Black's Beach is the United States' best-known nude beach, and it is often touted as a legal nude beach, which is not quite accurate. However, nudity is so deeply ingrained into the culture of Black's that it is an easy mistake to make. Black's is located beneath a steep cliff with limited points of access, and this geographic situation has resulted in a custom of nude bathing that dates back at least to the 1960's and maybe even earlier. To understand the nudist history of Black's, it is important to know that there is a boundary line on the the beach. Part of Black's Beach is state property, and the other part is city property. Nudity originally occurred on both parts of the beach, and in 1974 the city of San Diego officially sanctioned the city-owned portion of the beach as clothing optional, which at the time gave it the distinction of being the only city-sanctioned legal nude beach in the country. That status lasted for three years until anti-nudity activists forced a referendum, and in 1977 voters repealed the clothing-optional status by a 55% to 45% margin. Nonetheless, nudity continued unabated at Black's Beach. Over the years, usage patterns have shifted such that nudists no longer congregate on the city-owned portion of the beach, where nudity is explicitly illegal, and instead use only the state-owned portion of the beach, where the legality of nudity is more ambiguous. Despite the lack of an explicit legal protection for nude use, the state-owned portion of Black's Beach has evolved into a location where nudity is tolerated with no hassles at all, and it has been many years since authorities interfered, so long as nudists stay within certain boundaries.

There are two trails down to Black's Beach from a huge clifftop parking area. Both involve a climb down the face of the steep cliff, which is a bit over 300 feet high. The south trail, colloquially known as the Burro Trail, is the easier and better maintained trail, with steps and handrails for the more difficult parts. If you take the south trail down, you will land on the far south end of the nude beach. Facing the ocean, look to your left. About 300 feet from where you land on the beach, the nude area ends where the city-owned part of the beach begins. There are usually orange cones placed across the beach to indicate the boundary, but just be advised that you can't walk more than a minute or two before you will need to be clothed. Now look to your right. The nude area extends northward for a little more than one mile.

The north trail to the beach is much steeper and should be attempted only by those who are reasonably physically fit. If you take the north trail, you will land in the central area of the nude beach, at a point that is a bit more than 1/2 mile north of the south trail landing. The 1/2 mile or so between the two trails is the part of the beach where most visitors congregate, and on peak summer weekends there is often a lively atmosphere with a majority of visitors in the nude enjoying surfing, jogging, Frisbee, volleyball and body painting. Swimming is also quite popular, although the water can be treacherous away from the shore. Stay close in, especially since there are no longer any lifeguards.

North of the north trail landing (to the right when facing the ocean), the beach crowd thins out, and this part of the beach is attended mostly by gay men. Approximately 1/2 mile north of the north trial landing, there is a boulder-sized, spherical metal buoy on the beach. Just watch for the big metal ball several feet high that is partially submerged in the sand. That buoy is the landmark that defines the end of the accepted nude area. You may possible see naked bodies farther along, but be advised that you do risk a citation if you go very far beyond the buoy.

Black's Beach has no amenities at all, so come prepared, but pack lightly for the hike down.

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GPS: 32.8915N, 117.2537W

city, county, state, country  La Jolla, San Diego, California, U.S.A.

classification  1 (freely nude)

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