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Opening river near Auburn exposes nude, gay beaches
Boaters pass shoreline frequented by unclothed sunbathers
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Boaters along a newly opened stretch of American River are getting exposed to a form of nature many weren’t anticipating.
Over the past three decades, nude sunbathers — mostly male — have made the shoreline their own along what had been a section of the river previously off-limits to boaters.
Since access to the stretch was opened two weekends ago, the boating public is getting a sometimes- uncomfortable eyeful as they paddle past nude beach areas on the shore.
And a state parks department official said that there is little the department is doing about unclothed beach-goers because of current policies and the lack of manpower to enforce nudity regulations.
The no-clothes beaches are far from a secret to many.
Not only are beaches along the American River downstream from the Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge at the confluence being posted on the Internet as destinations for naturists, they’re also being described as gay nude swimming holes.
Typing in the words “nude,” “gay,” and “Auburn” brings up a page on the GayOutdoors.org Web site that describes the American River’s beaches in the Auburn State Recreation Area downstream from the confluence as home to some of California’s “perfect gay nude swimming holes.”
The article, which gives credit to the book “Naked Places: A Guide for Gay Men to Nude Recreation and Travel,” provides directions to the main beach area and warns “if you see straight swimmers simply move downstream” and that “this is not the place to cruise and have sex in the woods as undercover cops have been known to arrest people.”
On a recent weekday, sunbathers at the main beach — dubbed Gorilla Beach because of a distinctive rock formation — were a mix of male nudists, clothed men and a clothed woman. They said that gay swimmers were more inclined to gather farther downstream.
The views of unclothed males sunning themselves on the shoreline during a kayaking trip earlier this month left Cameron Turner changing plans for some summer rafting trips with visiting relatives.
He said the river trip left him enthralled with the boating possibilities along the stretch between the confluence and the Oregon Bar take-out, in the canyon below Auburn’s Maidu Drive. Turner said he particularly like a stretch of challenging, manmade rapids.
But he was far from happy paddling by areas populated by numerous naked men.
“I was scouting this newly opened section of river in preparation for taking some friends and family on rafting trips this summer,” Turner said. “However, there’s no way I will take them — especially the children — through that slow stretch of naked men.”
Turner said he can understand the wishes of nudists to enjoy the river unclothed but it’s no longer the remote stretch it once was.
“They’re taking the right away from boaters to enjoy their time on the water,” he said.
Superintendent Jay Galloway, chief parks department official in the Auburn State Recreation Area, said that since 1979, state parks has chosen not to designate clothing-optional areas in state parks. While public nudity is a violation of the law, parks policy is to only act on a complaint from the public. Citations or arrests will be made after attempts are made to elicit voluntary compliance that day, the department’s so-called Cahill Memo on park nudity and subsequent case law makes clear.
For Galloway, whose ranger staff has been decimated by budget cuts and is currently 2½ positions down from the four patrol rangers it budgets for because of illness and reassignments, acting on a complaint would also factor in availability of staff.
Galloway said he would describe the naturists who use the park as a quiet group that attempts to police itself. The parks department would take a more active stance on illicit sexual activity, he said.
“That falls under the Penal Code and people down there don’t want to see it,” Galloway added.
The new stretch of river was opened after closure of the Auburn dam project diversion tunnel — a tunnel two-thirds of a mile long that rechannelled the American River underground and was considered an attractive nuisance to boaters. The river was closed when construction started and opened again to boaters this January after the pump station was completed.
Built in to the river restoration was a section of man-made rapids that Turner said he would like to gain access from along another road close to the pump station. That way, he could avoid the sight of dozens of nude men on the shoreline and go directly to the part of the river he would like to gain access to.
“That would keep the water from there upstream to No Hands Bridge relatively remote,” he said. “I don’t think nudists should have official, designated areas in public parks, but this would be a compromise that preserves the rights of almost all park users and precludes the need for limited park staff to try and enforce the Cahill policy.”
Tim Woodall, president of Protect American River Canyons, said indications are that perhaps a mile stretch of the reopened 3-mile course has nude beach areas.
