HIDDEN BEACH

Bathing suits aren't the only things missing from some of the beaches of Lake Tahoe this year. So is some of the water. "The lake is down three to four feet from the natural rim," reveals Tahoe Area Naturists (TAN) leader North Swanson, who says it's in stark contrast to 2006's peak level, which came within a half inch of the lake's capacity." It was very swimmable," remembers July 2006 visitor Dave Smith, of San Leandro. "The weather was warm, so it was a good day to sit and lay about. Even the parking was a piece of cake."

Not everyone is as lucky as Smith. Hidden's parking lot, which serves most of the clothing-optional beaches, holds just 30 cars and allows only 20 minute parking. "Instead," suggests visitor Steve Williams, "a half mile south of the lot, and look for parking on the lake side of Highway 28." On hot days, though, visitors should come early because the highway parking strip is only about .4 miles long. To help prevent scratchy needles and pine tar in your sandals or flip-flops (called "needle stab" by locals), wear closed-toe shoes on the beach trails in Tahoe. Where's Hidden Beach? Shhh, don't tell anybody that it's near Sand Harbor, .5 mile south of the outskirts of Incline Village and about three to four miles north of the lake's other nude beaches.

One "minus": parts of the lake sometimes have what some visitors describe as a noticeable algae smell. "And don't even try swimming in the lake until July," suggests Swanson. "It's too damn cold."

Legal status: Nevada Division of Parks property.

How to find it: From the North Shore, take Highway 28 south to the Memorial Point Visitors Center parking lot, about a half mile north of Sand Harbor. Park there only if you want to take a short, 20-minute dip (see introduction to entry), or, if they're available, in one of the hard to find parking spaces along Highway 28 (also see above). Hidden Beach is located next to the highway, approximately a half mile south of its intersection with Lakeshore Drive. From the lot, walk along the highway until you see the nude beach, which will be clearly visible from a guardrail between Highway 28 and the sand.

The beach: True to its name, even though the beach is located between the lake and the adjacent highway, it's only visible from the road by peering over a guardrail. "It's in pretty good shape this season," says Swanson. "There's plenty of sand there."

The crowd: Mostly clothing-optional users, who are well tolerated by state rangers.

Problems: Drop in water level this year; hard to find; tight parking; can be seen from road by pedestrians who "peer over"; needs better directions.

Rating: B.

CHIMNEY BEACH

The first in a string of beaches visited by skinny-dippers south of Sand Harbor, Chimney is mostly a clothed site that gets some nude use. "It's an occasional hangout for teens and twenty-somethings who go skinny-dipping during the week, when few other people are around," tells one user.

Legal status: Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

How to find it: From the North Shore, take Highway 28 south to Sand Harbor. Just over a mile south of Sand Harbor, look on your right for an iron security gate for an estate. Proceed south on 28 another 200 yards until you come to a gated Forest Service parking lot on the east (mountain side) of the highway. Or, from Stateline, follow Highway 50 north to 28. Go north on 28 about six miles until you see a parking lot on the west (lake) side of the highway. Don't park there. Continue north on 28 just over a half-mile and turn right into the other parking lot, described above. Park in the little, 30-car lot, walk across the highway, and take the trail down to the beach. Expect an easy, 5-10 minute walk.

The beach: A curving, sandy shoreline dotted with hundreds of boulders, both in and next to the water.

The crowd: Mostly a suited beach, on hot summer weekdays Chimney gets a few young nudists.

Problems: Parking lot easy to miss; "Suited users sometimes look at you funny if you're nude there," says visitor Robert Carlsen.

Rating: C.

SECRET COVE BEACH

Packed with up to 70 people on summer weekends, the spot that's known alternately as Secret Cove Beach, Paradise Cove, Paradise Rock, and Frankie Loves Dougie Beach rocks some years with a visitorship that, according to Williams, is 95 percent nude. Last year, Smith found 30 people on the shore ("90 percent of them were nude"), while Swanson counted "about 10."

Why the big drop in people? Last season, higher than normal water covered more of the sand, leaving what Smith calls "a little bit of beach." Says Swanson: "It was mostly rock." Now, though, "there's sand, but not a lot of it."

