About 18 miles east of Bakersfield, there is an obscure nude beach on the Kern River in the scenic Kern River Canyon. The nude beach is at the upstream end of a segment of the river known to whitewater rafters as the Cataracts. (The Cataracts extends downstream to a dam that is near the "Entering Sequoia National Forest" sign that you will pass if you approach from Bakersfield. That sign is pinpointed.) The highway parallels the river through the narrow canyon, and although the nude beach is just off the highway, it is far enough below the level of the highway that it is out of view of passing cars.

The nude beach is sporadically attended, but regulars sometimes put up some sort of makeshift signage. (There used to be a boulder with "nude beach" painted on, but those markings have apparently been scrubbed off.) The beach is not widely known except to local rafters, who frequently use the location as a put-in or take-out point. We are unaware of any anti-nudity hassles, but discretion is advised just because this location is very poorly documented and reports from actual users are few and far between.

This site is not nearly as well attended as Remington Hot Springs, which is another Kern River location farther upstream. Remington Hot Springs is about 18 miles away by car, and it is approximately the same distance away going by river miles.

GPS: 35.4808N, 118.7484W

city, county, state, country  (remote), Kern, California, U.S.A.

classification  3 (discretion recommended)

There are 10 placemarks related to these nearby sites: Kern River Cataracts and Remington Hot Springs.