“I think a majority of the users are there to engage in innocent sunbathing,” Woodall said. “It’s popular with sunbathers because it’s secluded but now they’ll be finding that they’re sharing the river with the public.”
That could result in an increased call for state parks to enforce the ban on nudity, he said.
“It will become a matter of whether the public will insist on enforcement of the provisions,” Woodall added.
Woodall said he would have some discomfort taking his own children down the river.
“I’m not a prude but I don’t want my kids seeing that,” he said.
Pressure from the public and state parks officials combined with the nudists’ need for secluded spots to sunbathe could mean that they’ll find other areas, Woodall said.
“There are plenty of other secluded beaches on the north and middle forks of the American River,” he said.
The Journal’s Gus Thomson can be reached at gust@goldcountrymedia.com, or leave a comment on this story at AuburnJournal.com.
gay, nude beach, auburn state recreation area, jay galloway, cameron turner, tim woodall, gorilla beach
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What country do we live in? Is this some kind of a controlled society by the religious right? What a bunch of puritan garbage...I certainly hope no on here ever goes to beaches europe.or the rest of the world....us americans would be so offended..especially since a lot of have roots there....give it a break it must be a slow news day....
I do not get the "nude beach" thing. What exactly is so bad about wearing a swim suit? Its one thing if you are out hiking and want to swim and do not have a suit and are in a secluded location, but to intentionally go down to the river without a suit makes no sense.
I think this goes to a fundamental disregard for the law, and for others.
If they want to lay in the sun naked, why not do it in the privacy of their own back yard? Why put it into the public domain?
R_T, you must be one of those religious rightists. I don't see anything wrong with nudity but like anything else, there is a time and place for it.
To others may I remind them that their right stops where mine begins.
Have a great day
I don’t sunbath myself but to each is own
The only thing that I laugh at is when you hear people say “I don’t want my kids to see that kind of stuff” well if there is a computer in your house guess what the kids are probably seeing more than nude sunbathers and not because they are looking for it. I just feel people should police their own children in what they see and what they do, you wouldn’t let your child trick or treat in a drug infested neighborhood right .I guess if some one is offended by the sunbathers then don’t go around that area, let the park rangers and police take care of the real problems on that river, the few drunks who cause problems for everyone or the people who need to be told time and time again where its is not a god place to swim or telling boaters that all children on the boat need to be in life jackets while on the water.
The river can be one of the best places to spend a weekend and also it can be the most dangerous I hope all who use the river this summer have fun keep it clean (take the garbage you bring to the river back out with you)
And to any of the sunbathers that are having sex out in the open gay or straight go get a hotel room in town
keep your naked gayness at home, it is discgusting. I fish these rivers all the time the last thing i want to see is some naked gay grown man, thake this kinda crap back to the city( or at least away from my fishing holes)
Ummmm, how did we come into this world? NAKED!! Big freaking deal! That stretch of river has been used for nude and gay sunbathing for over thirty years, and it hasn't been much of a problem up until now because most folks were too lazy to make the hike down there. Oh, but now that it's easily accessible and more frequented by boaters nudity is an issue. Or maybe there are too many homophobes, I'm a straight woman and have never been bothered by the nudity and/or "gayness" as one very mature person commented(all sarcasm intended). If you don't care to see it, stay away from where they are or turn your head. There are plenty of other stretches of river to boat or fish on. I personally like the fact that so many people are scared to go down there, it makes it very nice during the summer when you can't find enough space down by the bridges to put a chair let alone a blanket! I don't enjoy the confluence when it's so overrun with people, dogs, and drunks so I go to other more secluded areas. It might mean having to actually hike, or having to be mature enough to realize that not all nude men and women are nude to have sex.
Naked is naked. It doesn't really matter if it is gay, strait, bi, or tran. I do not understand why people are so shook up about nudity at the beach. If you don't want to take your clothes off, don't. If you see nudity and don't like it, avert your eyes and look at the other natural scenery.
There are skimpy baithing suits that leave nothing to the imagination, but those are ok? Just not nudity? Are we, as a culture, so ashamed of our bodies that we cannot handle seeing a little skin? Are we still living in the Victorian era?
