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California
The state of California has more established nude beaches than any other area of the United States. Northern California is more liberal than the southern half of the state and therefore has many more sites for no-hassle nudity, even though Southern California has better weather for being naked outdoors. Visiting San Francisco? The Bay Area has no shortage of beaches where it's no problem to bare all, including a popular nude beach with a superb view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Visiting Los Angeles? Well, that's a different story altogether. There are no beaches in the immediate L.A. area where it is completely safe to be nude. Los Angeles, Orange and Santa Barbara counties all have anti-nudity ordinances which are enforced. San Diego, on the other hand, has Black's Beach, California's most famous nude beach.
California has a scattering of some of the country's most renowned naturist resorts, which are mostly clustered within day-trip range of Los Angeles, San Diego and the Bay Area. About 100 miles east of L.A., the desert resort town of Palm Springs (along with nearby Desert Hot Springs) offers several couples-oriented naturist spa resorts and over a dozen gay clothing-optional resorts.
Dividing California into manageable areas is a challenge. For our purposes, we've deemed the border of Monterey County and San Luis Obispo County as the north/south divide. Everything from Monterey County to the Oregon border is considered Northern California. Everything from San Luis Opispo County to the Mexico border is Southern California. We've classified sites in the Yosemite and Death Valley areas as Eastern California. (And remember that Lake Tahoe's popular nude beach is listed under Nevada.)
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA—NUDE BEACHES & NATURAL HOT SPRINGS [ ↑ ]
Northern California's wealth of skinnydipping sites can be a challenge to organize, so we'll go south to north by county and first consider sites on or near the coast, then we'll explore a few places farther inland but west of the High Sierras.
From the San Luis Obispo county line in the south to the Santa Cruz county line in the north, California's coastal highway twists and turns for 100 miles through Monterey County, and it is one of the most dramatic drives anywhere. Monterey, Carmel and a few other coastal towns are clustered along the northernmost 30 miles of this 100-mile-long stretch, while the rest of the county's coastline—a stretch of about 70 miles—has a few outposts here and there but no real towns. This extremely scenic and rugged stretch of the coast is generally known as the Big Sur region (and by some definitions, Big Sur extends southward into the northern part of neighboring San Luis Obispo County). Big Sur can generally be regarded as what separates Northern and Southern California. Northern California's best established nude beaches are located beyond Monterey County, as you follow the coastal highway north through the counties of Santa Cruz, San Mateo, San Francisco and Marin. Monterey County itself does not have any nude beaches that compare in popularity to what you will find in those counties. However, there are a number of beaches along the Big Sur coastline where nudists sometimes congregate, and the best established such beaches are Garrapata Beach [2] 36.4248N, 121.9143W   and Pfeiffer Beach [2] 36.2411N, 121.8198W . These beaches are, respectively, about 10 miles and 30 miles south of Carmel, which is the nearest town to either beach. The turnoff to Pfeiffer Beach is located near Big Sur Station, a visitor center and ranger station that is the starting point for the long trek to Sykes Hot Springs [2] 36.2516N, 121.6901W , which most visitors do as an overnight or multi-day hike. Sykes is located in an enchanting setting, and nude soaking is very well established, but overcrowding can be a problem due to the popularity of the hiking route and the very limited capacity of the soaking tubs. Much farther north in Monterey County, Indian Head Beach [3] 36.6768N, 121.8161W is located in Marina, north of the town of Monterey. This rather remote stretch of beach used to be off limits to the public since it was part of a military base, but a trickle of nudists have begun to visit the beach since the base closed in 1994.
