Assateague Island is a long, narrow barrier island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Most of the Maryland part of the island is national seashore land, except for an area in the middle of the island (the only part accessible by car from Maryland) that is a state park. Nudity has long been customary on the national seashore beach a couple of miles north of the state park beach. When visitors first began to establish a nude beach in the area, they had specific reasons for hiking beyond the state park boundary. The state park is subject to Maryland's law which classifies all nudity on public land as "indecent exposure." However, the state law was not applicable to the federally administered national seashore, and for a while the nude beach at Assateague flourished. In 1996, that changed. Since that time, there has been an administration arrangement whereby federal park rangers are able to enforce Maryland state laws. Therefore, the state law against nudity supersedes the lack of a nudity law on federal land.

Since 1996, nude bathers have been subject to hassles by park rangers and crowds have dropped, and there is no longer a social nude beach atmosphere. Many former visitors are not willing to walk 45 minutes to the nude area with no guarantee that they will not be hassled for nudity. There is now a sign on the beach that says "Nudity Prohibited," which seems particularly ludicrous in such a remote place so far beyond the zone where textiles ever go. Enforcement of the nudity ban seems to vary from year to year and may depend on the attitude of the particular park rangers patrolling on a given day. In an August 2001 article in the Baltimore Sun, the national seashore's chief ranger maintained that enforcing the nudity ban was not at the top of park rangers' priorities and that nude bathers who suited up when the beach was patrolled were usually left alone. However, in December 2004 the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that two men who were nude on the beach were convicted of indecent exposure, fined $650 (compared to typical fines of about $100 in 2001) and banned from the beach for three years. The assistant chief ranger told the paper, "I want to emphasize, this is just the beginning. There's nowhere on this island that they can safely take their clothes off and not be prosecuted for that." Obviously, caution is in order. But, yes, some nude bathers still take their chances.

If you decide to be naked on this beach, you need to keep a covering handy and keep an eye out for rangers. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking you can sunbathe nude in the shelter of the dunes. The dunes are restricted as a piping plover nesting site and rangers are vigilant about keeping people out. Nudists groups have thus far been unsuccessful in their attempts to have the remote part of the beach designated for clothing optional use. Before you visit Assateague, check the Capital Sun website for current information. This website is maintained by a naturist group that keeps close watch on the Assateague nude beach. A statement on their website pretty much sums up the current situation: "After numerous meetings with the Assateague National Seashore Management, we have decided that we can neither encourage nor discourage use of the north end of Assateague Island as a clothing-optional beach."

Capital Sun website

GPS: 38.2640, -75.1240

city, county, state, country  Berlin, Worcester, Maryland, U.S.A.

classification  4 (potentially risky)

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