How to Jump Over Rivers in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Easily jump to another side of the island in ACNH on the Switch

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: October 2, 2023

Are you stuck on one side of your Animal Crossing island? If you want to hop across a small river, you can do so with the vaulting pole tool. This recipe is given by Blathers and takes 5 softwood to craft. As long as the river is small enough, you can easily leap over it to get to the other side. This wikiHow will show you how to jump over the water in Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch.

Things You Should Know

To craft a vaulting pole, you'll need 5 softwood. You must have Blathers to obtain the DIY recipe.
Equip the vaulting pole and stand next to a river. Press "A" to vault to the other side.
The river can be vaulted if it's less than 3 spaces wide and has no furniture or fencing blocking the other side.

Steps

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1
Craft a vaulting pole at a crafting bench. You'll just need 5 softwood.
- The DIY recipe is obtained from Blathers once he arrives on the island. If you don't have Blathers, you'll need to open the Museum first.
- You'll need a vaulting pole to leap across rivers. If you want to climb to a higher level on the island, you'll need to use a ladder instead.
Open your inventory and select the vaulting pole to equip it. Your character should be holding it.

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3
Stand next to a river. You can vault across a river that is 3 spaces wide and doesn't have any furniture or fencing blocking the other side.^{[1]
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- Be sure to face the direction you want to land.
4
Press A. This will vault your character across the river. If you're unable to vault, the river may be too wide. In this case, you can walk up or down to find an area that is less wide. You can also build a bridge if you have enough Bells.
- You can vault as many times as you'd like. Unlike other tools, the vaulting pole will not break.
- Keep in mind that vaulting next to any fish will scare them away.