Santa Cruz County has a number of nude beaches, some better established than others. Although 2222 Beach [1] 36.9497N, 122.0529W is the closest nude beach to Santa Cruz, it is quite tiny and never has more than a handful of people. South of Santa Cruz, nudity occurs much more discreetly at Trestle Beach [3] 36.9420N, 121.8710W than at other nude beaches in the county. To find the best nude beaches in the county, go north from Santa Cruz toward the small town of Davenport, where you will hit the jackpot with a triad of nude beach coves spread over a 2-mile stretch. South to north, these coves are Laguna Creek Beach [1] 36.9830N, 122.1560W , Panther Beach [2] 36.9928N, 122.1704W and Bonny Doon Beach [1] 37.0012N, 122.1825W . Bonny Doon is Santa Cruz County's most renowned nude beach, notable for its fun, social atmosphere and for attracting a diverse crowd that is more gender balanced than the crowd at most nude beaches. Laguna Creek draws smaller crowds and is a mostly gay nude beach. Panther Beach gets some nude use but is not as popular with bare bathers as are its neighbors on either side, and the southern extension of Panther called Hole in the Wall Beach is a particularly secluded place for nude bathing, but it should be avoided at high tide. A notable inland site in Santa Cruz County is the San Lorenzo River [2] 37.0234N, 122.0574W within Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, where a few hidden swimming holes are sometimes visited by skinnydippers. It's just a few miles north of Santa Cruz.
San Mateo County has two beaches that attract bare bathers. Nudity is tolerated at the north end of Gray Whale Cove State Beach [1] 37.5666N, 122.5145W between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Farther from San Francisco but drawing a larger number of nudists is San Gregorio Beach [1] 37.3368N, 122.4021W near Half Moon Bay. The beach access is privately owned, and the owners have opened it to the public as a nude beach since 1967.
In San Francisco, Baker Beach [1] 37.7970N, 122.4820W is one of the top urban nude beaches anywhere in the world. Nudists here enjoy views of man-made and natural wonders: the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay. Marshall's Beach [1] 37.8040N, 122.4790W is basically an extension of Baker, but rocky outcroppings prevent easy access from one beach to the other. More secluded and difficult to access, Marshall's tends to be the domain of gay men. Another place nude bathers congregate is Land's End Beach [2] 37.7858N, 122.5085W a little west of Baker Beach, but Land's End draws just a trickle of nudists and is minor in comparison to Baker and Marshall's.
Marin County offers ample nudist sites, starting near the Golden Gate Bridge. East Bonita Beach [1] 37.8239N, 122.5070W near Sausalito is sort of a mirror image of Baker Beach in San Francisco. East Bonita is known both for its black sand and its stunning view of the bridge, the bay and the city. Farther north, the secluded north end of Muir Beach [2] 37.8596N, 122.5798W , located in the community of the same name, is frequented by nudists. A little farther up the dramatic Marin coast, Red Rock Beach [1] 37.8897N, 122.6337W near the community of Stinson Beach is Marin County's premier nude beach, drawing a diverse, fun, free-spirited crowd of nudists. East Bonita, Muir and Red Rock are all within 25 miles of San Francisco.
Farther north in Marin County, there are two notable sites near Bolinas: RCA Beach [2] 37.9123N, 122.7298W is sparsely attended, but bare bathers are common. Nearby Bass Lake [2] 37.9516N, 122.7655W , just inland from the coast, sees sporadic skinnydipping but requires a hike of over an hour to reach. Farther inland, between Bolinas and Olema, Hagmaier Pond [1] 37.9738N, 122.7269W is a gay nudist hangout. This site is especially popular on warm days when the coast is fogged in. Farther north, Limantour Beach [2] 38.0280N, 122.8980W is a gorgeous but mostly deserted beach that is ideal for nudists seeking space and solitude. Limantour is part of Point Reyes National Seashore.
Limantour Beach is the last notable coastal nude beach until you go all the way north past Eureka, but in the interim there are a few inland nudist sites. In Sonoma County's Russian River resort area northwest of Santa Rosa, Wohler Beach [2] 38.5164N, 122.8761W is a small beach on the Russian River that is visited mostly by gay men. Farther upstream, the Russian River at Comminsky Station [3] 38.8796N, 123.0542W is a more obscure site with a core constituency of gay men, located in far southern Mendocino County just a few miles from the Sonoma County line. Farther north in Mendocino County, Lilies Swimming Hole [1] 39.3131N, 123.7112W on the Big River near Mendocino is a remote site where skinnydipping is the norm.
In Humboldt County, there are two notable coastal beaches near Trinidad north of Eureka. Baker's Beach [1] 41.0487N, 124.1252W on the south end of Trinidad is a beautiful cove that attracts small crowds of nude bathers. Just a few miles to the north, College Cove [2] 41.0654N, 124.1502W on the north end of town is also frequented by nudists. While College Cove draws much larger overall crowds, most of the crowd is textile, with more nudity toward the far south end. More lightly attended Baker's Beach tends to have more nudists as a percentage of the overall crowd. If the coast is fogged in, an inland alternative near Eureka is a riverbank sandbar near the Mad River Hatchery [2] 40.8458N, 123.9866W in the town of Blue Lake, where there are typically a dozen or so nudists.
