Nude swimming and sunbathing are common along Willow Creek, which is a short drive from the southern border of Yosemite National Park. The creek is a great little naked excursion for Yosemite visitors, and it is a very scenic and unique place. There are three main sites along the creek where nudity is likely to occur. Two of the sites are waterfalls: Angel Falls and Devil's Slide. The other location is an area of the creek where it meanders through huge slabs of smooth rock, between the two falls but considerably closer to Angel Falls than to Devil's Slide.

[This placemark is pinpointed at the area between the falls. Angel Falls and Devil's Slide are also pinpointed.]

Just 5 to 10 minutes from the parking area you will reach Angel Falls, which is a multi-tiered and meandering falls that cascades over a number of huge boulders to a swimming hole at the bottom. Skinnydipping in the swimming hole is popular during late summer after the creek has calmed down. If the water coming down the boulders above the swimming hole is cascading gently, the swimming hole will be calm and safe to use. If the water is gushing, there will be a swift current across the swimming hole, and you should avoid it.

Farther upstream, another 10 minutes or so away, is the area of the creek where it meanders through the smooth rock, forming a multitude of mini-waterfalls and whirlpools. There are often nude sunbathers on the smooth rock surfaces.

If you keep hiking upstream, in another 20 to 30 minutes you will reach Devil's Slide, which is a tall falls that also spills into a swimming hole. It may be a gushing torrent or a gentle cascade, depending on the time of year you visit. Later in summer when the creek has slowed down, the water at Devil's Slide cascades down a smooth rock mass, forming a natural water slide. The incline of the slide is more than 45°, and you have to be a bit of a daredevil to slide down. Some visitors with enough nerve go down this natural slide, and naked sliding is a frequent occurrence.

Both Angel Falls and Devil's Slide are useable as swimming sites only for a limited time each year. Earlier in the warm-weather season, the creek is flowing with such force that being in the water near either falls is unsafe. A sign in the parking area warns that a number of people have died here by falling or drowning, so be especially cautious of the creek current and the slick rocks. If you visit during spring, or even early summer, when the creek is flowing rapidly, it is far safer to stay in the area of the creek between Angel Falls and Devil's Slide.

Devil's Slide requires a good bit more hiking to reach than the other two areas, and while it is a worthwhile excursion for the scenery any time of year, it is probably not worthwhile strictly as a nudist pursuit when the creek level is high. If you see that there is swift current at Angel Falls, you can assume that conditions are the same at Devil's Slide.

Willow Creek draws the largest number of visitors on weekends, especially in late summer, when there may be several dozen people scattered between Angel Falls and Devil's Slide. Usually quite a number of these visitors are naked. On weekdays, Willow Creek draws just a handful of visitors.

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 37.3392N, 119.5739W

city, county, state, country  Oakhurst, Madera, California, U.S.A.

classification  2 (traditionally nude)

There are 10 placemarks related to this site.