Rating: C
On weekends, Chimney usually draws a crowd of swimsuit-wearing families. “But when other people are not around, it’s sometimes used by teens and twenty-somethings who go nude during the week,” tells a regular visitor.
Sadly, during parties by the young people, the site is sometimes trashed. In response, local naturists usually organize garbage pickups several times a year. “During the past two decades, we’ve held a number of events to clean up the beach, but within a few weeks, kids start leaving their garbage there again,” says TAN’s North Swanson.
Legal status:
Part of Toiyabe National Forest.
How to find it:
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.
The beach:
A curving, sandy shoreline with hundreds of boulders, both in and next to the water.
The crowd:
On hot summer weekdays, Chimney attracts a few young nudists. But it’s mostly a suited beach.
Problems:
Parking lot easy to miss. “Suited users sometimes look at you funny if you’re nude there,” says visitor Robert Carlsen.