The Best Nude Beaches in the United States

Understanding Nude Beaches in America

There is no federal law on nudity in the United States, so whether you can undress on a given beach comes down to state law, county or city ordinances, and the policy of whoever manages the land. A few beaches are formally designated clothing-optional by a county or state agency. Others sit on land where nudity is technically restricted but has been tolerated for decades. And some of the most famous names in older guides, including Fire Island's Lighthouse Beach and San Onofre's Trail 6, now see the rules enforced.

The beaches below are the ones where clothing-optional use is either officially allowed or long tolerated as of 2026, with the legal position, access and fees for each. Rules change, so check the managing agency's page (linked where available) before you go.

The Legal Position, Beach by Beach

As of October 2026. "Designated" means a government agency has authorised clothing-optional use; "tolerated" means nudity is not authorised but has long been accepted in practice, so a complaint can still lead to a citation.

Beach	State	Legal position	Managed by	Cost to get in	Facilities
Haulover Beach (towers 12 to 16)	Florida	Designated by Miami-Dade County in 1991	Miami-Dade Parks	Parking $7 weekdays, $10 weekends and holidays	Rentals, concession, showers; lifeguards year-round
Hippie Hollow, Lake Travis	Texas	Clothing-optional county park	Travis County	$8 per person ($3 for 62+); adults only	Restrooms, drinking water; no lifeguards
Rooster Rock State Park (east beach)	Oregon	Designated by Oregon State Parks	Oregon State Parks	Day parking $10 residents, $12 non-residents	At the main parking areas only
Gunnison Beach (Beach G), Sandy Hook	New Jersey	Not designated, but no prohibition in the posted traditional area	National Park Service	Parking $20 a day in summer; free off-season	Restrooms and showers in season; no lifeguards
Collins Beach, Sauvie Island	Oregon	Long-standing clothing-optional section	Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife	Parking permit $10 a day, plus a beaches permit on summer weekends	Open dawn to 10 PM
Black's Beach (northern stretch)	California	Tolerated on the state-managed north; prohibited on the city-owned south	State park lands / City of San Diego	Free Gliderport lot	None; lifeguards usually until 6 PM
Playalinda Beach (Lot 13)	Florida	Tolerated; Brevard County Ordinance 95-21 prohibits public nudity	National Park Service	$25 per vehicle for seven days; no cash	Restrooms at each parking area
Kehena Beach, Big Island	Hawaii	Tolerated, not legal; police have issued citations	-	Free	None; no lifeguards
Secret Beach (Kauapea), Kauai	Hawaii	Tolerated by long practice	-	Free; small parking area	None; no lifeguards
Lighthouse Beach, Fire Island	New York	Exposure law enforced since 2013	National Park Service	-	Treat as a clothed beach
San Onofre State Beach (Trail 6)	California	Tolerance ended around 2010	California State Parks	-	Treat as a clothed beach

Haulover Beach, Miami, Florida

Haulover is the best-known clothing-optional beach in the country and the simplest one to visit. Miami-Dade County designated the section in 1991, and according to the Miami-Dade Parks page for Haulover Park it occupies the northern third of the beach between lifeguard towers 12 and 16. Because the designation comes from the county, there is no legal ambiguity inside that stretch.

The county lists beach chair and umbrella rentals, a food and drink concession and showers on the clothing-optional beach, with restrooms nearby. Beach ambassadors in green safari hats explain the rules to newcomers, and the swimming areas are lifeguarded year-round. The crowd is mixed: couples, solo visitors, older regulars and plenty of first-timers.

Parking for this section is in the North Lot (reached through the Haulover Marine Center boat-ramp entrance) or Lot 1 via pedestrian tunnel 4 or 5. The county charges $7 per car Monday to Thursday and $10 on weekends and holidays. Water temperatures run from the low to mid 70s °F in winter to the mid 80s in summer, and the water is usually calm outside of storm swells.

Black's Beach, San Diego, California

Black's Beach sits beneath roughly 300-foot sandstone cliffs between La Jolla and Torrey Pines. The legal position depends on where you stand. San Diego voters repealed the city's 1974 "swimsuit optional" exception in 1977, so nudity is prohibited on the southern, city-owned part of the beach. The clothing-optional stretch runs north from about 100 yards south of the Gliderport trail, on the portion managed as part of the Torrey Pines state park lands, where nudity has been tolerated rather than formally authorized.