There are several notable inland nudist sites in the Sacramento Valley between Sacramento and Redding. The site that is closest to Sacramento, Bare Cove [3] 38.7728N, 121.1260W on Folsom Lake near Roseville, is also the most lightly visited, drawing only a handful of nudists on the busiest days. A little farther away is a hidden beach on the North Fork of the American River [2] 38.9070N, 121.0443W in Auburn that draws a mostly gay crowd. A little farther north, there are several skinnydipping holes along the South Yuba River. In a remote area near the Nevada County and Yuba County border, the South Yuba River at Bridgeport [2] 39.2897N, 121.1762W draws a small number of nudists. Close to Nevada City there are three swimming holes on the South Yuba within a stretch of about 10 miles: Hoyt Crossing [2] 39.3032N, 121.0800W , Purdon Crossing [2] 39.3303N, 121.0358W and Edwards Crossing [2] 39.3328N, 120.9914W . Hoyt is the most popular but can be overrun with textiles at times. Nudity is also common at well-attended but less-crowded Purdon as well as at Edwards, which is the most remote and least crowded of the three.
Farther north in the Sacramento Valley, there is a well-established and hidden nude swimming hole in Upper Bidwell Park [2] 39.7820N, 121.7449W in the college town of Chico. Even farther north, Redding is the northernmost major town of the Sacramento Valley, and it the closest major town to Hunt & Kosk Hot Springs [2] 41.0336N, 121.9316W & 41.0323N, 121.9321W , which are nearby springs located along Kosk Creek in a rural mountainous region of northern Shasta County. Nude soaking is quite common at these springs, which are not widely known except to locals.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA—LODGING & SOAKING [ ↑ ]
Alila Ventana Big Sur
36.2291N, 121.7596W
Big Sur (Monterey County)
Esalen Institute
36.1247N, 121.6380W
Big Sur (Monterey County)
Meadowlark Country House
38.5775N, 122.6019W
Calistoga (Napa County)
Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
36.2330N, 121.5521W
remote Monterey County
Sequoians Club
37.7864N, 122.0565W
Castro Valley (east of Oakland)
Frogs Hot Tubs
37.9872N, 122.5914W
Fairfax (Marin County)
Highlands Resort
38.5047N, 122.9962W
Guerneville (Russian River)
The Woods Resort
38.5033N, 123.0011W
Guerneville (Russian River)
Lupin Lodge
37.1704N, 121.9777W
Los Gatos (between Santa Cruz and San Jose)
Sweetwater Eco Spa
39.3057N, 123.7962W
Mendocino
Harbin Hot Springs
38.7877N, 122.6540W
Middletown (Lake County)
Archimedes Banya
37.7305N 122.3728W
San Francisco
Kabuki Springs & Spa
37.7846N, 122.4322W
San Francisco
Maitreya Retreat
36.9805N, 122.0173W
Santa Cruz
Orr Hot Springs
39.2305N, 123.3670W
Ukiah (Mendocino County)
Wilbur Hot Springs
39.0386N, 122.4211W
Wilbur Springs (Colusa County)
Laguna del Sol
38.4475N, 121.2003W
Wilton (southeast of Sacramento)
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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA—NUDE BEACHES & NATURAL HOT SPRINGS [ ↑ ]
Southern California's premier nude beach is one of the most famous nude beaches in the world: Black's Beach [1] 32.8915N, 117.2537W in La Jolla, just north of San Diego. This popular beach attracts a diverse crowd. Farther north and also in San Diego County (near the Orange County line), San Onofre Beach [3] 33.3320N, 117.5050W was a safe and quasi-legal nude beach for about three decades, when it was the second-most-popular beach for bare bathing in all of Southern California. Sadly, crowds have plummeted since 2008 when state park authorities reversed a long-standing policy of tolerating nudity, and, while some nudists continue to take their chances, getting a ticket is now a possibility.
