is the biggest trash event of the summer,\u201d Keitzman noted. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t be swimming here today,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Wissahickon itself is not the best water to swim in, really, at any time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The area is downstream of the Valley Green Inn, home to numerous waterfowl that leave droppings. It\u2019s in the center of the Wissahickon and Cresheim Creek, so runoff flows directly to this area \u2014 especially after a large storm like the one last night. <\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it’s all from the streets, from the woods, people leave trash here,\u201d Keitzman said. \u201cThere was trash here before it started raining, and then it rained, and now it’s all leaching in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Couple Acey Calhoun and Harold Mack, fans of the Wissahickon waters, brought along a large floaty Sunday morning. They arrived even before FOW employees to clean up the area.<\/p>\n

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The Old Stone Bridge above Devil’s Pool (Julia Binswanger)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWe started the first batch of trash bags and at first it was all over,\u201d Calhoun said. \u201cWe had grills, unused food, broken glass bottles, cans just all over the place. So we took an initiative. We brought trash bags from home and started to bag them up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mack said they don\u2019t swim in the water until they clean up.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe mindful that this is broken glass, these bottle tops,\u201d he said. \u201cThey leave the staph infection. They leave the bacterial infection. They’re not kind on our animals that have to live inside of the ponds and the creeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advisories and trash ignored on hot summer days for a splash<\/h2>\n

Despite warnings from officials and trash bags piled to the side, dozens of people were still arriving in the area to have some fun, swim and cool off. <\/p>\n

Miguel Garcia, who lives in Oxford Circle, came with two friends. <\/p>\n

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Miguel Garcia (right) came with two friends to escape the intense heat wave this week. (Julia Binswanger\/ Billy Penn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been like this,\u201d said Garcia, who had just come out of the water still dripping. \u201cLike this, but without the water, just sweating.”<\/p>\n

He said he didn\u2019t care that the city doesn\u2019t advise people to swim in Devil\u2019s Pool. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe got showers at home,\u201d he noted, before heading to jump 15 feet into the water. \u201cI\u2019ll go take a shower afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Junior and Franklin Reyes came to the Wissahickon to swim with their family. Junior moved to Philadelphia from Guatemala a decade ago, and Franklin, his nephew, translated for him.<\/p>\n

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The Reyes family splashes on a hot Sunday in the Wissahickon (Julia Binswanger\/ Billy Penn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cHe said he’s very happy to be here,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cIt’s very nice to cool off since it’s very hot outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair were happy to enjoy the day and beat the heat. They too weren\u2019t worried about the water quality.<\/p>\n

Friends of Wissahickon welcome volunteers<\/h2>\n

Keitzman said that anyone can come and join FOW to help clean up the area. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have volunteer days almost every day of the week,\u201d he said. \u201cIt’s more than just trash cleanups, there’s also plantings and clearing invasive species and helping with trails and stuff.”<\/p>\n

\"\"
Local educators Acey Calhoun and Harold Mack helped clean up the park before taking a dip in the Wissahickon. (Julia Binswanger\/ Billy Penn) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mack said that he is politically active, and he hopes that the city would make greater efforts to spruce up the city\u2019s natural spaces and create stricter enforcements around littering, underage drinking and noise pollution around Devil\u2019s Pool. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe need more things done for the people, the smaller people, and not just the big main events,\u201d Mack said \u2014 alluding to last night\u2019s $15.5 million concert. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe value nature,\u201d Calhoun said. \u201cI value nature. This is where I come to get a peace of mind. I would appreciate it if other people would appreciate nature the same way that we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

The post Devil\u2019s Pool attracts locals trying to beat Philly heat. But should they swim there?<\/a> appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Source: News \u2013 World \u2013 Philadephia \u2013 rss.app2 \u2192 manual entry<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Love Philly? So do we. Let\u2019s be friends.\u00a0Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today. Devil\u2019s Pool has long been a legendary natural swimming hole and oasis in the middle […]
\nThe post Devil\u2019s Pool attracts locals trying to beat Philly\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15197327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15197325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philadelphia"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1.webp",1024,683,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-300x200.webp",300,200,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-620x414.webp",620,414,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-768x512.webp",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-940x627.webp",940,627,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1.webp",1024,683,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1.webp",1024,683,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-998x665.webp",998,665,true],"ignition_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-670x446.webp",670,446,true],"ignition_item_lg":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1.webp",1024,683,false],"ignition_article_media":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-510x510.webp",510,510,true],"ignition_minicart_item":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-160x160.webp",160,160,true],"profile_24":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-24x24.webp",24,24,true],"profile_48":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-48x48.webp",48,48,true],"profile_96":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-96x96.webp",96,96,true],"profile_150":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-150x150.webp",150,150,true],"profile_300":["https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/15197325-img_0898-scaled-1-300x300.webp",300,300,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"news.iNthacity","author_link":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/author\/atombo\/"},"category_info":"Philadelphia<\/a>","tag_info":"Philadelphia","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15197325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15197325"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15197325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15197326,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15197325\/revisions\/15197326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15197327"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15197325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15197325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inthacity.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15197325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}