About 25-30 miles northeast of Sacramento, Folsom Lake presents ample opportunities for discreet nudity at a multitude of hidden coves, but for the most part you need to be on a boat to explore them. An exception is Bare Cove on the western shore of the lake, which is hidden yet easily accessible from the most distant parking lot of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. It is a small crescent, less than 150 feet across, that is surrounded on three sides by boulders and screes of smaller rocks. To mark the area, regulars have spray painted "Nude Beach" on one of the boulders. Despite the informal signage, attendance is low and sporadic. The beach is often empty and otherwise occupied by only a handful of bare bathers, even though park rangers reportedly do not hassle nudists.

While Bare Cove is sufficiently secluded from casual passersby on land, some discretion is in order regarding boaters on the lake. To prevent complaints, it is best to cover up if a boater comes close enough to see that you are naked. Folsom Lake is a popular lake with boaters, so weekends can make discretion a challenge. However, the amount of boat traffic drops off during mid-summer when the lake level usually drops and afternoon temperatures soar to 95°F. Skinnydipping in the lake is an especially attractive proposal on those scorching days.

VISUAL RESOURCES

GPS: 38.7728N, 121.1260W

city, county, state, country  Granite Bay, Placer, California, U.S.A.

classification  3 (discretion recommended)

There are 4 placemarks related to this site.