Red Rock Beach
The Quick Tip
Red Rock is a small, friendly, sometimes-crowded nude beach a short drive north of San Francisco in Marin county. Almost everyone is nude and it’s a good mix of girls, guys, straights and gays. Being quite small there is no place for gawkers to hide or cruise, so they tend to stay away. It’s a small cove backed by tall cliffs which gives it a remote and secluded feeling ideal for a nude day of relaxation. The water is cold all year long, but there’s lots of sand and sunshine and a young, lively crowd to keep things going.
Full Report
Red Rock is about a 10 minute walk down a dirt path from highway 1. There is a larger parking area at the top of cliff, a big improvement from the days when cars had to park along the narrow highway. The path is well maintained, but parts are steep, particularly the final section down to the sand. The beach is a large cove, severalhundred feet wide and up to 100 feet deep depending on the tide.
The most social part is in the middle of the beach, where regulars tend to congregate. A few people position themselves along the rocks at the edge of the cove, but these aren’t terribly comfortable. On the far end of the cove is a rocky point. At low tide you can walk around it to a smaller beach which has more rocks than sand. At high tide the water covers this area, so know the tide schedule if you decide to head around the point.
What to Bring
There are no facilities at Red Rock so bring everything you need for the day. And take it all out with you. You’ll be popular with the regulars if you even take out trash less considerate people leave behind. Water, snacks, a towel, suntan lotion, Frisbee, a book are all good to have. Being such a social nude beach, cards and games are also popular. Dogs aren’t allowed which is a good thing based on the size of the beach and the popularity of Frisbee.
What to Do
Red Rock is one of the best places in the country to play naked ultimate Frisbee. There are pick-up games almost  every weekend. Although there are lots of regular, if you’re naked, fit enough to run back and forth on the beach and have a friendly attitude you can generally join a game. Check our Frisbee page for details on how to play ultimate Frisbee.
Rock Climbing is also popular on the cliffs around the beach, including a few directly above the ocean. It’s not for novices, but it’s great to watch naked people scrambling up and down the rocky cliffs.
The water is frigid in winter and cold in the summer. On warm days it is possible to jump in and swim for a moment or two, but if you’re thinking of lounging naked in the ocean for an afternoon, better head a couple hundred miles further south.
How to find it:
Go north on Highway 1 from Mill Valley, following the signs to Stinson Beach. At the long line of mailboxes next to the Muir Beach cutoff point, start checking your odometer. Look for a dirt lot full of cars to the left (west) of the highway exactly 5.6 miles north of Muir and a smaller one on the right (east) side of the road. The lots are at milepost 11.3, one mile south of Stinson Beach. Limited parking is also available 150 yards to the south on the west side of 1. The path to the beach starts near the large dumpster near the main parking lot. It's a long, steep, three-to-five-foot-wide trail, so take your time, especially near the traditionally crumbly last few feet of the path, near the beach, and when walking back up.
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