Animal Crossing New Horizons: How to Get a Vaulting Pole and Cross Rivers

When starting out on your new deserted island in Animal Crossing New Horizons you'll notice that some areas are blocked off by rivers. You'll need to craft a vaulting pole to cross them, which you won't be able to do until a certain point in the game. We'll explain everything in this guide.

On this page:

• How to Cross Rivers in Animal Crossing New Horizons
• How to Get the Vaulting Pole Recipe
• How to Craft the Vaulting Pole
• Can the Vaulting Pole Break?

How to Cross Rivers in Animal Crossing New Horizons

To cross rivers in Animal Crossing New Horizons you will need a vaulting pole. We've included steps on getting the recipe and crafting one below. You can also use bridges to cross rivers, more info can be found in our bridges guide. Once you have the vaulting pole just equip it and press A to jump over rivers.

How to Get the Vaulting Pole Recipe

To get the recipe for the Vaulting Pole you'll need to speak to Blathers. This means you'll need to have opened the museum. You can find more info on doing so here. Once you have the museum built, go and speak to Blathers, he will give you the vaulting pole DIY Recipe so that you can collect Fossils (more on those in this guide).

How to Craft the Vaulting Pole

Once you have the vaulting pole recipe, you'll need to collect 5 softwood. Once you have it, go to a crafting bench and craft the vaulting pole. Congratulations, you can now cross any river you come across.

Can the Vaulting Pole Break?

One thing to note about the vaulting pole is that it cannot break. This is likely so that you aren't left stranded on the wrong side of a river. You will therefore only need to craft it once.

Mat recently covered the new clothing options in the game. Head here to read his article. For a look at what we thought of Animal Crossing New Horizons, head to our review.