DEVIL'S SLIDE

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As work continues on a road and tunnel project that will bypass Highway 1 (for details, see www.origin.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_9599936), more and more clothed visitors are streaming onto clothing-optional Grey Whale Cove State Beach, better known as Devil's Slide to most users. Five years ago, about half the users were naked. Now, on the warmest days when as many as 200 people are present, about 75 percent wear suits, according to beach regulars. "Everyone seems to coexist," says Russ, a visitor, "but I still feel a little uneasy." Gawkers have become another problem. To find most of the nudists, go to the north end of the big sandy beach. Pluses include beautiful views and what Russ calls "easy parking." Adds Ron, who is a regular and often plays Frisbee or swims there, "The waves are pretty good." As for minuses, there's no lifeguard on duty, even though signs warn of occasional dangerous surf. The beach is open every day of the year. Dogs are prohibited.

Nude use is especially popular on the north end of the long, sandy shore. "The beach is beautiful and the parking is easy," says Lucas. "It's a good place to go to recharge from work," adds Ron, who likes to swim there. "The waves are pretty good. And if you like Frisbee, it's easy to find somebody to play with at the cove." Signs, though, warn about dangerous surf. There's no lifeguard on duty. Dogs are prohibited. The beach is open 365 days a year and is one of the only California state parks that does not accept an Annual Day Use Pass.

Gray Whale Cove State Beach.

From San Francisco, take Highway 1 south through Pacifica. Three miles south of the Denny's restaurant in Linda Mar, turn left (inland or east) on an unmarked road, which takes you to the beach's parking lot, from which a 146-step staircase leads to the sand. "The steps are in good shape," Ron says. Coming from the south on Highway 1, look for a road on the right (east), 1.2 miles north of the Chart House restaurant in Montara.

A 300-foot long site surrounded by orange-hued sandstone cliffs on one side and the beautiful Pacific Ocean on the other. Devil's Slide is a great place to read, tan, jog, play Frisbee, or watch (true to its state beach name) gray whales, pelicans, and surfers.

Tourists, families, surfers, and naturists all use the beach.

Influx of suited visitors; cold water; fog; wind; landslides sometimes close Highway 1; long walk to the beach; three great white sharks seen in '80s; parking fee; some sexual activity reported in north cove area in recent past. Rangers occasionally warn nude patrons "don't even think of having sex here," and have even made a few arrests, but based on several reports we've received, rangers only make spot checks on the sand. "They should cite people more often who are acting sexually," says Pasco.

PEOPLE'S BEACH

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Even though signs warn hikers not to take its steep, treacherous trail, the beach next to Devil's Slide by skinnydippers since at least the 1970s, when San Leandro resident Dave Smith remembers up to 60 bare bottom sunbathers somehow making it down on the sand for tanning, socializing, or even playing volleyball in the mote-sized cove. "You had to jump the last eight feet until somebody finally added a plank," he says. The site, adds Smith, eventually "became a gay scene." Later, frequent instances of sex on the beach, and further deterioration of the trail, reportedly drove most visitors away.

"We really like it," says a reader who calls it Doug's Beach after his friend. "Doug and I go there quite a bit." And says Bay Area resident Timothy Moscow: "It's heaven." But Carl Ernst, former operator of adjacent Devil's Slide, advises visitors to try other beaches instead. "All I can say is that it's not a very good beach," tells Ernst. The trail to the site is so dangerous that it's been officially closed for years. Users say the crumbling, breakaway path gives way to a 20 foot drop at the end. Wear hiking shoes and be prepared to turn back.

State property, presumed to be part of Montara State Beach.

From San Francisco, take Highway 1 south past Pacifica to Montara Beach. Park at the Montara State Beach lot, then walk north along the highway to the trailhead. The beach path begins next to a highway turnout. Look for the "Hiking, Climbing Prohibited" sign.

"On a good day, it's maybe 80 to 100 yards long," estimates Ernst. During high tide, the site may disappear altogether. Does the beach have any redeeming qualities? The answer: not many. "It's very quiet, which is why I go here," one reader says. Another says it's less windy than Devil's Slide.

Usually just you. A huge crowd here would be five people.

Nearly inaccessible; crumbling and dangerous trail made even worse by this winter and spring's heavy rains; fog; cold water; small beach; lack of precise trail directions; reports of sex on the beach.

MONTARA STATE BEACH

You'll risk getting a citation if you strip down all the way at Montara. Just a handful of visitors still sunbathe topless or nude at long, narrow ribbon of sand at the extreme north end of the beach. The site, which is just south of Devil's Slide and adjacent People's Beach, originally drew nudists when a landslide blocked the road to Devil's Slide years ago. If you see rangers approaching from the south end of the beach, suit up quickly.

State beach, where rangers do not tolerate nudity.

Montara is 1.1 miles south of Devil's Slide on Highway 1. Arrive early on busy days to get parking. Walk north to the northern tip of the beach, where occasional nudity takes place on the hottest summer weekdays.