Los Angeles has no nude beaches on the coast due to a vigilantly enforced county anti-nudity ordinance. It has been years since nudity has been safe or viable at beaches formerly visited by nudists. There is, however, a hidden site deep in Angeles Crest National Forest where au naturel sunbathing occurs frequently. This site is in Upper Big Tujunga Canyon [3] 34.3059N, 118.0700W , 35 miles northeast of downtown L.A.
Like in Los Angeles to the south, authorities in Santa Barbara have not been friendly towards nudists. While the Santa Barbara area once had multiple nude beaches, only one still draws notable crowds of nudists: More Mesa Beach [3] 34.4181N, 119.7934W on the west side of the city. At the far southern end of the county (at the Ventura County line), a few nudists continue to visit Bates Beach [3] 34.3818N, 119.4881W despite the possibility of being ticketed that has existed since about 2000. Likewise, Secret Beach [3] 34.4702N, 120.1890W still attracts a trickle of nudists. Its location along an unpopulated stretch of coast 30 miles west of Santa Barbara has, it seems, provided a measure of protection against persistent patrolling, but much discretion is in order nonetheless. The county's anti-nudity efforts are focused on coastal sites. Nudity is the norm, apparently without hassles, at Gaviota Hot Springs [2] 34.5026N, 120.2184W in Gaviota State Park, just a few miles inland from Secret Beach. Nudity is also well established at Big Caliente Hot Springs [2] 34.5391N, 119.5647W and Little Caliente Hot Springs [2] 34.5405N, 119.6195W , two nearby thermal sites that are located deep in the national forest, accessed via a slow but very scenic drive over the mountains from Santa Barbara.
The next county north of Santa Barbara is San Luis Obispo County, and this is where you'll find Pirate's Cove [1] 35.1759N, 120.7160W , located near the Avila Beach community south of San Luis Obispo. Nudity is freely tolerated at Pirate's Cove, making it the safest nude beach between San Diego County and Monterey County.
Southern California has a hodgepodge of notable inland nudist sites. The best, near Hesperia, is Deep Creek Hot Springs [1] 34.3395N, 117.1771W , one of the most popular hot springs sites in the country in spite of the 2-mile hike required to reach the area. Because of its relative proximity to Los Angeles (about 90 miles), this beautiful desert area gets a lot of visitors, and nudity is such an intrinsic part of the culture that nude hiking is commonplace.
Palm Springs has a rather obscure gay skinnydipping site on the Whitewater River [3] 33.9795N, 116.6497W that is virtually unknown to all the vacationers sunning nude at the city's many clothing-optional resorts. The Whitewater River site is sporadically attended.
In the beautiful Kern River Canyon east of Bakersfield, there is a small beach at one end of the Kern River Cataracts [3] 35.4821N, 118.7435W that is sporadically attended by nudists. Farther up the canyon is Remington Hot Springs [2] 35.5776N, 118.5498W , where nude soaking is the norm in the idyllic, shaded riverside pools. Space is limited, but it's one of the nicest spring sites in the state.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA—LODGING [ ↑ ]
Arroyo del Sol
34.1983N, 118.1590W
Altadena (metro Los Angeles)
Borrego Valley Inn
33.2557N, 116.3889W
Borrego Springs (between San Diego and Palm Springs)
CCBC Resort
33.7796N, 116.4691W
Cathedral City (near Palm Springs)
Olive Dell Ranch
34.0048N, 117.2249W
Colton (south of San Bernardino)
Glen Eden Sun Club
33.7396N, 117.4470W
Corona (western Riverside County, near Orange County border)
Sea Mountain Inn & Spa
33.9744N, 116.5003W
Desert Hot Springs (near Palm Springs)
DeAnza Springs Resort
32.6549N, 116.1831W
Jacumba (southeastern San Diego County, near Mexican border)
All Worlds Resorts
33.8154N, 116.5369W
Palm Springs
Canyon Club Hotel
33.8360N, 116.5462W
Palm Springs
Descanso Resort
33.8420N, 116.5449W
Palm Springs
Desert Paradise Resort Hotel
33.8140N, 116.5365W
Palm Springs
Desert Sun Resort
33.8439N, 116.5446W
Palm Springs
El Mirasol Villas
