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North Baker Beach
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Rating: A
From the first day of summer, when regular visitor Paul Jung estimates "several hundred" people appeared, to warm periods since then, visitors have been swarming onto San Francisco's North Baker Beach this year. And when it's been hot, roughly 60 to 80 percent of the persons who have been showing up on the shoreline this season have been nude.
The beautiful swath of sand is America's biggest urban nude beach.
In recent years, an increasing tide of young visitors in their 20s and 30s, have been arriving. And the ratio of women at Baker has also been soaring.
From joining naked volleyball games to watching dolphins cavorting in the water just off the beach to just simply relaxing in the sun, the crowd at Baker has plenty of options for fun.
What's the only bummer? A mini-war has erupted between beach regulars and a few gawkers with cameras or binoculars who occasionally hang out in the rocks above the site. "Most of the regulars carry small mirrors to shine at them," explains Jung, who keeps a mirror in his beach bag. "Some people are even starting to shine laser pointers at them, with great success. Sometimes, five of us will aim up at one guy. So far, it's been pretty effective in getting them to back off."
Legal status:
Part of the GGNRA. See Land's End entry for policy.
How to find it:
Take the 29 Sunset bus or go north on 25th Avenue to Lincoln Boulevard. Turn right and take the second left onto Bowley Street. Follow Bowley to Gibson Road, turn right, and follow Gibson to the east parking lot. Head right on the beach to the nude area, which starts at the brown and yellow "Hazardous surf, undertow, swim at your own risk" sign. Some motorcycles in the lot have been vandalized, possibly by car owners angered by bikers parking in car spaces; to avoid trouble, motorcyclists are urged to park in the motorcycle area near the cyclone fence.
The beach:
A long, narrow beach. If you have a moment, be sure to check out Baker's "secret spot": its intriguing tide pools! They're tucked away at the north end of the beach. Access is possible only during low tide, so consult a tide table and then, to find them, walk around the big rocks at the northern tip of the nude beach.
The crowd:
While more women than ever are on the sand, there's still a heavy male-to-female ratio at Baker, where you'll find a wide range of humanity, from lawyers with neither business suits nor swim suits to job seekers who aren't dressed for success or anything else and retirees who have retired their clothing. "You'll see young people, older types, men, women, Bay Area residents, tourists, gays, and straights," says former Baker veteran Ray Brokowski. Adds a beach regular: "It's like the cantina in the first Star Wars."
Problems:
Fog; wind; parking lots fill early; some gawkers (especially in the afternoon); large crowds on hot days; sand may be very hot; hazardous waves; cold water; increased visits by rangers in 2008 and 2009 after several reports of sexual activity in the beach bathroom and near middle Baker, where the nude area begins.
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