California has one of the longest continuous clothing-optional beach traditions in the country, and a large share of the coastline in question is state or federally managed rather than private. That makes the land manager, not the state code, the thing worth checking before you go.
New to California? A clothing-optional beach is the wrong place to guess: the established section is often only part of the shoreline. Read the spot page for where people actually set up, and when in doubt follow what the regulars are doing.
California's statute is Penal Code § 314, and the exposure has to be made “willfully and lewdly”, so it is the lewd quality of the act, not the nakedness, that the section is aimed at.
It is not drafted to reach ordinary, non-sexual nudity.
That is not the same as “it's legal here.” Counties and cities legislate separately, and whoever manages the ground, whether that is State Parks, the Forest Service, BLM, a county or a private owner, sets its own rules on top. Check the land manager for the spot you're actually going to.
Nanitch is a map, not a law firm, and none of this is legal advice. Rules change and enforcement is local, so if it matters, check with the agency that manages the land before you go. Statute last read August 2026.
Confirmed or written up (12)
These have a page here because somebody has been to them: curated by Nanitch, confirmed by a member, or written up with real access notes.
Black's BeachCustomary / tolerated · La Jolla, San Diego · Year-round
Below the Torrey Pines cliffs. The clothing-optional stretch is the middle/south section; steep trail (Ho Chi Minh trail) or a long walk from Torrey Pines State Beach. The state-pa…
Bonny Doon BeachCustomary / tolerated · North of Santa Cruz · May to Oct
Off Hwy 1 at Bonny Doon Rd. Cross the railroad tracks and down to a cove backed by cliffs and dunes. Clothing-optional by custom, mostly at the north end.
North end of Gray Whale Cove State Beach on the San Mateo coast. Stairs down from the Hwy 1 lot. Clothing-optional custom has waxed and waned with enforcement.
Officially clothing-optional beach on the Toronto Islands (ferry). Imported listing — verify current legality, access, and clothing rules locally before you go. Not yet confirmed b…
Hoyt Crossing Nude BeachCustomary / tolerated · Late spring to early autumn (May to October) for warm weather and river swimming.
Park in roadside pullouts along Highway 49 near the South Yuba River bridge north of Nevada City, then follow the Hoyt Trail upstream for about 1.2 miles to reach the river crossin…
More Mesa BeachCustomary / tolerated · Goleta / Santa Barbara · May to Oct
Below the More Mesa bluffs east of Goleta. Walk the mesa trails, then a steep bluff path down. Clothing-optional at the east end by custom.
Accessible from the free parking lot at Slide Ranch off Shoreline Highway (Highway 1), about one mile north of Muir Beach Overlook. From the ranch, steep trails like the South Beac…
Wreck BeachLegal · clothing-optional · Vancouver · Varies
North America's largest clothing-optional beach, below UBC. Steep stairs down. Imported listing — verify current legality, access, and clothing rules locally before you go. Not yet…
Also on the map (32)
Named clothing-optional beaches imported from OpenStreetMap that nobody has confirmed yet. They are on the map and in the app, and they get a page here the moment someone reports back from one, not before. Listing every one of them:
2222 Beach
Baker Beach
Baker Beach (Clothing-Optional Area)
China Cove Beach
College Cove South
Cove Beach
Devils Slide Beach
Gaviota Nude Beach
Laguna Creek Beach
Lake Temescal Beach
Marina State Beach
Marshall's Beach
Mile Rock Beach
Montara State Beach
More Mesa Nude Beach
Muir Beach
North Marina
Palomarin Beach
Panther Beach
Rincon beach
San Gregorio Beach
San Gregorio Private Beach
Scott Creek Beach
Shark Fin Cove Beach
South Rodeo Beach
Strawberry Beach
Summerland Beach
Summerland Beach Cove
Torrey Pines City Beach
Torrey Pines State Beach
Yellowbank Beach
Younger Beach
A further 7 clothing-optional beaches in California are on the map with no name of their own, because OpenStreetMap records them only as “nude beach”. They are on the map; there is nothing to call them by here.