LOWER CACHE CREEK
Rating: C
Lake County's swimming holes mostly cater to suited swimmers, but four of them occasionally attract small numbers of skinny-dippers. Police sometimes patrol them too. What's the good news? All four sites are along Highway 20, between Clear Lake and Williams, so they can be experienced in a single afternoon.
Legal status:
Thought to be California Department of Fish and Game, Federal Bureau of Land Management, or reservation land.
How to find it:
To find the first skinny-dipping hole, from the cities of Clear Lake or Lower Lake, take Highway 53 north to Highway 20, turn east (in the direction of the Colusa County town of Williams), and go about seven miles. At the Cache Creek Bridge (Lake County mile marker 37.07), where Highway 20 crosses over the creek on a curve, look for the swimming hole. Park in the lot on the west side of the bridge, then walk downstream to the nude area.
The beach:
"It's a great nude beach," says a reader. "At first I was worried that people on the (nearby) bridge would be looking down, but that didn't happen." The beach usually has more sand and fewer rocks than Upper Cache Creek (see below).
The crowd:
Usually a suited site, clothing-optional use is limited to weekdays during times when clothed families are not present.
Problems:
Lack of good weekend use; proximity to the highway; uncertain legal status; those law enforcers.
UPPER CACHE CREEK
Rating: C
The cool thing about Upper Cache is that because it is further from the bridge it has more of a "private feel" than nearby Lower Cache Creek Beach, which is downstream and described above. To find it, walk for a few minutes up the creek from Lower Cache until you come upon some clothing-optional sunbathers.
Legal status:
Private property posted with "Do Not Trespass" signs.
How to find it:
Follow directions to Lower Cache Creek (see above), but walk a short distance upstream to the clothing-optional area. The beach usually draws fewer visitors than Lower Cache.
The beach:
One drawback is that Upper Cache often has a little less sand than Lower Cache.
The crowd:
Nude use dries up on weekends. Expect a few skinny-dippers here on weekdays. If you come during the week, it's likely you'll be the only person present.
Problems:
Not much weekend nude use; less sand than at Lower Cache; Do Not Trespass signs; visits by police.
LOWER LONG VALLEY
Rating: C
Summers can be quite warm in Lake County, so it's sun-sational that there are two more sans-suit swimming sites to savor that are located just past the last two entries. And if you get lucky, you may have them all to yourself or encounter just a few visitors. Please let us know what happens!
Legal status:
Unknown.
How to find it:
Check for the beach around two miles west of Cache Creek Bridge, near mile marker 34.94 on Highway 20, just east of New Long Valley Road. Park and walk upstream to a tiny clothing-optional swimming hole that is hidden from the road.
The beach:
A sandbar along the creek, just downstream from the point where the highway and stream run side by side.
The crowd:
Hardly anyone knows about this site, so it only gets a few visitors, even on weekends.
Problems:
Directions could be improved; unknown legal status; occasional patrols by cops.
UPPER LONG VALLEY
Rating:
C.
Upper Long Valley is a small swimming hole that gets scattered nude or seminude use on weekdays.
Legal status:
Unknown.
How to find it:
See the description for its downstream cousin, Lower Long Valley (above). To find this clothing-optional beach, walk a few sandy banks upstream from Lower Long Valley.
The beach:
A sun-washed shoal next to a cool, invigorating creek that's visited by a few local residents and travelers.
The crowd:
Like Lower Long Valley, this site gets infrequent traffic.
Problems:
Area subject to law enforcement; directions need improvement; unknown legal status.
