Confronted by a naked man on the trail! Lake Tahoe

Hello all! As you know, we are new to the Tahoe area and we are out hiking as often as we can! We decided to head up to the East side of Lake Tahoe and hike down to Boater's Beach, then make our way over to Secret Cove eventually ending at Chimney Beach. We use a specific trail app that did not warn us about the "clothing optional" beaches. 

So lets get started shall we. We parked on the side of the road (NV-28) right above Secret Cove. There are several trailheads in this area that lead you down to the beaches but we wanted to do a loop and hit all three beaches in this area so we parked centrally. We took the trailhead down and to the South to Boater's Beach first. It was November so there were still some remnants of the early snow that we received earlier in the month. From what I understand, this beach is packed with boaters during the summer months. Today, however, there was one family on the beach enjoying their day. 

We then continued wandering North toward Secret Cove. As we came up to the South end of Secret Cove, I couldn't help but stand there and stare at the pure beauty of this cove. The water is crystal clear like the Florida Keys. You can see the boulders sticking up above the water greeting you with a beautiful welcome. There were only a few people in the cove at this time and we had not realized that any of them were naked. We stood there taking photos and videos of the cove overall, completely mesmerized by Tahoe's natural beauty! 

As we continued wandering up the trail headed North around the cove, Chris all of a sudden stops in his tracks and I literally ran into the back of him. When I asked what was wrong he said there was a naked man on the trail in front of us. So of course, what do I do? I took a peek. And yep... there was a naked man on the trail. So we just continued to look down at the cove until this guy made his way to where ever he was headed but what we didn't realize is that he was coming to talk to us. 

I forget his name. Not sure why.. its not like he was naked or anything. As he approached and started talking to us he started to put his pants on. Naive me, I asked the guy if he just did a polar plunge. The surface temp of Lake Tahoe is typically only 53 degrees. He politely smiled and said he comes up here often to swim freely. He continued on with an incredible personal story (not mine to tell) of why he does it and just how freeing it really is and at that moment, nothing else matters. He then proceeded to tell us that he checks the trail often for peeping toms and perverts with drones. I was still not picking up what he was putting down. As the confused look on my face grew, he then mentions the photos that we were taking and that this is a clothing optional area and apparently all of those beaches used to be. WOW. Was not expecting that! We apologized and explained that we had no idea being new to the area and that they really should put a sign at the South end of the cove where the trail overlooks the beach. We continued to chat with this guy for a few more minutes before continuing on our way around Secret Cove. Now we know where the name Secret Cove came from. 

On the North end of the cove there is a sign with a set of steps taking you down to the beach. Here, there is a sign that states "nudity is present" and "clothing optional". They need this sign on the South side! So being that we were just confronted by this guy, we decided to hit Secret Cove on our back from Chimney Beach hoping that the few people down there would be gone by then. So we wandered along the trail right next to Lake Tahoe and eventually made our way into the Chimney Beach area. 

There is a huge stone chimney on this beach, hence the namesake. Turns out, at the turn of the century, the Thunderbird Lodge was built down near this beach and the chimney is all that remains from the small 1920's caretaker's cabin. I included a photo of the cabin in our YouTube video. The lodge remnants are completely gone. So the story continues in the 1940's with the local casino showgirls frolicking topless at these beaches during the summer. The area then became public in the 1970s and in the 1980s TAN was created. TAN (Tahoe Area Naturists) was a group of people who noticed that everyone on the beach was naked except for the hats that they were all wearing. Still to this day, there is an honorary "Hat Day" annually on the third Sunday of August. From what I have researched, TAN also keeps the beaches clean and they work with the forestry service to keep the trails maintained. 

On this chilly November day, it is hard to imagine being naked on a beach but if I was to join in, this would be the spot! The natural beauty that surrounds Lake Tahoe is breathtaking! Someone or a group of people also decorated the chimney for the holidays. To sit back at that chimney and revel in the view that the caretaker had from his small cabin... if only this chimney could talk! 

We decided to hang out at Chimney Beach for over an hour waiting for the sun to set. Have you seen a Tahoe sunset in person? They are amazing! I thought Florida has the best sunsets that I have seen but Tahoe comes in at a close second! We have some amazing shots in our YouTube video. Please check out our channel and subscribe! 

Have you experienced a similar situation? Funny or not, at least the guy was very nice and cordial to us even though I am pretty sure he was making sure we were not taking photos of the nudists on the beach :-)

Our total hike was 4 miles exactly and the only elevation gain was going back up to the Jeep. We hope you enjoyed our wandered off experience. Please watch our video. The scenery is stunning!

Chris and Brandi