33.8151N, 116.5380W
Palm Springs
Exotic Dreams Resort
33.8155N, 116.5369W
Palm Springs
The Hacienda at Warm Sands
33.8143N, 116.5361W
Palm Springs
Inndulge Palm Springs
33.8137N, 116.5356W
Palm Springs
Santiago Resort
33.8096N, 116.5415W
Palm Springs
Triangle Inn
33.8091N, 116.5425W
Palm Springs
Tuscany Manor
33.8462N, 116.5503W
Palm Springs
Twin Palms Resort
33.7966N, 116.5385W
Palm Springs
Vista Grande Resort
33.8149N, 116.5360W
Palm Springs
Starland Retreat
34.2585N, 116.4394W
Yucca Valley (north of Palm Springs) |
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EASTERN CALIFORNIA—NUDE BEACHES & NATURAL HOT SPRINGS [ ↑ ]
California has a scattering of nudist sites that are not easily categorized into Northern or Southern California. These eastern sites are all closer to the Nevada border than to the Pacific Ocean, and all but one are located east of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
One of the most remote hot springs sites anywhere is Saline Valley Hot Springs [1] 36.8058N, 117.7729W . These springs, located within Death Valley National Park, require driving about 50 miles on unpaved roads through a harsh but beautiful landscape. Almost all visitors to this popular site stay overnight, and unrestricted nudity—at the pools and everywhere else in the area—is an intrinsic part of the culture. A much more accessible clothing-optional natural springs in the same general area is Keough Hot Ditch [2] 37.2574N, 118.3723W south of Bishop. Keough is close to a major highway.
South of Death Valley, in the tiny, very remote desert town of Tecopa, nude soaking is the norm at a small natural spring called Tecopa Wild Springs [2] 35.8728N, 116.2193W . Tecopa is 85 miles west of Las Vegas, Nevada, which is the closest major city. (See also Tecopa Hot Springs Bathhouse under "Soaking Establishments" below. Bathing attire is prohibited at this small, gender-segregated hot springs facility.)
North of Death Valley, sparsely populated Mono County has just two significant towns—Mammoth Lakes and Bridgeport. The eastern entrance to Yosemite National Park is about halfway between the two towns, which are about 50 miles apart. Near Mammoth Lakes, the Long Valley Caldera is a hotbed of geothermal activity, and within this high valley the Hot Creek Area [2] is comprised of six hot springs sites: Wild Willy's Hot Springs 37.6612N, 118.7677W , Hilltop Hot Springs 37.6639N, 118.7894W , Hot Tub Hot Springs 37.6476N, 118.8080W , Shepherd Hot Springs 37.6669N, 118.8033W , Crab Cooker Hot Springs 37.6628N, 118.8001W and Little Hot Creek Hot Springs 37.6899N, 118.8425W . Nudity is common at all these sites, which are spread out over about 7 square miles. Of the group, Wild Willy's seems to have the strongest culture of nude soaking. The Mammoth Lakes area is also the starting location for the overnight hike through the wilderness to Iva Bell Hot Springs [2] 37.5330N, 119.0240W . Only seasoned backpackers can relish the pristine perfection of Iva Bell, where there are about half a dozen soaking sites on a sloping meadow surrounded by mountains. A few more springs in Mono County are located near Bridgeport. Closer to town, Travertine Hot Springs [2] 38.2454N, 119.2053W is set in a landscape that seems a bit extraterrestrial, but it is quite easy to access. Farther out of Bridgeport, Buckeye Hot Springs [2] 38.2390N, 119.3255W is located along a creek. More driving along gravel is necessary to reach Buckeye, as is a short but steep hike down to the creek.
Also near Yosemite but on the western side of the High Sierras, Willow Creek [2] 37.3394N, 119.5737W is a beautiful mountain creek where skinnydipping is common. Willow Creek is located east of Oakhurst and a little south of the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park.
EASTERN CALIFORNIA—SOAKING [ ↑ ]
Benton Hot Springs
37.8012N, 118.5288W
Benton (Mono County)
Sierra Hot Springs
39.5754N, 120.3478W
Sierraville (Sierra County, north of Lake Tahoe)
Tecopa Hot Springs Bathhouse
35.8719N, 116.2323W
Tecopa (Inyo County)
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