Swimming holes in Washington

What the law in Washington actually says

Washington's indecent exposure statute, RCW 9A.88.010, requires an open and obscene exposure that the person knows is likely to cause reasonable affront or alarm. Nudity by itself is not the offence. The statute is aimed at conduct directed at someone, and it explicitly exempts breastfeeding. Washington courts have read it narrowly for that reason.

This is not a green light, and please do not read it as one. A state statute is only the first of several rules that apply where you are standing. Counties and cities pass their own ordinances, and the land manager, whether that is the Forest Service, the BLM, State Parks, a county parks department or a private owner, sets its own rules on top of the law and can enforce them regardless of what the statute says. A place can be perfectly lawful under state law and still get you a citation from a ranger.

What we do on each spot page is tell you what is actually known about that specific place: who manages it, whether nudity is customary or designated there, and what people who have been report. Where we do not know, we say we do not know. We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice.

Statute: RCW 9A.88.010. Last reviewed August 2026. If you think anything here is out of date, tell us. We would rather be corrected than wrong.