HIDDEN POND

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It's only getting occasional use, but the East Bay's first clothing-optional lake since the 1970s – when the shore across from the main swim area of Berkeley's Lake Anza drew small numbers of skinny-dipping rock jumpers, sparking the East Bay Regional Park District to pass an anti-nudity regulation – has been born. On a sunny, breezy Saturday in April 2005, around a dozen members of the Bay Area Naturists met on the slopes of Mount Diablo and, led by Trevor Murphy, hiked about three miles to a delightful little lake – big enough to hold some 30 people, according to BAN leader Rich Pasco – that nudists have been quietly visiting for about two years. It was just over an hour's walk from the nearest road, but the journey, several participants said, was worth it. The site is off a trail and over a hill, so walkers can't see skinny-dippers from the path. "It was gorgeous," Murphy recounts. "Even though it isn't very remote, it's extremely peaceful there." Along the way, naturists often see cows on the trail, as well as evidence of feral pigs ("rooted-up ground," says Murphy, as well as a large wire-cage pig trap near the trail and another near the lake). Rolling grassland covers the foothills of the state park. "It's a pristine, Norman Rockwell kind of place," says Pasco of San Jose. Want to visit? Hidden Pond doesn't appear on maps, so the best way to do so is with BAN, which plans to continue its periodic treks (usually every spring, although there's talk of going twice a year). For membership information and access to the organization's newsletter, go to www.bayareanaturists.org.

Legal status: Part of Mount Diablo State Park.

How to find it: Take Highway 680 to Danville and exit at Diablo Road. Following the green state park signs, drive east on Diablo. At El Cerro turn right to continue on Diablo. At the stop sign, which forms a junction with Blackhawk, turn left onto Mount Diablo Scenic Boulevard, which becomes South Gate Road at the park boundary. The road here is narrow and frequented by bicyclists. Follow it to the park's entrance kiosk (entrance fee $6 and you can get a map here), then continue about 1.5 miles to the big, flat parking lot on the right, the first one past Rock City. Look for a Curry Point sign near the start of the trail. BAN usually begins its hike there, following the path from the trailhead to a fire road. You don't see [the lake] from the main trail," BAN's Pasco says. "You have to take off over the grassland to find it." Guide-led visitors have little trouble making the trek, though. It's fairly level, according to Murphy, with significant slopes only at the beginning and the end, up a steep rise and then down to the dell where the lake's nestled.

The beach: Surrounded by an estimated 14 acres of secluded hillside studded with a grove of majestic oak and bay trees that offer welcome summer shade, the site is around 70 feet long by 40 feet wide, according to Murphy, with the water reaching maybe six or seven feet at its deepest point. "It's pretty cold, so you can't swim that much," he says. He advises those who make the trip with BAN to bring good walking shoes, ground cover, and flip-flops. It's also a great picnic spot, so pack a lunch.

The crowd: The nearby trail is a favorite among hikers, but so far at the lake it's just naturist groups once or twice a year.

Problems: Lack of directions and need to go with BAN, long walk from the parking lot, some (avoidable) poison oak on the trail, may be windy in early spring.

Rating: C.

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