HIDDEN BEACH

In a repeat of last summer, lower water levels are creating more sand than usual on Lake Tahoe's nude beaches, which, just two years ago, were strewn with exposed rocks.

"In June, the lake was down two feet from the natural rim and is probably even lower now," says North Swanson, leader of the Tahoe Area Naturists (TAN). "We've got a lot of beach sand. It's such a great year that I'm trying to go there at least once a week all summer."

Hidden's parking lot, which serves most of the clothing-optional beaches, holds just 30 cars and allows only 20 minute parking. "The parking is tight but only on very busy days," says Swanson. What's the good news? "A half mile south of the lot, you can find parking on the lake side of Highway 28," suggests visitor Steve Williams. There should be enough room along the road for a whopping 125 cars. Another option: walk one quarter mile north of the first lot to another 30-car lot, which mainly serves Chimney Beach (see below entry).

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 paths in Tahoe, including those that lead to Hidden Beach, which, by the way, is near Sand Harbor, half a mile south of Incline Village.

Nevada Division Of Parks property.

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, or, if they're available, in one of the hard-to-find parking spaces along Highway 28. Hidden Beach is located next to the highway, about 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.

It really is mostly hidden but (see above) sandy. In fact, it's so shielded from view that even though the beach is located between the lake and the nearby highway, it can only be seen from the road by peering over a guardrail.

Mostly clothing-optional users, who are usually tolerated by state rangers.

Due to drop in water level, swimming not as good this year; hard to find; tight parking in lots on hot days; can be seen from road by pedestrians who peer over; needs better directions.

CHIMNEY BEACH

Chimney is the first in a group of clothing-optional beaches south of Sand Harbor. "It's sometimes used by teens and twenty-somethings who go skinny-dipping during the week, when few other people are around, but the rest of the time it's mostly clothed," says a visitor.

In June, "it was trashed by some drunken youths," says TAN's North Swanson. "Over the last 20 years, there have been a number of efforts to clean up the beach, but within a few weeks, kids start leaving their garbage there again."

Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

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 easy trail down to the beach. It should take you about 5-10 minutes to reach the sand.

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

On hot summer weekdays, Chimney attracts a few young nudists. But it's mostly a suited beach.

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

SECRET COVE BEACH

Known variously as Secret Cove Beach, Paradise Cove, Paradise Rock, and Frankie Loves Dougie Beach, this spot is so great that it's visited by up to 70 people on warm summer weekends -- a large crowd for one of Lake Tahoe's small coves. Steve Williams reports 95 percent of the visitors were naked during one of his visits; Dave Smith, of San Leandro, rated it "90 percent nude."

Expect a mellow scene. Says Williams: "You can be with a group of people or all by yourself, and nobody will hassle you." Some people arrive as early as 9 a.m. Popular activities include sunbathing, hiking, and rock climbing. Says Williams, "there may be as many as 15 people on the rocks."

Another lure: the swimming tends to be good in this part of the lake. "The water temperature is usually a lot warmer at this beach," explains Smith.

Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

From the California-Nevada border, go north on Highway 50 to Highway 28. Head 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 starts there until you come to two Porta Potties and some trash cans. Follow the trail that starts here down to the beach. It should take you 10-15 minutes to arrive on the sand. 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.

A rocky shoreline, with some sandy nooks, next to some great water. "It's a beautiful place," says Swanson.

Smith found 30 people on the beach, while Swanson counted about 10.

Rocks; limited parking; erosion often caused by visitors trying to make their own trails to the beach; in the past, the water has smelled like algae, according to Smith.

BOATER'S BEACH

If you don't like the crowd at Boater's Beach, wait 15 minutes and it will probably 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.

"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.

Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

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.

Even when nearby coves become inundated with high water (not a problem this season), in most years Boater's tends to stay quite sandy.

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 percent of the people at the beach are clothed," says Swanson.

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

SECRET HARBOR CREEK BEACH

I've got a secret. If you like to socialize with other people, you'll probably adore Secret Harbor Creek Beach, with it's gorgeous swath of sand, three pristine trails (local nudists filled 20 trash bags with litter from the paths, beach, and highway during a June cleanup), and very friendly people.

You likely won't be bored here. Activities include an annual seafood party open to TAN members (around 30 visitors came from Nevada and all over California to attend this year's mid-June food fest) with salmon, mussels, crab cakes, crab salad, tuna, scampi, and up to 30 pounds of prawns -- not to mention appetizers, bagels, cream cheese, and three cases of wine all consumed between noon and 8:30 p.m.; Hat Day, on the third Sunday of August, when visitors usually wear nothing but a creative hat; naked volleyball; paddleball without pants; and three bare-bottom barbecues a year.

Like the other Tahoe sites, the sand here is mostly decaying granite. To stop flakes of the hard granite from pinching you, instead of wearing sandals or flip-flops, make sure your feet are as unclad as the rest of your body.

Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

Follow directions to Secret Cove. Stay on the fire road until you arrive at the fork that says "Private Residence (left side) and Beaches (right side)." 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 passes 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.

Graced with a grove of shade-giving, black cottonwoods on one end of the cove, Secret Creek is a narrow strip of sand kept terraced by regular visitors. One bummer: vandals recently chopped off some of the trees' limbs. "It was disheartening," says TAN leader North Swanson. "There's no accounting for some people."

"On a beautiful Sunday, you might see 30 people on the sand," says Swanson. Visitor Dave Smith spotted "about 40-50 persons" during a visit. "Maybe 90 percent of them were nude," says Smith. Special events draw even more users. The beach usually hosts 120-150 hat-wearing naked people on Hat Day; one year, 235 showed up. Many visitors are 40- and 50-somethings.

Granite flakes in open-toed shoes; beach hard to find unless you follow above directions; tight parking.

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. Just kidding. Actually, 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.

Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

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 200-300 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 is about two miles.

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.

Varying in number, the crowd is sometimes completely nude, sometimes totally clothed, or a mix. Swanson 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.

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

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.

Part of Toiyabe National Forest.

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 is about 10 minutes.

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

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 saw two nude couples on a summer weekday.

Lake a little lower than usual this season; long walk from parking area.