Other Beaches
Land's End Beach looking east from the overlook near the golf course.
However, Land's End is a poor place to go to the beach, and a poor spot for cruising. Though from the overlook on El Camino Del Mar, which is the vantage point in the above photo, Land's End Beach looks beautiful, the beach itself is quite ugly. And the crowd often consists of the worst type of cruisers. Don't waste your time at Land's End Beach...go to GGBB.
Bonita Point is the penninsula at the southwesternmost point of Marin county...the Point itself contains a lighthouse (at left in the photo below), and there are at least 6 distinct beaches between Point Bonita and Point Diablo, which is between Point Bonita and the Golden Gate Bridge (There is another beautiful nude beach between Point Diablo and the Bridge...it's called Kirby Cove, but it's a family beach, and the Park Service banned nudity there last year...although the ban is not being enforced).
Point Bonita at left looking west from Conzelman Road right at Sunset.
Four of those six Bonita beaches have beautiful and unique black sand...and naked men! The westernmost beach is inaccessible and really best left to the sea lions which hang out there. The next beach east is a fisherman's beach with huge, incredible boulders and lousy, pebbly sand. it does have its own parking lot, though (the westernmost lot on Conzelman Road before road splits toward the lighthouse to the left, and to the old Nike missile base to the right), and is by far the most accessible. You'll be all alone, except for the fishermen, though.
The first beach as you ride west on Conzelman Road (the easternmost beach) is referred to as Black Sand Beach, or East Bonita, and is legally-nude, families to the right, and gay men to the left. It has its own parking lot, rest rooms, and the trail down there, though it has stairs, is long, arduous, and dangerous! It is the largest of the Bonita beaches, and that long, arduous, dangerous trail is by far easier than the trails for the other three gay beaches!
The second beach, or Central Bonita, is the best for rugged gay men looking to get naked, cruise, and just be with other men. The trail is incredibly, breathtakingly difficult and dangerous, and there are sections near the beach (but a hundred feet above it) on which you'll wonder if you're sane to be continuing! On the final 100 feet down, you'll be crossing a short land bridge connecting the cliff to a pennisula of rock...the path is only about 18 inches wide, and it's an 80 foot sheer drop on both sides! Having passed that, you'll literally use your fingernails to carefully slide down the steep shale cliffside to the beach. Once there, of course, the three or four beaches (divided by the cliffside completely at high tide) that compose this beach are secluded, gorgeous, and offer a breath-taking view of San Francisco's north end, from the Bridge to Land's End, including Baker and Golden Gate Bridge beaches.
The third and fourth beaches (formally unnamed) are even smaller and harder to reach. They can be reached from the second (Central Bonita) at low tide only by climbing through a boulder-strewn tide pool and climbing a boulder-strewn cliff...there's a small concrete military bunker on the ridge just above. At the westernmost end of the fourth, there's a beautiful cave that inches about forty feet into the cliff...from the inside, you peer directly at Golden Gate Bridge Beach and the Bridge itself...spectacular!
Bonita beaches begin at the left at the base of the cliffs...this photo was taken looking north from Golden Gate Bridge Beach in San Francisco (the Bridge is just to the right past the boulders). Kirby Cove is barely visible between the ridges at the right.
To get to the Bonita beaches, from Highway 101 at the Marin side of the Golden Gate Bridge, take Conzelman Road up the hill. After the tourist-military bunker parking on the left you'll pass the chained-off driveway that leads down to Kirby Cove. Continue all the way up the hill on windy Conzelman Road, past the tunnels, all the windy way to the top (the very peak in the photo above), and over the top, and back down the windy road on the other side.
The parking lot for Black Sand / East Bonita and Central Bonita beaches is 3.56 miles from the start of Conzelman Road at Highway 101 (according to the SF Bay Guardian's very explicit annual nude beach guide published in June each year), on the left, and is the first parking lot you'll pass on that side of the ridge.
Hike down to the left to get to Black San / East Bonita, and up the hill to the right (don't cross the road, the trail up the hill to the right on the other side of the road obviously does not go to any beach). Follow the trail straight up, then down to the left. At the edge of the cliff you'll gasp at the drop and see the entire Black Sand / East Bonita beach in all its glory. Continue on the trail to the west, and you'll recognize the danger and swear at me as you get closer to Central Bonita Beach and the risk of falling to your death.
To reach the third and fourth beaches (formally unnamed), continue on Conzelman past the parking lot, and park before or at the military bunkers at the top of the ridge. You'll just have to follow your nose down, but you'd really have to be crazy to try...I went just once with my dog, and nearly killed both of us.