Still, the mellow vibe more than makes up for the changing shape of the beach. Says Williams: "You can be with a bunch of people or all by yourself, and nobody will bother you." Some people arrive as early as 9 a.m. Popular activities at Secret Cove include catching the rays, hiking, and rock climbing. Says Williams: "There may be as many as 15 people on the rocks," which are accessible by nearby trails.

Another attraction: the swimming in this stretch of the lake. "The water temperature tends to be a lot warmer at this beach," explains Smith.

Legal status: Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

How to find it: From the state line, take Highway 50 north to Highway 28. Go north on 28 about six miles until you see a parking lot on the west (lake) side of the highway. Park there. Walk south on the fire road that begins here until you come to two Porta Potties and some trash cans. Follow the trail that starts here down to the beach. Expect a 10 to 15 minute walk. If the lot is full, you can park on the shoulder of 28, south of the last No Parking sign (cars on the asphalt itself will be cited). On the west side of the road, follow signs that say Trail to the beach path.

The beach: A shoreline of plenty of rocks, with sandy areas, adjoining some nice water. "It's a beautiful place," says Swanson.

The crowd: Visitors reporting seeing 10-30 people on warm summer days last year.

Problems: Rocks; less water this year; limited parking; erosion often caused by visitors trying to make their own trails to the beach; Smith noted an algae smell here last summer.

Rating: A.

BOATER'S BEACH

Boater's Beach is like the weather: if you don't like it, wait 15 minutes and it'll change. One moment, it's serves as Lake Tahoe's version of a parking lot for boats (common practice is to haul them up on the sand here), but just wait for the boats to depart and then nudists may start streaming onto the sand. The big news this year: the beach is sandy (a major plus in the rocky Tahoe area), but, according to Swanson, "still has a couple of rocks."

"Even if there are families there, you'll often see nudists walking on the trails above them," says Williams. When the lake is choppy, the boaters often depart, leaving the site free for skinny-dippers to suddenly appear. "There will instantly be a half dozen naked people," says Swanson.

Legal status: Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

How to find it: Follow directions to Secret Cove. Stay on the fire road until you arrive at a fork with a sign that says Private Residence (left) and Beaches (right). Go right for 50 yards to a trail on the right (marked with a Forest Service Trail sign), which will take you to Boater's. Or, from Secret Cove, take the trail around and over the middle of the cove, through the woods, and over a few boulders (you may have to do a little rock hopping) until you arrive at Boater's. Boater's is about 200 feet from Secret Harbor Creek Beach.

The beach: Even when nearby coves become inundated with water, in most years Boater's tends to stay quite sandy.

The crowd: Usually suited sunbathers and families come here. On particularly warm weekends, if non-nudes are gone, up to 50 naturists may use the site. "When the weather is right, 95% of the people at the beach are clothed," says Swanson.

Problems: Lake lower than usual this season; non-nudists often present; tight parking (see Hidden Beach).

Rating: B.

SECRET HARBOR CREEK BEACH

If you like the crowd-friendly ambience of Marin County's Red Rock Beach or Santa Cruz's Bonny Doon Beach, then you might feel right at home at the sun spot known alternately as Secret Harbor Creek Beach and Creek Beach. "It's a gorgeous beach, with a nicely maintained trail," says Smith. Last season, to help preserve the sand that was left, regulars brought several logs and terraced the site.

Better still is the sheer variety of activities you can find at Secret Creek. They range from naked volleyball to paddleball without pants and even three bare-bottom barbecues a year, such as a seafood extravaganza, which was held June 13. Regular visitors brought oodles of smoked salmon, steamed mussels, crab cakes, crab salad, tuna, scampi, and, says Swanson, "30 pounds of prawns," not to mention appetizers, bagels, cream cheese, and three cases of wine. About 40 members of TAN, two thirds of whom were from other states, paid $7 a head to participate.

Others enjoy the site's annual Hat Day, when visitors are encouraged to wear nothing but an "innovative hat." It's held on the third Sunday of August; one time, 230 people participated.

