The Current Status of Nude Beaches, Hiking Areas,
and Hot Springs Throughout Southern Califonia

The purpose of this web page is to be a source of information regarding current events in and around Southern California regarding nudity at local beaches, hiking trails, and hot springs. We make every effort to keep the news up to date and accurate. If you visit any othese beaches and wish to add your experiences to our web site, drop us an email at "Contact Us" (above).

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WHEN YOU GO NUDE ON PUBLIC LAND, KNOW THE LAW
By Allen Baylis, Attorney at Law

Many of you have asked questions about the possible consequences of being cited for nudity at a California State Beach or at a hot springs, or when hiking on State Park land. Here's what you need to know:

The California Code of Regulations Title 14 contains the rules that the public must follow within the California State Parks. CCR section 4322 regulates nudity within the State Parks. It states following:

“Nudity. No person shall appear nude while in any unit except in authorized areas set aside for that purpose by the Department. The word nude as used herein means unclothed or in such a state of undress as to expose any part or portion of the pubic or anal region or genitalia of any person or any portion of the breast at or below the areola thereof of any female person.”

Section 4322 is a public nudity regulation and should not be confused with indecent exposure or lewd conduct. Since it only addresses the issue of simple nudity such as sunbathing or skinny-dipping, it is not a registerable sex offense.

Section 4322 can be cited as either an infraction, or a misdemeanor. The fine for an infraction is about $200 and about $400 for a misdemeanor. These fines are about the same as for littering or excessive noise in the park. The San Diego District Attorney will be in charge of prosecuting any cases. If handled properly, it likely that the case could be dismissed. So I encourage people to not just pay the fine.

Being cited for nudity at the beach is actually quite minor, especially if you are dedicated to fighting for what you believe in. I believe we should stand our ground, and not succumb government oppression.

If a person is cited, I strongly encourage them to contact me immediately. If possible, get the officer's name and badge number. I can explain the legal options and may be able to help someone handle the situation. I can be reached at: 714-962-0915 or rab@baylislaw.com

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PART A. CURRENT STATUS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CLOTHING-OPTIONAL BEACHES
In geographical order (north to south). Other information and trip reports to these beaches can be found on the SCNA Travel Web Page.

Whales Cave Conservancy PO Box 12814 San Luis Obispo, CA 93403 Central Coast Naturists Email: cenconaturists@gmail.com

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY Avila Beach (aka Pirate's Cove) - Directions and Map Current Status: Pirate's Cove at Avila Beach - nude section remains open despite its recent sale to the County. Avila is a tough climb both down and up the cliff, but well worth it. No tickets, no deputies, just a few college-age voyeurs who will leave if confronted. Nov 18, 2008 – The County of San Luis Obispo purchased the 32 acres of bluffs and buildable land at Avila Beach. The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed to the $12.2 million purchase at its November 18 meeting, and took an option to purchase later an additional 27 acres that includes Pirate’s Cove nude beach below the bluffs. The current owners of the land, San Miguelito Partners, has owned the beach and bluffs for several decades and has been trying to sell it to the county for several years. Under the new agreement, Miguelito will dedicate the 3100-ft stretch of beach to the County, and the County agrees to “improve the beach parking lot, and the beach access trail.” However the County has to apply to the Coast Conservancy for the money to make these improvements, so it may take several years before ownership can pass to the county, according to local news stories. In any case the county has assured us they do not intend to shyt down the nude beach as it draws in too much tourist money to the area! What does this mean in plain English? Nudists can still use Pirate’s Cove with no changes in status for the foreseeable future. City of San Luis Obispo: 2005: SLO Bans Nudity Only During Mardi Gras

