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WHAT'S 30 YEARS in the making that takes just a few minutes of baking, with or without bodily adornments, to enjoy? It's our guide to the Bay Area's best nude beaches, selected from three decades of exploring the naked surf and turf and ranging from the most picturesque bluff (Santa Cruz's 2222) to awesome bathing in the buff (Marin's Muir Beach). To make the list, location, beauty, access, and popularity were considered, but what it's like to be there, a spot's vibes and mood, was most important.

SAN FRANCISCO COUNTY

NORTH BAKER BEACH

Work on your allover tan or indulge in great people-watching at the north end of Baker Beach for a quick recharging session. Not without its litterbugs and gawkers, it rules as San Francisco's best nude beach, if you can stand an occasional ghetto blaster. "Leave your prejudices and your clothes at home," regular visitor Ray Borkowski suggests. Parking's tight, so from April to early fall, come early for a space in the lot.

Directions Take the 29 Sunset bus or go north on 25th Avenue to Lincoln Boulevard. Turn right on Lincoln, then take the second left onto Bowley Street. Follow Bowley to Gibson Road, turn right on Gibson, and follow it to the east parking lot. Walk toward the water, turn right, and head up the beach to the nude area, starting at the brown and yellow Hazardous Surf sign.

SAN MATEO COUNTY

DEVIL'S SLIDE

The only state-designated "clothing-optional beach" offers orange sandstone cliffs that surround a 300-foot-long beach and beautiful blue sea. Though nudity's permitted, no sign is posted to alert visitors that they may see more than seashells. The result: there are more tourists, families, and surfers, and nude use (mainly on the north end) has fallen, though it's still at 50 percent.

Directions From San Francisco, take Highway 1 south through Pacifica. Three miles south of the Denny's in Linda Mar, turn left (inland) on an unmarked road, which takes you to the beach's parking lot, from which a 146-step staircase leads to the sand. Coming from the south on Highway 1, look for the road on the right, 1.2 miles north of the Chart House restaurant in Montara. Landslides sometimes close Highway 1.

SAN GREGORIO STATE BEACH

The nation's oldest nude beach boasts two miles of soft sand and tide pools, plus a lagoon, a lava tube, and the remains of a railroad on the cliffs. Regular Bob Wood praises the area's "awesome natural beauty" and "mellow crowd," which leans gay but also caters to nude and non-nude straight couples and families. "It's a really romantic spot," one woman says. The driftwood structures on the sand used by a few regulars as "sex condos" may be offensive to some visitors; others use them for shelter from the wind.

Directions From Tunitas Creek Way, south of Half Moon Bay, the beach is about a mile up Highway 1. About 100 yards north of Highway 84 on 1, take a dirt road past the big white gate with the Toll Road sign. Go a few hundred feet, and just after the 55 mph sign on your right, turn left on the dirt road (look for the address 19429 above the fence) and head past a grassy field to the parking lot (fee: $2 per adult; $5 per car for families). Take the long path from the lot to the sand; everything north of the trail's end is clothing-optional.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY

BONNY DOON BEACH

If you've never tried a nude beach, then you may want to consider making Bonny Doon, located 11 miles north of Santa Cruz, your first clothing-optional experience. Pick a location away from the shore ("The area just away from the cliffs offers good shelter from the wind," Bay Area Naturists leader Rich Pasco says), and enjoy a beguiling, exceptionally clean sunny spot with friendly people. Most Dooners disrobe in the skinny-dipping cove that adjoins a public, clothed beach. This site attracts more women and couples than most nude beaches. Bummers include occasional auto burglaries (lock your car) and gawkers on the bluffs or in the bushes ("Four men, all with cameras in hand, were acting like spies," March 2004 visitor Ryan says).

Directions From San Francisco, go south on Highway 1 to the Bonny Doon parking lot at milepost 27.6 on the west side of the road. From Santa Cruz, head north on 1 until you see Bonny Doon Road on the right just south of Davenport. The beach is just off the intersection. Park in the lot to the west of Highway 1. From the lot, climb the berm next to the railroad tracks, cross the tracks, descend the berm, and take one of several trails to the sand. Walk past most of the beach to the cove on the north end.

