Rating: B
Watercraft users who park on the shoreline of this delightful beach are sometimes astonished to see nudists sprawling on the sand. But the show doesn’t last long. Once the boaters appear, the naked people usually put on their suits, only to take them off again when they leave.
“Even if there are families there, you’ll often see nudists walking on the trails above the beach,” says visitor Steve Williams. When the lake is choppy, boaters usually depart, leaving the site free for naturists to appear. “There will instantly be a half dozen naked people,” says TAN’s North Swanson.
Legal status:
Part of Toiyabe National Forest.
How to find it:
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.
The 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.
The crowd:
More often than not, suited sunbathers and families come here. “When the weather is right, 95 percent of the people at the beach are clothed,” says Swanson. But when they’re gone, up to 50 naturists may use the site. “
Problems:
Non-nudists often present; tight parking (see Hidden Beach).