[This pinpointed location is Secret Cove Beach.]

The eastern shore of stunning Lake Tahoe is home to a cluster of beach coves on national forest land that have seen hassle-free nude use for years. In 1994, the forest service gave a nod to the nudist tradition by posting signs announcing that nude sunbathing may be encountered in the area. (However, as the signs do not seem to be faithfully maintained, you may or may not encounter such signage.)

The pinpointed parking lot provides access to six areas spread over a distance of about 1.5 miles. These areas are, from north to south: (1) Chimney Beach, (2) Secret Cove Beach, (3) Boater's Beach, (4) Secret Creek Beach, (5) Whale Beach and (6) several tiny unnamed coves beyond Whale Beach. All except Chimney are south of the parking lot.

All six areas are potentially nude, but here are some general rules of thumb:

■ Chimney and Boater's are generally considered the domain of textiles.

■ Secret Cove and Secret Creek are predominantly nudist.

■ Whale Beach and the tiny coves beyond may be nudist, textile, mixed or deserted depending on when you visit. They tend to serve as spillover areas on crowded days and as places for people seeking more solitude.

Secret Cove is the most beautiful of the beaches. It is also the closest consistently nude beach to the parking lot and, since there is a shallow bay, it is the best place to swim if you're brave enough; the water in Lake Tahoe is very cold. Secret Creek, about half a mile to the south of Secret Cove, draws a comparable number of nudists. Secret Creek tends to have more of a gay presence, but both beaches are mixed and usage patterns seem fluid. On peak summer weekends and holidays when both Secret Cove and Secret Creek are crowded, nudists may seek out more space farther south at Whale Beach and the coves beyond.

Since the hike is beautiful and easy, it is worthwhile to explore all the areas first before picking a place to settle down. However, being nude on the service road and trails that link the coves may push the limits of the forest service's tolerance. We don't recommend it.

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 39.1552, -119.9330

city, county, state, country  Incline Village*, Carson City, Nevada, U.S.A.
    * nearest town is in a different county

classification  1 (freely nude)

There are 10 placemarks related to this site.