The usual route down is the steep, eroded trail from the Torrey Pines Gliderport. Allow 15 minutes down and longer back up, wear proper shoes, and note that the city has posted the cliffs as unstable. The paved Salk Canyon road from UC San Diego is gated to cars but walkable and easier on the knees. Walking in from Torrey Pines State Beach or La Jolla Shores is possible only at low tide.

There are no restrooms, water or shade on the beach, so bring everything. San Diego lifeguards usually staff Black's until 6 PM year-round, but it is a well-known surf break with strong currents and rip currents, and it is not a beach for weak swimmers.

What to Know

• The Gliderport lot is free but fills early on sunny weekends
• Low tide exposes more sand and makes walking between sections easier
• The northern end is popular with gay men; the central section is mixed
• Paragliders launch from the clifftop Gliderport above the beach

Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Gunnison (Beach G) is on the ocean side of the Sandy Hook peninsula, inside Gateway National Recreation Area. The National Park Service's Gunnison Beach page says a portion of the area is "used by visitors as a clothing optional area" and that, while the area is not formally designated, there is no prohibition against it. The park posts signs marking the traditional area, and nudity outside it can be treated as disorderly conduct. It is the only place in New Jersey where nude sunbathing is openly accepted, so summer weekends are busy.

The NPS lists restrooms and showers at Gunnison during peak season, plus drinking water and picnic tables. There are no lifeguards at Gunnison; the guarded swimming beaches at Sandy Hook are Areas C, D and E. Use the trail at the east end of the Lot G parking area to reach the beach.

Sandy Hook charges for parking rather than entry: $20 per vehicle per day from Memorial Day to Labor Day (cashless), with a $100 season pass and free parking off-season. Walking, cycling or arriving on the seasonal Seastreak ferry from Manhattan avoids the parking fee. Bring shade, because there is none on the sand.

Kehena Beach, Big Island, Hawaii

Kehena is a narrow black sand beach on the Puna coast of the Big Island, reached by a short, steep scramble down the lava rocks from a gravel pullout on Highway 137. The beach is small, wedged between lava outcrops and backed by trees.

It is best known for its Sunday drum circle and its mix of locals and visitors. Spinner dolphins are often seen offshore, which is why some people call it Dolphin Beach. There is no reef protection: the shore break and currents are strong, there are no lifeguards and there are no facilities. Swim only in calm conditions and never alone.

Hawaii has no statewide ban on nudity outside state parks. Its indecent exposure law, HRS §707-734, requires intentional exposure in circumstances likely to cause affront, and in State v. Kalama (2000) the Hawaii Supreme Court overturned the convictions of nude sunbathers on that basis. Nudity is banned outright in Hawaii's state parks, and police have issued citations at Kehena itself, so clothing-optional use here is tolerated, not legal. Keep a cover-up within reach.

Rooster Rock State Park, near Portland, Oregon

Rooster Rock is in the Columbia River Gorge about 30 minutes east of Portland off Interstate 84. Oregon State Parks designates part of the park's east beach as clothing-optional, and that area is separated from the main beach by dunes and a walk of roughly half a mile.

The beach is on the Columbia River, so the water is fresh, moves with a current and stays cooler than the summer air. Facilities are at the main parking areas, not on the clothing-optional beach. Rooster Rock is one of the parks that charges for parking: since January 2, 2025 the day-use permit has been $10 a day, and Oregon State Parks now lists $10 a day for Oregon residents and $12 for non-residents. Peak season is June through September.

Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore, Florida

Playalinda is the southern beach of Canaveral National Seashore, east of Titusville and about an hour from Orlando. The clothing-optional area is at Parking Lot 13, the last lot at the north end of the beach road. The beach is undeveloped: dunes and scrub behind it, no buildings in view.

The legal picture is less tidy than at Haulover. Brevard County Ordinance 95-21 prohibits public nudity, and county officers share jurisdiction inside the seashore, but in practice nude sunbathing at Lot 13 has long been tolerated. Keep to that area and behave as you would on any family beach.

