Jupiter Island, a barrier island north of Palm Beach and south of Port St. Lucie, is the location of the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge (HSNWR). This island has attracted nude bathers to remote parts of its beach for decades, but its heyday as a nude beach was in the 70's. As the story goes, the popular nude beach abutted privately owned but undeveloped land, and the shoreline was covered with Australian pine trees which provided seclusion for nudity. The property owner apparently had a dislike for the trees and the nudists and donated the land to the refuge with two conditions: that non-native plants be removed and that nudity be eradicated. While authorities were successful in vastly reducing the number of nudists, nude bathers never completely went away. The beach that was a popular and social nudist gathering place 30 years ago is now a sparsely populated beach where nudity is practiced quietly and discreetly.

While rangers still patrol and do not tolerate nudity, their efforts no longer seem vigilant. The refuge has a very small staff, and occasional patrols are done by ATV, so rangers can be seen and heard from a distance. Cover up if a ranger approaches and take care not to be nude in sight of clothed visitors. However, if you go far enough away from the parking lot, you will have ample opportunities for nudity. You should walk at least 15 minutes from the parking lot before disrobing. The geography of the barrier island ensures seclusion. There are no roads or residences on Jupiter Island at any point north of the beach parking lot, and you can potentially walk for miles in the nude without encountering anyone else. About 1.5 miles north of the parking lot is small Peck Lake, which is actually just a wide area of the otherwise narrow intracoastal waterway. Some boaters park their crafts at Peck Lake, particularly on the weekends, to access secluded beach areas. However, not all of them are nudists, so you should use discretion near Peck Lake when you are in view of boaters.

Peck Lake extends to the north about 1.5 miles. Near the north end of the lake, you'll come to a sign indicating the boundary of HSNWR. Beyond the boundary is St. Lucie Inlet State Reserve, which extends about 2 miles farther to the northern end of the barrier island. The state reserve is accessible only by boat or on foot through HSNWR. Most nudists who use this portion of the beach get there by boat since it is quite a long haul from the HSNWR parking lot. On weekdays, you may have miles of beach away from the parking lot to yourself. On weekends, there is usually a scattering of nude sunbathers, but they can be spread out over a very large area. Remember that the beach has no services and no shade, so bring plenty of water and sunscreen.

GPS: 27.1030, -80.1350

city, county, state, country  Jupiter Island, Martin, Florida, U.S.A.

classification  3 (discretion recommended)

There are 4 placemarks related to this site.