Herring Cove Beach, part of Cap Code National Seashore, is in the resort community of Provincetown, which is one of the most popular gay vacation destinations in the country. This long and mostly textile beach is run by the National Park Service (NPS), but nudity is very common toward the southern end. The nude area, a little over a mile south of the huge NPS beach parking lot, is attended almost entirely by gay men. This beach is the only beach we know of anywhere where the typical pattern of textile > straight nude > gay nude does not apply. Instead, the north to south pattern here is straight textile > lesbian textile (perhaps topless) > gay textile > gay nude.

The nude area of the beach is located on the thin strip of land between Cape Cod Bay and a shallow, marshy tidal lake. Nudity occurs both on the bay and the lake sides. The water on the lake side is warmer for swimming.

Nudity is not technically allowed due to a specific NPS provision which prohibits nudity on federally administered Cape Cod beaches. However, nudity is very well established and authorities take a very relaxed approach to enforcement. In February 2006, the chief NPS ranger told the Provincetown Banner: "We're not out there running around trying to find people without their clothes on... Our philosophy is that we take the lowest level action necessary to ensure compliance [with the nudity ban]." That usually means rangers tell nudists to suit up and write tickets on rare occasions when people refuse. For the most part, the rangers are nice and just doing their jobs, so be cooperative and put on a pair of shorts if a ranger is making his or her rounds. Swimsuits will come back off as soon as the ranger leaves.

As an alternative to driving to the beach, you may want to rent a bicycle in town, or inquire locally about the shuttle bus which stops at the beach parking lot during summer.

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 42.0259, -70.2010

city, county, state, country  Provincetown, Barnstable, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

classification  2 (traditionally nude)

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