LAGUNA CREEK BEACH

Nature lovers adore Laguna Creek's pretty, half mile-long beach and bird-friendly lagoon almost as much as the bare-bottom sunbathing. More often, though, you may only notice a few other users. Visitor Bill likes the north end, which he says is "warmest." A small gay contingent usually places their towels in the middle area.

Directions About 9.8 miles north of the Highways 1 and 17 junction in Santa Cruz and 41.5 miles south of the Highways 1 and 92 junction in Half Moon Bay, look for Laguna Creek's dirt parking lot on the inland side of Highway 1 or the unmarked side road (Laguna Road) next to the lot. Park and head for a road on the west side of the highway that faces the lot, where Laguna Road and Highway 1 join. Just north of that road is a narrow path through the bushes that becomes a jeep path. Take it to the north end of the beach, where you may see some skinny-dippers. Or walk along the water's edge to the south end, enjoyed by suited and nude users.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE BEACH

At Red, White, and Blue Beach, you can camp nude overnight, use the barbecue pits wearing only your oven mitts, play volleyball and horseshoes and check for whales in the buff, and even get out of your car in the parking lot au naturel. Hassle-free suitless swimming is superb, and, proprietor Ralph Edwards says, "there's far more sand this year." "It's a freedom-loving place," says Mike Oropeza, Webmaster of www.redwhiteandbluebeach.com. About 75 people were on the sand on our last visit. Fee: $12 a day before 3 p.m., or $18 a night per person.

Directions The beach is at milepost 24.9 on Highway 1, 4.1 miles north of the Santa Cruz city limits and 43.2 miles south of the Highways 1 and 92 junction in Half Moon Bay. Look for a large red, white, and blue mailbox numbered 5021 on the west side of the highway.

2222

Imagine a cove the size of an average backyard yet backed by bluffs with a spectacular view of the jewellike beach. Welcome to 2222, a gorgeous spot across from 2222 West Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz that gets regular use by a handful of college students and other locals. You'll need to be agile to handle the site's steep, fairly dangerous paths (leave kids and heavy gear at home). The beach can be seen from above, but strolling tourists rarely stop to look down.

Directions From north or south of Santa Cruz, take Highway 1 to Swift Street in Santa Cruz. Follow Swift 0.8 miles to the sea, then turn right on West Cliff. Keep your eyes open; 2222 is about 0.4 miles, or five blocks, away. Past Auburn Avenue, look for 2222 West Cliff on the inland side of the street; the beach is across the road. Park in the nine-car lot next to the cliff. If it's full, go straight and park on Chico Avenue. If you're limber enough (see above), follow the path below the lot, at the northeast side of the beach, to the sand.

MARIN COUNTY

MUIR BEACH

For nude beaching, Muir is a must-visit. The Bay Area's easiest-to-use and best nude beach features a simple walk without poison oak, a public parking lot, a mellow, diverse crowd, and excellent sand and swimming conditions at a quarter moon-shaped cove. Minuses include more fog and wind than at nearby Red Rock Beach (see below) and some antinudity efforts as recently at 2001.

Directions From San Francisco, take Highway 1 north to Muir Beach, to milepost 5.7. Turn left from Highway 1 on Pacific Way and park in the Muir lot (don't park on Pacific, even if you see cars parked there). Or park on the long street off Highway 1 across from Pacific and about 100 yards north. From the Muir lot, follow a path and boardwalk to the sand, then walk north until you come to a rock pile. You'll need good hiking/walking shoes to cross the rocks; in very low tide, try to cross closer to the water. The nude area starts north of the rock pile.

RED ROCK BEACH

This, the Bay Area's most popular nude beach, carved into a delightful, wind-protected cove between Muir and Stinson Beaches, is far rockier and has less sand than at the same time last year. "Only the first 8 to 10 people were getting their choice of spots," regular Michael Velkoff reports. "The rest were hunting for nooks among the rocks." Swarms of flies are a new problem this year. But there's good news too: Red Rock still is a great place to make new friends. The trail to the site was improved after a dozen volunteers chipped in several hundred dollars to build new steps. Be sure to check out the spring-fed water pouring out of some new pipes in the hill next to the parking lot on the east side of the highway; it's great to take cooling showers after walking back up the steep, dusty path. For photos and tide information, go to www.redrockbeach.com.

