Wear hiking shoes! (Or good sneakers with good treads) If you want to get into the water, bring a swim suit or change of cloths also. Yes you can get into the water, this isn''t a normal kinda park or trail. I''d say if you want a real challenge, start with parking lot 1 and go from there. The trail splits so you can choose left or right, I''d say either way go back the other. This is truly "off road", there will be mostly no road, path, wood, etc. You''ll be walking on dirt, rocks, leaves and roots. So have good shoes, bring sandals if you want to go into the water. There was a few places they let you swim but there will not be any lifeguards or etc, so caution! As for swimming I didn''t get it but you can. You can basically climb all over the rocks and waterfalls here to get your Instagram shots. However I''d advice CAUTION! You are FAR from a hospital, ;) be safe.