Oval Beach is located on Lake Michigan immediately west of the twin resort towns of Saugatuck and Douglas. Oval Beach is a popular and scenic public beach where swimsuits are required. Immediately north of Oval Beach, there is a large parcel of sand-dune-covered private land where the Kalamazoo River flows into Lake Michigan. Nudity is freely tolerated in sheltered areas of this private property. However, state law mandates that nudity on private property be out of public view. Since all the waterfront parts of this area are in public view, there is no nudity on the actual beach. However, nude sunbathing is the norm in the dunes, and you can freely wander naked through areas of the dunes and the woods not visible from the lake or river. There is a river lagoon where nude swimming is generally acceptable so long as nude bathers use discretion and are not spotted by boaters who pass by.

Although some straight couples visit this area, North Oval is overwhelmingly the domain of gay men, and it is not a suitable family nudist venue. The dunes draw considerable crowds despite rather steep entry fees. First, you'll have to pay to park at Oval Beach, where fees are currently $5 on weekdays and $8 on weekends. Next, you'll have to pay to enter the private property, where the owner currently charges $3 on weekdays and $5 on weekends. (The money collector is said to come around on a dune buggy to collect money from visitors who arrive before he does.) There are restrooms and concessions at the public beach, but there are no amenities or services in the nude area.

Be advised that the future nudity status here is currently uncertain. The North Oval Dunes are a small part of 400 lakefront acres of private property that changed hands in 2007. The former owners were tolerant. The new owner, an Oklahoma billionaire, thus far has not made any changes to the way the nude area operates. However, long-time visitors fear—with good reason—that change could be on the way. The new owner most definitely has designs on developing the 400 pristine acres, but anti-development locals have mounted a lot of resistance. So far the stalemate has been a reprieve for nudists at the dunes, and the economic downturn has probably added to the delay, but the consequences will likely be disastrous if the owner gets his way.

GPS: 42.6720, -86.2100

city, county, state, country  Saugatuck/Douglas, Allegan, Michigan, U.S.A.

classification  1 (freely nude)

There are 5 placemarks related to this site.