Directions From Mill Valley, go north on Highway 1, following signs to Stinson Beach. Some 5.6 miles north of Muir Beach and 1 mile south of Stinson, look for milepost 11.3 and the dirt parking lots on either side of the road. If you reach Stinson, you've gone too far. Some parking is also available 150 yards to the south on the west side of Highway 1. Using good walking shoes, take the path near the Dumpster in the main lot to the sand.

RCA BEACH

Four miles north of Bolinas, beautiful RCA Beach beckons. The atmosphere at the ranger-free site is casual, so everyone from surfers and suited swimmers to nude sunbathers, who make up the majority, commingle on the shore. Budget some walking time; it's well worth it to make the trek along the long, somewhat steep trail, especially if you're a first-timer.

Directions From Highway 1, go eight miles west on Olema-Bolinas Road to Mesa Road in Bolinas. Turn right and stay on Mesa until you see cars parked past the MCI antennae. Park there and walk a quarter mile to the end of the pavement. Go left through the gap in the fence. The trail leads to a gravel road. Follow it until you see a path on your right, leading through a gate. Take it along the cliff top until it veers down to the beach. Or, continue along Mesa until you come to a grove of eucalyptus trees. Enter through the gate there, then hike a half mile through a cow pasture on a path that will also bring you through thick brush. This second route is slippery and eroding but less steep.

HAGMIER POND

Known as "the Pond," California's most popular nude lake gets up to 75 visitors on hot days. Most users are gay men, but straight people and couples also visit. It's a nice place for sunbathing or even a little wading, especially when it's foggy on the coast. Bring flip-flops for the grass, which can be sharp. By mid-July the pond is usually closed for swimming, due to bacteria. Some arrests for overt sex have taken place.

Directions From Stinson Beach, go north on Highway 1, passing Audubon Canyon Ranch and the Bolinas turnoff. After a stand of eucalyptus trees, keep heading north, past the Dogtown Pottery sign and some sharp turns with more eucalyptus trees. As the road becomes straighter, look for another small group of eucalypti. The parking area is on the west side, next to a Randall Trailhead sign. At the entrance, at milepost 20.53, walk across the meadow to the pond. Look for sunbathing space around the dam.

LIMANTOUR BEACH

Point Reyes National Seashore is dotted with clothing-optional hot spots, including the easy-to-reach Limantour. The long, scenic, dune-strewn shoreline goes on for miles, and it's home to seals at the north end and whales offshore in the spring. The only catch is to keep away from public areas. "Nobody really cared, even though we were a couple hundred yards away from the main area near the parking lot," says Marin resident Michael Velkoff, who's occasionally been deterred by swarming flies.

Directions Take Highway 101 north to the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard exit, then follow Drake to the town of Olema. At the intersection with Highway 1, turn right on 1. Just north of Olema, go left on Bear Valley Road. A mile after the turnoff for the Bear Valley Visitor Center, turn left (at the Limantour Beach sign) on Limantour Road and follow it 11 miles to the parking lot at the end. Walk north a half mile until you see some dunes about 50 yards east of the shore. Nudists favor the valleys between the dunes for sunbathing.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

LILIES BEACH

Mendocino's best-kept secret is this sun-washed, forest riverbank, where small crowds skinny-dip at Big River just off Little Lake Road.

Directions Take Highway 1 north to Mendocino, then turn right on Little Lake Road, the first right turn past the main Mendocino turnoff sign. Drive four or five miles east on Little Lake until you see a sign for Mendocino Woodlands. Follow the dirt road that starts there for about three miles. When you reach the Woodlands retreat, instead of turning left into the campground, go right about 0.3 mile, until the dirt road ends at the road that follows Big River. Go left and follow that road a quarter mile, until it ends in a parking area next to Lilies Beach. Or, to save 1.5 miles, from Mendocino drive 3.5 miles east on Little Lake until you spot a dirt road with a yellow Forest Service gate. Follow the road until it comes to a second yellow gate. Just past the gate, at the juncture of several roads, turn right and take the dirt road to the parking area.

Please send updates, tips, and other input to Gary Hanauer.