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Friends of Gaviota P.O. Box 351 Lompoc, CA 93438 Voice: 805-733-4950 Email: denbar@sbceo.org This is a non-profit group promoting nude use of Gaviota State Park Friends of Bates Beach 23679 Calabasas Rd #940 Calabasas CA 91302 Email: scna@socalnaturist.org This is a non-profit group promoting nude use of Bates (N Rincon) County Beach.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY Gaviota State Beach - Directions and Map Current Status: Gaviota State Beach - nude section remains open with support of park rangers. Be sure to take our more trash than you brought. If you see any lewd behavior please shoo these idiots away as they will jeopardize our agreement with the Parks Department. Sept 1, 2011 - Meeting pending with State Parks Suyperintendent Richard Rozelle and Dan Falat, chief deputy in charge of the northern half of the county, after a ticket was given to a beachgoer for simple nudity. We need clarification to see if this was an isolated mistake, a sudden change in Park policy, or if something specific triggered the ticket. No other tickets or ranger activity is reported before or since. July 1, 2010 - Recently, Friends of Gaviota Coordinator Dennis Smith met with the ranger who has taken Supervisor Danita Rodriquez's place (Dan Falat), Officer in charge (Eric Hjelstrom), and the regional director (District Superintendent Richard Rozzelle out of Ventura). We've waited for what seemed like years for Danita to be replaced. The meeting went well and we were assured that no one has been cited for nudity on either of the two beaches (San Onofre "north" or Vista Del Mar) that are directly east of Gaviota State Beach, nor does the state intend to begin citing for nudity. We want to underscore that point: No one has been cited for nudity on these two beaches since Officer Hjelstrom has worked the area (over 5 years). There have been arrests, however, for sexual activity on the beach and in the wooded areas in the stream bed. We have assured the State Park personnel that we share their concerns regarding lewd (sexual) activity on the beach and in the bushes along the trail. Superintendent Dan Falat wants us to let Friends of Gaviota know that they intend to continue the Cahill Policy in this area. If you are asked to get dressed, however, by a ranger, please comply without argument. The matter cannot be resolved on the beach, but will be handled in appropriate and productive meetings with state personnel. The more we argue and fuss on the beach, the more difficulty we cause for ourselves. Also remember that the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office is another matter altogether. There is an anti-nudity ordinance in the county, so the sheriff or CHP can issue tickets. As far as I know, there has never been a CHP citation on the coast of California for nudity, but the sheriff is a different matter. At this time, Sheriff Brown leaves the area we know as San Onofre "north" to the State Park Police. We all felt the new supervisor was not hostile to the existence of clothes-free recreation in the area we have traditionally used for forty years. He is, however, operating under Ruth Coleman (State Director of California State Parks and Beaches) and state park regulations, so we could not pin him down to whether or not he personally was for or against nude-use areas. Of course, he doesn't want to go on record one way or another, but we all felt good about what came out of the meeting. A few days after our meeting I was on the beach during the week. All the people on the beach were in bathing suits (except me) and panic was running up and down the shoreline. "The rangers are here and they're raiding the beach," I was told. The rangers were on the bluff, and I waved to them and they waved back. They were not there to "raid" the beach, nor did they. I told everyone I met not to run and get dressed, "Just be natural. They are not here about our nudity." I explained if it was nudity they were there for, I would have been "busted." I was nude and they were waving at me. If they approach you, be polite, stay nude unless asked to get dressed. At the meeting they said they could tell who was with Friends of Gaviota because those who are not "run in all directions" and scramble into their clothes. We have worked hard to achieve a good relationship with the rangers, and we don't want to lose what we have gained. More Mesa Beach Directions and Map Current Status: Beach is open for nude use to the RIGHT of the clif stairway (tickets issues if you are nude to the left). July 25, 2010 - In recent weeks we have received several reports of a “homeless-looking” man in More Mesa Beach and Bates (North Rincon) Beach. In each case, the homeless man sits near some nudists and appears to begin masturbating. When approached by the nudists in the area to stop and leave the beach, the person claims harassment and takes out a cell phone and calls 911 to complain that nudists are harassing him. By the time deputies respond, the man has left the beach. If you see this person, please take his picture and forward it to us as we need to report him his image to the police. Lewd behavior has no place on our nude beaches! Photos are perfectly legal on a public beach, he cannot stop you. (Obviously, you should never take photos of other nude beachgoers without their expressed permission.) Perhaps once this homeless-looking pervert understands we are on to him, he will decide to permanently go somewhere else. Second, there is an anti-nudity ordinance in this county but in practice beach patrols by deputies are rare on our local beaches. Still, they can happen, usually in response to a 911 complaint, like when this guy makes his call. If you receive a ticket for indecent exposure, we can refer you to an attorney familiar with nudity laws who can counsel your attorney with your defense. Although each case is different, last year we know of two people who got tickets in Santa Barbara and decided to fight it, and both had their cases dismissed. Please call us immediately if you see anyone let us know if you hear of any other tickets being issued. Be sure to tell the victim that legal advice is