Like the other Tahoe sites, the sand here is composed of decaying granite. Veteran visitors recommend walking barefoot on the sand to prevent flakes of the granite, which can pinch tender feet, from getting into sandals and flip-flops.

Legal status: Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

How to find it: Follow directions to Secret Cove. Stay on the fire road until you arrive at the fork that says Private Residence (left) and Beaches (right). Veer right. Instead of following the next trail on the right to Boater's Beach, continue a quarter mile until you've crossed Secret Harbor Creek (it roars by in a culvert under the road) and arrived at a blue Porta Potty. Look back to the right and you'll notice that you've just passed the beach, which is only a 50-yard walk from here.

The beach: Graced with a grove of shade-providing, black cottonwoods on one end of the cove, Secret Creek is a narrow swath of sand that's in the process of being terraced by regular visitors.

The crowd: More family-oriented than Tahoe's other nude beaches, Secret Harbor Creek's crowd often draws forty- and fifty-somethings, plus a mix of other ages. Says Smith: "There were about 40-50 people there this year. Maybe 90 percent of them were nude."

Problems: Lower lake level than usual; granite flakes in open-toed shoes; beach hard to find unless you follow above directions; tight parking.

Rating: A.

NORTH WHALE BEACH

A whale in Lake Tahoe? Nobody knows how one got there from the ocean, but the denizen of the deep has apparently had a whale of a time leaving. In fact, Whale Beach is named for a group of big rocks just offshore that look like the head of a whale. The long line of sand links a number of coves rather than a single site, with North Whale Beach and South Whale Beach being the main sections. Not many people visit North Whale because of the long hike that's required on the main trail from Tahoe's other clothing-optional beaches. But if you undertake the journey, you will probably get a nice perk: a chance to enjoy suitless sunbathing without the crowds that usually flock to other parts of the lake. Bring a towel, a book, and plenty of sunscreen to enjoy the serenity of this secluded section of the shore.

Legal status: Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

How to find it: The beach is south, around the point, from Secret Creek Beach (see previous entry). Follow directions to Secret Creek Beach, passing the blue Porta Potty. About 200 to 300 yards past the bathroom, the road peters out into a flat area of waist-high manzanita. On the right, there are some rocks. If you go straight ahead, you'll come to the water and will be facing Whale Rock. Look for a short series of steps. They will lead you down to the sand. Total walking distance from the first in the string of five adjacent beaches: about two miles.

The beach: Large and sandy, with a few rocks, Whale's series of coves are spread out over the equivalent length of three football fields. "But it's fairly narrow," explains Williams.

The crowd: Varying in number, the crowd is sometimes completely nude, sometimes totally clothed, or a mix. "I'd say it's usually has a mix of nudes and non-nudes," says Swanson, who spotted three naked people and seven clothed people during his last visit. One summer day, Williams counted 12 visitors over a 150-200 yard long swath of shoreline; on a weekday, he found six people, including two who were nude.

Problems: Lower lake level this year; long walk; tight parking.

Rating: C.

SOUTH WHALE BEACH

Want to be nude and away from the passing parade of people who visit other beaches? It's hard to find a more hidden locale than this little-known nude enclave. Continue on the trail from North Whale Beach until you come to a surprise: the end of the path. The quick and easy walk dead-ends at the top of South Whale Beach, which can be reached by stepping down some small rocks from there onto the sand.

Legal status: Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

How to find it: From North Whale Beach, follow the only trail from there south, as it loops around a series of rocks that are as much as 10 feet tall and 20 feet in diameter. Stay on the path until it ends. You'll now be at a point that is just above the beach. If you walk down a few small rocks, you should arrive at the sand in a minute or two. Total estimated walking time from North Whale: about 10 minutes.

The beach: "It's a little peninsula," says Williams. "The sand is in good shape this year," tells Swanson.

The crowd: The area receives a combination of clothing optional and suited visitors. On the hottest weekends, it often draws two or three groups of users. Williams spotted two nude couples on a weekday in June.

Problems: Lake lower than usual this season; long walk from parking area.

Rating: C.

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