Nude Hiking in Washington's Cascade Mountains

By Dick Morrill

Nudist resorts and nude beaches are terrific, but up a notch in risk and adventure is when you are likely to meet clothed hikers – and rangers, on private land, or county, state and federal rangeland, forests and parks.  We had hiked naked for years, but always alone, until a couple of us connected on a beautiful fall day in 1999, hiking to Lake Lillian in the Cascade Mountains. 

Even then, we didn’t get naked until we were really remote in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness east of Seattle. But the sheer sense of freedom and naturalness was so great that this was the beginning of years of great nude hiking ever since.

Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies

We are now up to an informal group of a dozen guys, who in varying combinations, hike almost every week in the summer (actually May through October, even earlier sometimes) and we are affiliated with a larger naturist group, Sun Lovers Under Gray Skies (SLUGS), with gals joining in on a few hikes. 

We’re all in the Seattle area, so we mainly hike in the Cascades mountains or foothills to the east, either off I-90 or US2, but sometimes farther south (Mount Rainier) or in the north Cascades, or even in eastern Washington.  One of our favorite hikes was to Scenic Hot Springs, off US2 near Stevens Pass, but these are temporarily closed. 

 We usually hike on weekdays, when we are less likely to encounter families with children, or large groups.  The legality of nude hiking is ambiguous, even here in liberal Washington. Strictly it is illegal to hike naked almost anywhere, including the national parks and forests, as county indecent exposure laws apply, but in practice skinny-dipping and even nude hiking is tolerated in more wilderness-y areas, a few miles away from a parking lot or campground.

Here is a story of a typical hike.  We get to a trailhead fairly early (like by 9 AM) before most hikers. If there are only 1 or 2 cars in the lot, we get naked soon. If there are a fair number of cars, we wait until we are a mile or two from the parking lot. We may meet “textiled” hikers on the way in, but we typically brazen it out, that it was the natural way to be and do not cover up, unless we can see that it is a family or largish group.

Only a Few are Upset

In hundreds of encounters over the last 6 years, only a few people have been upset. Fortunately rangers we’ve met were at sufficiently remote places that they didn’t care. 

The variety of reactions in interesting. A few walk past saying nothing. Younger hikers (under 40) are apt to say,”Hey that’s cool! Women are no more atpt to be upset or make an unfriendly comment than men; in fact when we meet a couple, the guy is apt to be embarrassed and upset, while his wife or girlfriend tell him they don’t care! Also older hikers  (over 60) seem less worried about nudity than younger ones.

Also, people see you far in advance, they have a chance to get used to it, and are less upset than if they are surprised. It gives them time to come up with a variety of questions, like whether we’re part of a group, or how we keep our intimate parts from getting sunburned, or bitten my mosquitoes or stung by bees (hey, it happens!).

On a recent hike with 7 of us, one gal remarked as the last of us passed, "Is there no end to you naked men?" At first when 2 or more of us were hiking naked, we worried if it would be more threatening  than one person alone, but the answer is no: more seem to signal a naturist group, while one guy can be seen as a "pervert."

Of course the safest is a mixed gender group. Other guidelines for nude hiking is that you should be hiking – that is have boots and at least a day pack, and, guys, no erections.
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12. Put your clothes back on if you have to traverse areas where it is likely you may slip and find yourself sliding down rough or rocky ground. Nude gravel rash is best avoided.

13. Carry sufficient food and fluids for the duration of your walk, and be aware that hiking in the nude makes dehydration occur more quickly.

14. Carry plenty of sunscreen and mosquito repellant.

15. Last but definitely not least, tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.

For more information and some specific hikes email Dick (nwnudhik@excite.com)