available to them and give them our phone number. Meanwhile continue to enjoy More Mesa. With your help, we will find and isolate this pest and get him off of our beaches! Summerland Beach - Directions and Map Current Status: This beach is closed to any nudity and deputies vigorously enforce the ordinance. April 2011 - The former nude beach at Summerland is quickly becoming an environmental problem as oil is seeping up onto the sand from several oil well pipes buried there. It seems the beach was the site of about a dozen oil wells during the 1920s. The oil company went bust, so they capped the wells and left. Now, after 80 years, the caps have corroded and begun leaking. The County Supervisors have asked the EPA for assistance before things get totally out of hand. Bates (North Rincon) Beach - Directions and Map Current Status: Local nudists are currently working to restore Bates for nude use. At present it is not considered safe for nudity, but deputies only come down periodically. Go as far north as possible away north of the concrete barrier to be reasonably safe. Use the beach at your own risk. BATES BEACH SECURITY TRAILER IS REPLACED May 1, 2011 - The 20-ft trailer which for the past 3 years has sat in the parking lot of Bates Beach suddenly disappeared, then was replaced by a new one mid-May with a new pair of security guards. Crime isn’t any better at the beach, so maybe the County decided fighting crime at Bates was too expensive? The pathways are quite overgrown with weeds, but there is a new (with larger typeface) “Nudity Prohibited” sign on the walk ramp to the beach below, although often we find visitors have placed paper shopping bags over the sign. 03/23/2011 – Three local nudist leaders met today with the newly-appointed commander in charge of the Carpinteria area of southern Santa Barbara County and got the response we expected: “I must enforce the law.” Lt. Kelly Moore was appointed to the post last September, replacing hard-nosed Lt. Eric Koopmans, whom we suspected allowed the undercover “homeless-looking” man on both Bates and More Mesa nude beaches last year. Moore professed no knowledge of any “sting” operation by his undercover division last year. Moore said, "I have no problem with it [the nudists], personally," but he said he will “not take any action on our behalf” without directions from his superiors. Moore added that nudity enforcement remains a very low priority, but if his deputies see it, then they will respond. “We only act when someone complains [about the nudity]…My officers frequently walk the train tracks above the beach to look for illegal activity. If they happen to look down on the beach and see nudity, they will take action.” Then he admitted sometimes his deputies come down to sweep the beach on their own when they learn that there is increased nudity on the beach. “But we have to observe the nudity in order to ticket,” he said, which is why the officers first will stand on the bluffs above with their binoculars. “But we don’t go to the beach specifically to search for nudists.” Lt. Moore came across as friendly, yet firm. He now knows who we are and that we are organized, so expect a few more patrols around the beach this spring. We hope to have our meeting with the DA before then to head off any more ticketing before the weather turns warm. April 2010 - After a TV news report was aired in Santa Barbara about the nudists trying to re-establish the clothing optional section at Bates Beach, the police received several sweeps, yielding a few tickets from surprised nudists who didnt expect any trouble on this mostly-deserted stretch of beach. The mysterious "homeless-looking" man described above was on the beach at the time of both sweeps but was not cited. Some are suspecting he is an undercover cop directing deputies to nudists sunning themselves quietly on the beach. In one case one of our beach patrol people saw two deputies climb down the broken concrete above the concrete sea barrier so be aware that not all deputies come from the walk ramp at the south end. The two people who got tickets have received legal representation and are fighting their citations. No court dates are yet set. 12/2009 - NUDIST UNDER TOWEL BEATS BATES BEACH TICKET In September a man received a ticket for nudity at Bates Beach while sitting nude under his towel. He decided to fight it and was just rewarded by having the ticket thrown out. In October a young woman who was cited at the same beach in May for top-free sunbathing also won her court case. She described a "homeless-looking" person sitting nearby on his cell phone prior to the deputies arriving. Hmmmmm.... CARPINTERIA WANTS A SCENIC COASTAL TRAIL ABOVE OUR PROPOSED NUDE BEACH June 2010 - We have come learned there is a project by the city of Carpinteria to spend over a million dollars to build a public hiking/biking trail on the cliff above where we are proposing our nude beach. Since the project cannot be stopped, Friends of Bates Beach sees its job as to make sure the plans are compatible with our own needs, if not work to our advantage. We asked the city Parks Director to fill in the rest of that walking path above the beach (where the voyeurs hang out) so people can no longer be hanging out there. He said that would be a good idea. He also wants to destroy or fill in the little hiding places up on the bluffs where sexual activity has been known to occur, depriving the Sheriff of his strongest argument against the nude beach (the old “nudity causes lewd behavior excuse”). He also agreed there should be fencing and signage to prevent people loitering too close to the cliff’s edge (especially if they want to look and admire the nudists below?) We did impress upon him the need for a public hearing with residents at Rincon Point at the appropriate time, and he thought that was a good idea. He said he expects the Coastal Commission to endorse the Trail in mid-2011 and construction to begin by the end of the year, so it is important that our ideas get included into the final draft. - Click to read Carpinteria's Proposed Scenic Trail Plan (PDF) - 20 pages Read more details in the file "Status of Bates: The Latest News" elesewhere on the pulldown menu above.

