Top 10 Nude Beaches in the USA

by Malcolm Logan⁽⁵⁶⁶⁾ Blue Star

Want to get wet and wild in the all together? Cotton to the idea of splashing through the surf in your birthday suit? Or maybe you just want to get an all over tan and don’t mind the idea of doing so in public. In ascending order these are the top ten nude beaches in the United States.

#10 Collins Beach on Sauvie Island, Oregon

At Collins Beach in the Columbia River just north of Portland, Oregon fully three-quarters of the beachgoers go naked and the atmosphere is laid back and friendly. Down the road from the site of the first officially-designated clothing-optional beach in the US, Collins Beach emerged as the local favorite after the original site, called Rooster Rock, went into decline. Collins is clean, safe and welcoming. Far from being in the cross-hairs of local law enforcement, this beach is actually administered by the State Department of Fish and Wildlife in cooperation with the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office.

#9 Lighthouse Beach on Fire Island, New York

Topless sunbathing is legal in New York State, yet discretion rules the day at most New York beaches. Not so at Lighthouse Beach on Fire Island off the coast of Long Island in Suffolk, County. Here you’ll find a stretch of pearly gray sand dotted with tufts of grass, home to a startling number of naked people from all over the New York metro area.

Lighthouse Beach is one of the most densely populated nude beaches in the USA even though it’s something of a challenge to get to, requiring you to cross the Robert Moses Causeway to Fire Island, seek the end of the road at Robert Moses Beach Field 5, walk to the beach, and walk a quarter mile east to the lighthouse.

#8 Hippie Hollow Park, Austin, TX

A half hour drive from downtown Austin, Texas is Hippie Hollow, the Lone Star State’s only government maintained clothing-optional park. Here beside the placid waters of Lake Travis adults over the age of 18 are free to sunbathe along the steep rocky shoreline, to swim or to stroll about in the nude.

There is a $10 entrance fee to the park, but for that you get easily accessible parking, a concession stand, restrooms and drinking water. Erroneously labeled as a gay venue because of some heavily attended gay events that take place here, Hippie Hollow is actually patronized by straights as well as gays, and by women and men, a nice demographic mix of happy adults froliciking in the buff in the waters of Lake Travis.

#7 San Gregorio Beach State Park, Half Moon Bay, CA

Just south of Half Moon Bay about 40 miles south of San Francisco, San Gregorio Beach State Park boasts one of the cleanest beaches in the state, so anyone going there with dirty thoughts on his mind is not welcome.

On the other hand, if you just want to chill out with a bunch of other nude beachgoers at the state’s oldest nude beach (established in 1967), you’ll find this privately owned stretch of amber sand by heading north of the main beach, working your way up past the Hazardous Surf signs. There is a pay parking lot adjacent and restrooms nearby.

#6 Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ

After a hard day of working the guns, the soldiers of Fort Hancock used to like to skinny dip in the waters beneath the Gunnison Battery at Gunnison Beach in Sandy Hook. Thus an idea was born and when the base was decommissioned in the 1970’s the skinny dipping hung on. Today Gunnison Beach is the only government sanctioned clothing- optional beach in New Jersey.

The State of New Jersey discourages public nudity of all sorts but Gunnison Beach is on federal land so the state laws don’t apply which makes for a popular gathering place for New York area nudists. From the beach one can take in clothing free views of Manhattan and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

#5 Moshup’s Beach, Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Hidden away under the brightly colored clay cliffs at Aquinnah in Martha’s Vineyard is Moshup’s Beach. Not officially a nude beach, the area beyond the first point has been frequented by nude sunbathers since the 1970’s. The further one ventures down that way the less clothing one sees. Set beside aqua colored waters beneath striking multi-colored cliffs, the beach is a favorite of clothing- optional enthusiasts of all sorts from families with children to men, women, couples, gays and straights. The beach is a ten minute walk from the parking lot on a picturesque trail.

#4 Secret Cove, Lake Tahoe, NV

The aptly named Secret Cove is a lovely secluded cove on the shores of Lake Tahoe accessible via a ¾ mile walk down a fire access road from the parking lot near Sand Harbor off Hwy 28 about 2 miles south of Incline Village. If you take the trouble getting there, you will be rewarded by shallow turquoise waters strewn with smooth round boulders perfect for sunning or perching upon.

Dedicated naturists gather against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains to enjoy this immaculately clean beach. They are devoted to its upkeep and won’t tolerate lewd behavior or gawking, but if you want to disrobe and join them, you will find them friendly and welcoming.

#3 Little Beach, Maui, HI

Getting to Little Beach is a bit of a challenge. From the parking lot in Makena State Park you must walk about a half mile down to the Big Beach and along its length to the north end where you must climb a 30 foot high rock to the other side. But by all accounts it’s well worth it. The secluded beach on the other side is considered one of the prettiest nude beaches in the world.

While the legal status of public nudity in Hawaii is open to interpretation, nudity has been tolerated on Little Beach since the 1980’s. The north end of the beach is mostly gay while the south end is mostly straight. You can spend the afternoon swimming in the delicious warm waters of the Pacific and sunbathing on the sand, all of it without a stitch.

#2 Blacks Beach, La Jolla, CA

Slice a golf ball off the bluffs at Torrey Pine’s Golf Course in La Jolla and it’s liable to land 60 feet below among the nude sunbathers at Black’s Beach. One of the best known nude beaches in the USA, Black’s Beach has long been considered a clothing-optional venue. Unfortunately in 1977 the City of San Diego got skittish and put the clamps down and now only the portion of the beach south of the trail leading to the Torrey Pines Gliderport is tolerated as clothing-optional. That still leaves nearly a mile of beach for running around in the buff and plenty do.

#1 Haulover Beach, Miami Beach, FL

Miami’s only legal clothing-optional beach, Haulover Beach between Bal Harbour and Sunny Isles enjoys particular prominence as the number one attraction for Miami Beach on Trip Advisor. Visitors are impressed with the international make up of the crowd and the friendliness of the beachgoers.

Unlike many other American nude beaches, Haulover Beach has amenities such as lifeguards, refreshment huts, sand volleyball courts and a parking area. It’s a complete beach going experience fully sanctioned by the authorities and located within one of America’s most popular beach destinations – and it’s free! What more could you ask for? As far as nude beaches in the United States go, Haulover Beach tops the list.

Image Credits:

Nude at the Beach, Jack Versloot; Fire Island, Peter Dutton; Hippie Hollow, Lakeland1999; Couple at the Beach, Aitor Mendez; Gunnison Beach, Sponge Bob No Pants; Disrobing on the Pier, Giselle Porcaro; Swimming Nude, Migjorn; Woman Strolling, Simon ; Blacks Beach, Abeach4u; Nude with Flag, Elmschrat

Article submitted Friday, May 27, 2011 & read 14620 times.

Please log in to leave your comments.

» left by Cristiano from Petropolis, Brazil (1 year 349 days ago.)

Great article, but that picture is not from Little Beach, Maui, HI :) I had been there, and its more beatiful than someone can imagine.

» left by Malcolm Logan⁽⁵⁶⁶⁾ (1 year 304 days ago.)

You're correct, Chrisitano. It's incredibly difficult to find pictures of nude beaches, as you might imagine. So I had to take some liberties there. But I am pleased to say that the pix of Lighthouse Beach, Hippie Hollow, Gunnison, Blacks and Haulover are all images of the actual beaches in question.

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