Rating: C
You may have canoodled, but have you ever canuded? It’s the art of paddling a canoe — nude or not — to a nude swimming hole. And it’s also a preferred way to reach this Eel River site, along with others that are nearby. Other options include rowing or hiking. This beach, north of Willits is a sandy bank along the Eel River where you can pull your watercraft up on the bank, take off your clothes, and plunge into the invigorating water. Although it has a somewhat smaller beach than the one at Dos Rios, the Poon Kinny’s swimming hole is just as invigorating, especially on a hot summer day.
Legal status:
Unknown.
How to find it:
Follow directions to Dos Rios: from the Bay Area, head north on Highway 101 to Willits; from the Mendocino coast, go east on Highway 20 to Willits. Follow 101 north past Willits to Longvale, then travel northeast on Highway 162 to Dos Rios. The first of the skinny-dipping holes is several miles north of town. The beach is on the Eel River along the Poon Kinny Ridge, between Dos Rios and the southern border of Round Valley Reservation.
The beach:
Larger and sandier than most of the swimming holes on our list, except Mendocino’s Lilies Beach and the sites along the Russian River.
The crowd:
A few skinny-dippers, anglers, and boaters.
Problems:
Unknown legal status; directions need improving; trash; proximity to train tracks.