Beginner's Guide to Animal Crossing New Horizons
Unchangeable Features
Which Hemisphere Should You Choose?
Best Island Layouts
What Should You Choose to Bring to the Island?
Island Names
Best House and Tent Location
How to Cross Rivers and Waters
How to Get Furniture and Materials for House Kits
How to Climb Cliffs
What is the Bulletin Board?
How to Get Pocket Camp Items
How to Get Nook Points
This survey will take about 1 minute.
Your answers will help us to improve our website.
ACNH - Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
How to Cross Rivers and Waters
To cross rivers and waters in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH), you can use your Vaulting Pole to freely travel about your island. See what you'll need to get and craft the Vaulting Pole DIY recipe here!
List of Contents
How to Cross the River
Three Methods Exist
| 1 | Use a Vaulting Pole. |
|---|---|
| 2 | Build a bridge. |
| 3 | Fill in the river (after unlocking the Island Designer app). |
All of these methods are revealed during the course of the game. The most basic way in the early part of the game, though, is to use the Vaulting Pole.
1. Use a Vaulting Pole
Equip the Vaulting Pole and press A next to a river to vault over it. This is essential for Mystery Island Tours where there are areas that require a pole for access.
Mystery Island Tours and Nook Miles Ticket Guide
2. Build a Bridge
The story will require you to construct a bridge to allow you and your villagers to easily cross rivers.
Additionally, you will be able to build up to 8 bridges in the Resident Services.
How to Build and Destroy Bridges
3. Fill in the River with Land
Once unlocking the Island Designer, you will be able to terraform land and water. With this feature, you can easily fill in the river with land for easy access.
It also has no cost compared to bridges, and you can get it in an instant instead of waiting for a day.
How to Use the Island Designer App
How to Get the Vaulting Pole
Steps to Get the Vaulting Pole
| 1 | Find five fish or bugs and give them to Tom Nook. |
|---|---|
| 2 | Receive Blathers' tent from Tom Nook. |
| 3 | Place the tent somewhere on the island. |
| 4 | Wait until the next day, and Blathers' tent will be set up. |
| 5 | Talk to Blathers inside and receive the DIY Recipe for the Vaulting Pole. |
Tom Nook won't accept the same Bug or Fish more than once
When giving critters to Tom Nook, be sure to give him bugs and fish of different kinds. It won't count if you give a critter of the same species that you've already submitted!
Have Softwood Ready
5 pieces of Softwood are needed to craft the Vaulting Pole. If you don't have Softwood ready, you can either craft or buy an Axe to get more.
How to Craft the Vaulting Pole
Succeeding Players Can Unlock the Recipe Through the DIY Workshop
The second player (or succeeding players) can unlock the Vaulting Pole recipe by completing the DIY Workshop held by Tom Nook.
However, they will not be able to get this until the first player has the recipe.
The Vaulting Pole Does Not Break
Unlike most tools, no matter how much you use the Vaulting Pole, it will not break.
Related Guides
Beginner Guides
Comment
3 
Anonymous over 5 years
Anonymous over 5 yearsSo that means I need to get cracking with that axe, huh? Simple enough. I should have this. Makes for selling those softwood after too
Author
How to Cross Rivers and Waters
Please participate in our site
improvement survey
12/2025
improvement survey
12/2025
Would you assist in
improving Game8's site?
improving Game8's site?
×
We are listening to our users' valuable opinions and discussing how to act on them.
The information collected through this survey will be used for the purpose of improving our services. In addition, the information will only be disclosed a part of a statistic in a format that will not allow identification of personal information.
Begin Survey
Not Now
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Advertisements.
Amount of Ads
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Placement of Ads
Timing of Ad Display
Ad Loading Speed
Safeness of Ads
Content of Ads
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Quality of Articles.
Amount of information
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Frequency of updates
Speed of new information
Accuracy of articles
Understandibility of articles
Readability of sentences
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Usability of the Site.
Ease of finding information
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Loading Speed
Use of Color
Font Size
Visibility of Images
Easy to Understand Layout
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Message Boards, Comments.
Ease of Writing
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Readability
Ease in Finding Information
Comment Quality
Comment Quantity
Admin Response
×
Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Site's new design.
Please rate our site's new design
Very Dissatisfied
Somewhat Dissatisfied
Fine
Somewhat Satisfied
Highly Satisfied
Do you think that the website's design change makes the site easier to use?
Has the new design made it easier for you to find information on the site?
Has the new design improved the overall visual appeal of the site?
How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the new design of the site?
×
How likely are you to recommend Game8 to someone you know?
Very Unlikely
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very Likely
If you have other opinions regarding potential improvement to the website, please share them with us. We would appreciate your honest opinion.
Note: This is a free response section, so you can proceed without entering anything.
Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
×
Thank You
×
Thank you for participating in our survey! Your answers will help us to improve the quality of our website and services.
We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
Close
Rankings
Gaming News
![Octopath Traveler 0 Review [In Progress] | Familiar, But Better](https://img.game8.co/4357336/fcaf07d58cc243e6b7319ca9b118ba16.png/thumb)
Popular Games
Genshin Impact Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Umamusume: Pretty Derby Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Where Winds Meet Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Honkai: Star Rail Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Digimon Story: Time Stranger Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Wuthering Waves Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Zenless Zone Zero Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon TCG Pocket (PTCGP) Strategies & Guides Wiki
Pokemon Legends: Z-A Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Recommended Games
Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Diablo 4: Vessel of Hatred Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Monster Hunter World Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (BDSP) Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Persona 3 Reload Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition Walkthrough & Guides Wiki
All rights reserved
©2020 Nintendo
The copyrights of videos of games used in our content and other intellectual property rights belong to the provider of the game.
The contents we provide on this site were created personally by members of the Game8 editorial department.
We refuse the right to reuse or repost content taken without our permission such as data or images to other sites.
I didn't realize that I would be stuck so I have been so stuck for a while now