West Bonita is a cinch! Continue on 'til you come to the gate, and the split to the lighthouse to the left, and the "Beaches/Sausalito/SanFrancisco" (as the sign reads) and the Nike base to the right. The parking lot is on the left just past the gate, is obvious, and even has a porta-potty. The trail is steep, but short (relative to the others at Bonita), and has stairs at the bottom.
The Inkwell, which is a privately-owned creek-fed nude waterfall that's also unfortunately popular with local kids. You'll find it on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard a couple miles west of Lagunitas downstream from Peters Dam on the north end of Kent Lake. A good landmark is green Schaffer bridge, which is just downstream of the Inkwell. Park west of the bridge on the side of the road, hike back, and climb under. The stream that follows the road splits off into two tributaries, one of which goes under the bridge and leads to Peters Dam and Kent Lake, the other leads to The Inkwell.
On Highway 1 you'll find many of Marin's best nude spots. Hagmire Pond is an unbelievably gorgeous lake on Highway 1 between Olema and Stinson Beach...there's almost always sex there, gay and straight (straight couples love it!), by the water or up on the hillside facing the pond, which is known as Starlight Meadow.
As far as naked hiking is concerned, Randall Trail is the best! It begins just south of Hagmire at Highway 1, and heads east up a ridge past and overlooking The Pond (as Hagmire is also known), and, after two hours of arduous hiking, intersects with Bolinas Ridge and the western end of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Randall and the surrounding woods are always deserted, and you can normally hike completely naked for hours without embarrassment.
Directions to Hagmire Pond and Starlight Meadow:
For information about Hagmire/Starlight, and other nude beaches, check:
QSF Apr/May 96 - SF's Nude Beaches, Nude Beaches in San Francisco area, SF Bay Guardian Annual Nude Beach Guide, 6/14/200 and, of course, RJPupkin's HOME PAGE and RJ's Other Bay Area Nude Beaches, Lakes, and Trails.
To get to Hagmire from Sonoma County, take Highway 1 south from Pt. Reyes, past Olema. When you pass Five Brooks Trail head, you're 2.1 miles north. Look for the cars along the west side of the road and the cattle gate on the east side.
From San Francisco, take the Highway 1/Stinson Beach turnoff from 101 and take the long drive past Muir Beach and Woods, Stinson Beach, and past the Bolinas-Fairfax road intersection. When you pass Dogtown you're close...the "Dogtown Pottery sign is 1.5 miles to the south. Look for the cars along the west side of the road and the cattle gate on the east side.
Hagmire Pond is an unbelievably gorgeous lake on Highway 1 between Olema and Stinson Beach...in good weather (and sometimes even in bad weather) there's almost always sex there, gay and straight, by the water or up on the hillside facing the pond, which is known as Starlight Meadow.
As far as naked hiking is concerned, Randall Trail is the best! It begins just south of Hagmire at Highway 1, and heads east up a ridge past and overlooking The Pond (as Hagmire is also known), and, after two hours of arduous hiking, intersects with Bolinas Ridge and the western end of Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Randall and the surrounding woods are always deserted, and you can normally hike completely naked for hours without embarrassment.
As there is no federal law against nudity, it abounds, along with some sexual activity, at Hagmire Pond and Starlight Meadow. Wear hiking boots and a hat and damn little else, if you don't mind the cold. Bring your own water, food, condoms, lube, and hand towel (or, as Dr. Ruth says, "use a tissue"), and be prepared to take out whatever you bring in, as Randall is a beautiful and pristine wilderness area with no garbage cans, drinking fountains, or restrooms.
The hike up Bolinas Ridge takes about 1 1/2 - 2 hours up, and about 1 hour back down, so plan on 3 - 4 hours total, depending on how many "diversions" you intend to pursue. It is a very strenuous hike, uphill all the way (downhill back, of course), but it's quiet, secluded, and incredibly beautiful. You probably won't meet any civilians at all on the trail, although in warm weather Hagmire and Starlight always have their fair share of naked bods laying about. In the summer, you can not only jump in for a cool, refreshing skinnydip at the end of the hike, you can do the hike itself in the nude, if you like. I sometimes do.
Many of the beaches and lakes at Point Reyes' National Seashore are legally-nude (but I'm always the only one), including Limantour Beach (which is well-marked and on maps, gorgeous, miles long, and at which the only naked people are hiding in the dunes...I'm the only one bold enough to waltz down the beach in the buff there).