Entry costs $25 per private vehicle (valid for seven days) or $15 per person on foot or bicycle, and the park does not accept cash. The NPS lists restrooms at each beach parking area. Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is about 3.6 miles to the south, so launches are visible from the sand, but the beach closes for crewed launches and some others, and sections close for sea turtle nesting. Check the park's alerts on the day.

Hippie Hollow, Austin, Texas

Hippie Hollow is not a beach but a lakeside park on the limestone shore of Lake Travis, about 30 to 40 minutes' drive west of downtown Austin. Travis County opened it as a park in 1985, and the county describes it as the only clothing-optional public park in Texas.

The shoreline is a series of limestone ledges rather than sand, so water shoes help. How you get into the water depends on the lake level, which swings widely between drought and flood years.

Entry is $8 per person ($3 for those 62 and older), and only people 18 and older are admitted. The county lists restrooms, drinking water, a hiking trail and a designated swimming area, with no lifeguards. Glass containers are banned, alcohol may not be openly displayed, and lewd behavior is prohibited. The park can reach capacity and close to new arrivals on holiday weekends.

Secret Beach (Kauapea Beach), Kauai, Hawaii

Kauapea is a long stretch of golden sand below the cliffs on Kauai's north shore, reached by a short but steep and often muddy trail from a small parking area off Kalihiwai Road. Clothing-optional use there is a matter of long practice, not designation, and the same Hawaii law described under Kehena applies.

The setting is the draw: sea cliffs, views toward the Kilauea Lighthouse, and a small waterfall at one end after rain. Swimming is dangerous for much of the year because of strong currents and winter surf with no reef protection; summer sometimes brings calm enough water for a careful dip. There are no facilities and no lifeguards, and the parking area is small.

Collins Beach, Sauvie Island, Oregon

Collins Beach is on the Columbia River shore of Sauvie Island, which lies about 10 miles northwest of downtown Portland. The beach is near the end of NW Reeder Road, past where the pavement ends, and has a long-standing clothing-optional section with a regular local crowd.

Parking is the part that catches visitors out. The island is a state wildlife area run by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. On weekdays you need a Wildlife Area Parking Permit ($10 a day or $30 a year), and on summer weekends and holidays (June 19 to September 7 in 2026) the beach lots require the separate Sauvie Island Beaches Permit ($10 a day), according to ODFW's parking page. Buy permits online or from a licence agent before you drive out. The beaches are open from dawn to 10 PM, with no overnight use.

Two Famous Spots Where the Rules Are Now Enforced

Lighthouse Beach, Fire Island, New York. Older guides still list the beach east of the Fire Island Lighthouse as clothing-optional. In February 2013, Fire Island National Seashore announced it would enforce New York's public exposure law (Penal Law §245.01) on all Fire Island beaches, including Lighthouse Beach, citing complaints about lewd behavior and the lack of lifeguards and restrooms. Treat it as a clothed beach.

San Onofre State Beach (Trail 6), California. Trail 6 was a nude sunbathing spot for decades under a California State Parks policy of acting only on complaints. State Parks ended that tolerance around 2010, began citing nude sunbathers, and won the court challenge that followed. State law bars nudity in state parks except in areas set aside for it, and none have been set aside at San Onofre.

Etiquette and Practical Tips

• Don't stare. Look at faces, not bodies. The same social norms that apply at any beach apply here.
• Bring a towel to sit on. Sitting on your own towel is both a hygiene standard and a social expectation at every clothing-optional beach.
• Ask before taking photos. At most nude beaches, cameras and phones should stay in your bag, and some parks post explicit rules. See our guide to nude beach photography rules.
• Sunscreen everywhere. Skin that rarely sees the sun burns fast. Apply generously and reapply often.
• Undressing is optional. "Clothing-optional" means exactly that. You will see people in swimsuits at most of these beaches, and nobody will pressure you either way.
• Stay inside the traditional area. At Gunnison, Playalinda and Black's, the tolerance applies to a specific stretch. Nudity outside it is where citations happen.
• Check current legal status. Policies change, as Fire Island and San Onofre show. Read the managing agency's page before you go.

This series: The World's Best Nude Beaches