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There are no nude beaches in this county.

Unofficially, people find small out-of-the-way spots to skinny-dip, such as the coast between Paradise Cove (Malibu) and the Ventura County line, but law enforcement checks these beach coves infrequently unless some local resident complains (which is often, alas) so use them at your own risk.

Read the letter under Hiking Trails below from LA County Sheriff Lee Baca about nude Hiking in the Angeles National Forest. We recommend if you choose to hike nude in the national forests of this county, be discreet around other hikers.

The bad news is the area of the hiking trails was badly debuded by the recent Station Fire and the area is now closed to hikers and campers through the winter 2009-2010 until the threat of mudslides ends. You may want to avoid hiking nude there anyway until some protecting bushes and plants grow sufficiently high.

There are no nude beaches (or hiking trails) in this county.

And considering the attitude of law enforcement and the courts we do not recommend you try skinny-dipping here! In defiance of this attitude, there is a nudist club in Huntington Beach which holds monthly swims in the city's gym. Call them for current status of the county:
Naturists in the OC
9042 Garfield Ave #306
Huntington Beach, CA 92646
Email: info@nitoc.org

FRIENDS OF SAN ONOFRE BEACH
P.O. Box 2552
Capo Beach, California 92624
Voice: 949-443-0891
Email: info@friendsofsanonofre.org
Non-profit group promoting the continued nude
use of San Onofre State Park

BLACK'S BEACH BARES ASSOC.
P.O. Box 12255
La Jolla, California 92039
Email: info@blacksbeach.org
This group coordinates the nudist beach
activities at Black's.

SAN DIEGO COUNTY

San Onofre State Beach

- Directions and Map

Current Status:Still nude! Despite efforts last year by the local Parks Superintendent to close the beach to nude use, as of July 2011, 11 tickets have been written there for nudity and all have been dismissed by the courts. It is important that nudists continue to use Trail 6 at San Onofre Beach. If we all stay away, then the rangers will win by default. The fact the tickets are all being dismissed gives everyone courage that some deal can be reached soon with the State Parks Department.

Many nudists are bypassing the State Park boundary and tresspassing onto the Camp Pendelton Marine Base beach immediately to the south. This is clearly illegal and we cannot defend you if you are cited there. MP's have been seen recently on weekends telling the nudists to leave and warning of future arrests. Heed the warning!

Read Recent Developments for updates about the recent court decisions and news stories concerning San Onofre State Beach.

May 2011 - Two more tickets have been dismissed by the Dictrict Attorney's office, bringing the total number od dismissals to 10. There are rumors the superintendent is reconsidering whether or not to continue his futile attempt at ticketing anyone else since the DA is refusing to prosecute.

Hiking
- LA County Sheriff Baca Says No Law Against Hiking Nude in Angeles National Forest
- 2010: Nude Hiking Group Forms in So Cal
- Nude Hiking in Sespe Creek, Ventura County
- Our Nude Hike Near Fraiser Park
- The Annual (Naked) 5k Burro Run

Nude Sailing and Houseboating
- Nude Sailing to the Channel Islands
- Our Nude Houseboat Vacation on Lake Mead