This is the north end of RCA Beach looking north.
RCA Beach is the perfect place to take your first-nude-date, or your straight wife, as it's usually pretty deserted on all but the best days, and very long and wide. When I was married, even my wife had been willing to let me take advantage of a sand dune there to take advantage of her.
The best part of RCA to my mind, is that,
after a very long hike north, you'll find a revine cut into the cliff...follow
it way upstream to a spectacular waterfall, which is the perfect spot for
a little back-to-nature-style connubial activity.
The disgusting little Speedo in the admittedly unflattering photo at left (taken at least 10 pounds heavier) was added when this site was on AOL. The boots are real, though...with lots of loose, sharp shale, this is not the spot for bare-footin', I'm afraid!
But there's nothing like a nice, cool, refreshing skinny-shower in the out-of-doors after a hot, arduous hike!
Again, the best thing about RCA Beach is its seclusion...off-season, there's nobody there! Even on the best summer weekend there are fewer straights and tourists than at any other beach than Red Rock in Marin. And nobody goes up to the waterfall...it's too far out-of the way.
This is the south end of RCA Beach looking north.
To reach RCA Beach, follow Olema Bolinas road to Mesa Road on the Point Reyes penninsula, and follow it 'til you see the radio transmission towers. Park at the gate in the fence near the Eucalyptus grove, and hike a half-mile through the cow pasture, down through the ravine, and onto the beach. Or park in the lot with the other cars at the driveway for MCI.
This is RCA Beach from the Palomarin Trailhead in Pt. Reyes National Seashore at the end of Mesa road looking south.
Another legally-nude spot at Pt Reyes National Seashore is beautiful Bass Lake (pictured below). It's a mildly-strenuous hour-and-a-quarter hike from the Palomarin Trailhead parking lot at the end of Mesa Road, but it's incredibly beautiful and well-worth the effort.
This is serene and beautiful Bass Lake.
Continue on the trail past Bass Lake for another hour, and you'll reach Alamere Falls on the beach. Though most people to be found there will be clothed hikers, the area is on federal land, so you'll be relatively safe in taking a nude dip in the cool, fresh upper waterfall pools, or meandering south for naked beachcombing on the lonely beach below.
WOHLER Beach is on the incredibly beautiful Russian River in Sonoma County.
Wohler is fantastic for skinny dipping, sunning, and cruising. The water is cool, but not cold, and it is relatively clean and there are no sharks and there is lots of privacy and it's flowing yet relatively shallow...let's face it, you can't swim at Bay Area beaches because the water's too cold and dangerous and it's foggy more often than not...Wohler is always sunny!
DIRECTIONS TO WOHLER:
Take Highway 101 North past Petaluma, Rohnert Park, and Santa Rosa.
In north Santa Rosa you'll pass exits to Steele Lane, Bicentennial Avenue, and Old Redwood Highway...drive on to the next exit, just past the huge Luther Burbank Center on the right (east) side of the freeway.
Take that exit, which is labeled "River Road / Guerneville / Mark West Rd", and bear left off the freeway, turning left (west) at the light and going over the freeway.
Continue on past the winery on the left, PG&E substation on the right, through the stoplight at the intersection of Fulton Road, and on for a few miles (about 7 miles), with small, rolling hills on your left and vineyards on your right, past Laughlin, Slusser, and Laguna/Trenton-Healdsburg, and then turn right (north) on Wohler Rd. (If you pass Covey, the Spears Market sign, Mirabel, and/or canoe rentals and campgrounds, you've gone too far.)
Follow Wohler over a creek bridge, to the right, and to the left. You'll see the Radford Inn bed & breakfast on the hillside to the north, as well as other cars parked on Eastside Road, wihich turns right (east) off Wohler. Park there and hike on down the road for about 15 minutes until you can see Wohler Bridge on the left and you come to the green steel gate that bounds the Sonoma County Water agency at 9750 Wohler Rd.
Jump over that gate and follow the paved road for 15 minutes to the fenced corp yard, around the left and down into the forrest, out and all the way through the meadow, and tstraight down into the trees again toward the beach. You're there when you find sand, the River, and naked men!
Follow these links to pictures and info about:
Back to RJP's Home Page * The Cigars * The Leather
The Hiking * The Beach * Other Beaches * The Activities
RJ and his Husband, Magic Juan
and
RJP: SF Virgin Queen 2000 1st Runner-Up.
And, check out:
RJPupkin's Petaluma Gay Guide.
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