Not to be confused with a beach of the same name in Los Angeles County, nudity is freely tolerated at Pirate's Cove near San Luis Obispo, and police are actually amicable toward nude users. The entirety of this beach, which is not quite 1/3-mile long, is clothing optional. Warm weekends may attract upwards of 100 visitors, half or more of whom use the beach in the buff. Weekday crowds are considerably smaller, with perhaps a few dozen visitors when the weather is nice. The beach attracts all kinds of people, and volleyball is popular, as is watching the sea lions on the rocks. Unfortunately, gawkers present a minor problem here. It helps to be reasonably in shape for the steep hike to the beach.

As you hike downhill from the parking lot to Pirate's Cove, you will pass above a hidden beach that is a patch of sand a few hundred feet long amidst large rocks, but you will not be able to see it from the trail. In fact, the hidden beach is very difficult to see until you are practically there. A few nudists also gather at the hidden beach, which is best accessed from a separate trail from the parking lot. However, the climb down is steep and final part of the descent is difficult and requires scrambling down rocks, so you need to by physically fit to attempt to reach the hidden beach. There are also a few natural wonders nearby that are worth exploring—a cave that goes all the way through a rock mass, and a natural arch at the shoreline. The hidden beach lies between the cave and the arch. (See the green hiker placemark for details on how to find them.)

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 35.1759N, 120.7160W

city, county, state, country  Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo, California, U.S.A.

classification  1 (freely nude)

There are 7 placemarks related to this site.