A narrow shoreline at the north end, where some dunes were nice for private sunbathing. But erosion has pushed nudists to more exposed areas.

Only a few naturists now use Montara.

Fog; wind; beach erosion; icy water; intolerant park rangers.

SAN GREGORIO

Now in its 41st year, clothing optional, privately run San Gregorio is America's oldest nude beach. It was formally started in 1967, right next door to San Gregorio State Beach, where nudity is not allowed.

But nude use dates back to before 1966. Darrell Tarver, a 28 year old former Air Force veterans who was then a senior at San Francisco State College, formed, with friends, a "Committee For Free Beaches" to leaflet college campuses in San Francisco and Berkeley about the "free beach" in San Gregorio. Soon, there were 500 nudists swarming onto the shore every Sunday. "This is the best incentive I have to stay slim," a UC Berkeley coed told a Time magazine reporter.

One thing led to another and gawkers began taking up positions, while small planes buzzed the beach. A father of a 14 year old girl tried to press charges after claiming that his daughter had been pressured into disrobing in public at the beach. The county district attorney's office dropped the case after deciding that nothing lewd or obscene had taken place. But the news sent even more nudists onto the sand. Attempts to keep the hordes of naked people away by closing the access roads provided futile because they walked around the south end of the beach at low tide or even formed human chains down some dangerous cliff trails.

Fast forward to the present and you'll find the human chains long gone and replaced by a privately run nude beach. The huge property attracts some nude and suited straight couples, singles, and families. "It's a really romantic spot," says a single woman. But make no mistake, the college coeds have mostly left. In fact, San Gregorio has, over the years, become mostly a gay hangout and pickup spot. Want to give it a try? First-timers are sometimes annoyed (as I was, years ago) by the driftwood structures on the sandy slope leading down to the beach, which are used by some visitors as "sex condos." However, fans of the beach savor San Gregorio's stunning scenery. It has "awesome natural beauty," says regular visitor Bob Wood. There are two miles of soft sand and tide pools to explore, as well as a lagoon, lava tube, and, if you look closely enough on the cliffs, the remains of an old railroad.

The beach is open weekends 9 a.m. until sunset and weekdays from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Weather report hotline: 415-765-7697.

For photos and web cam, go to www.freewebs.com/sangregoriobeach

More shots here.

Private property, leased land.

From Tunitas Creek Way, south of Half Moon Bay, the beach is about a mile up Highway 1. Around 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, where you'll be asked to pay an entrance fee. Take the long path from the lot to the sand; everything north of the trail's end is clothing-optional. The beach is also accessible from the San Gregorio State Beach parking area to the south; from there, hike about a half-mile north. Take the dirt road past the big white gate with the Toll Road sign to the parking lot.

You'll find caves, cliffs, driftwood structures, and a beach full of clean, rolling sand. Pets are OK (though dogs are not allowed on weekends or holidays); fires, cameras, and overnight camping are banned. Swimming is not recommended. There are chemical toilets in the parking lot.

On the warmest days 50 to 200 visitors may be spread thinly along the sprawling beach, which is so large it never feels crowded. "The wide open spaces give one the feeling of being very alone," a reader named Paul says. "I was surprised, though, that even on warm weekends there were almost no heterosexuals in sight." On the south end of the beach, there are sometimes dozens of straight couples and families, both naked and clothed. Gay men tend to hang out on the north side.

Fee, wind, riptides, cold water, summer fog, sex on the beach or in driftwood "condos," not much of a social atmosphere.

POMPONIO STATE BEACH

If you've ever visited Pomponio State Beach, you'll understand why naturists treasure its pristine shores and solitude-inducing cove that's sheltered from the wind. It's also a great spot for tanning tune-ups. And once you arrive, you may be one of the only nudists here. But getting there almost ruins the experience. The path to the sand is long and, in places, almost worn away. And the waves are so rough they've been known to sweep some visitors out to sea. However, if you're looking for a quiet nook to read a book or relax, Pomponio can be worth the trudge. Tips: the weather can be changeable, so bring layered clothing.

State beach property.

Pomponio is about two miles north of Pescadero State Beach on Highway 1, some 12 miles south of Half Moon Bay. To find the nude area at the south end of the 1.5-mile long beach, walk south in low tide along the water from the Pomponio entrance. Or from the old Pomponio parking turn-out (marked with pole-like barriers) on Highway 1, follow a trail that starts there until it enters a ravine with a creek. Visitors used to cross the canyon on a board, but it's gone. At last report, some regulars were hopping on a pallet to cross part of the chasm, and then crawling the rest of the way.

There's a mile and a half of partially sheltered sand that varies from being flat to gently sloping. To avoid falling rocks, stay away from the edge of the high sandstone bluffs above the beach. For photos, visit http://www.californiacoastline.org/cgi-bin/image.cgi?image=6239&mode=sequential&flags=0

In its heyday, up to 25 nudists a day were frequenting the beach.

Long walk, riptides, cliff erosion, cold air, wind, gawkers, and reports of car burglaries in the past. Swimming while au naturel is not permitted.