I am a modest person. I don't particularly care to strip down. I do not even like bathing suites. They are not comfy. However, I also do not think it is horrible or disgusting for people to be naked. I was walking on a beach one day an there was a man with his pants off, smoking a cigar and fishing. His nudity did not bother me, but the idea that his fishing hook could snap back and snag on delicate areas was quite disturbing to me..
Oh, and for folks who want to have relations in the wild open (or wooded areas) keep in mind the snakes and poisen oak.
I don’t sunbath myself but to each is own
The only thing that I laugh at is when you hear people say “I don’t want my kids to see that kind of stuff” well if there is a computer in your house guess what the kids are probably seeing more than nude sunbathers and not because they are looking for it. I just feel people should police their own children in what they see and what they do, you wouldn’t let your child trick or treat in a drug infested neighborhood right .I guess if some one is offended by the sunbathers then don’t go around that area, let the park rangers and police take care of the real problems on that river, the few drunks who cause problems for everyone or the people who need to be told time and time again where its is not a god place to swim or telling boaters that all children on the boat need to be in life jackets while on the water.
The river can be one of the best places to spend a weekend and also it can be the most dangerous I hope all who use the river this summer have fun keep it clean (take the garbage you bring to the river back out with you)
And to any of the sunbathers that are having sex out in the open gay or straight go get a hotel room in town
Isn’t it funny like a few people have said that place has been like that for 30 years with nude sunbathers I didn’t know about it until it hit the paper and some boaters complained about it hey did anybody see the channel 3 news this morning Auburn has admitted that they have a growing gang problem. They didn’t say that the gang was a bunch of naked sunbathers but actual gangs can we address trying to fix the growing gang problem .the naked sunbathers obviously have policed themselves out there just fine because I am sure I am not the only one in placer county that didn’t know about this area. or am I
Enough is enough. Who in this world wants to see naked men or women for that matter on the beaches.
It is about time the park rangers and California does something about this nakedness in public. It is offensive to me and others.
If they want to be naked they need to stay in their own back yards and keep it private, same with the gay activities. Auburn is a mecca for gays and it is sad.
Also do they know how bad the sun is for the skin.
Rational_Thinker, while this practice isn't for me, this nude bathing area has been around since the 70s. Even though the visibility factor has changed with the new access, I would think if it was against the law, people would have been cited for this long ago.
“It will become a matter of whether the public will insist on enforcement of the provisions,” Woodall added.
I insist.
Interesting that people are only concerned about THEIR rights, regardless of how it may impinge on the rights of OTHERS.
Interestingly too, how people have such a NEED to control others when no HARM is being done to them (the observer).
If seeing nudity (on a beach, on tv, on the computer, in your house, in your mirror) puts you into such a tizzy, then so be it. Tizzy away. I am not going to point and cry out that I am offended by your tizzy and insist the police and the keepers of the white huggy coats come and deal with you and subdue your tizzy.
Tizzy until you melt down if that is your wish. But ask yourself this, are you really being hurt by seeing a little bit of skin? Are you going to go blind, Are you going to melt like wax? Are you going to just snap and go balistic?
Skater, I don't insist; who wins??
Here are the things I find offensive at the river. Gold dredgers with mighty gas guzzling engines bending over to reveal grotesque butt cracks as they destroy the river. Beer bottles and cans of every kind flung helter skelter all over the rocks and beaches. Family's that picnic for hours then just leave all their trash right on the beach. Couches and other furniture thrown from the forest hill bridge. tangled masses of fishing line scattered along the river trails. Packs of Mountain Bikers riding three across a trail. Horse crap, dog crap, people crap
People sunbathing in the buff is high on my list of things I do not find offensive. somewhere between wild flowers and clear blue water.
I wonder how Tim Woodall will be able to shield his children's eyes from naked humans as they grow up. 2 tips tTm; stay away from museums and television.
AndyConn, GREAT POST!! Now that's putting things in perspective. Us humans love to make a big deal of trivial aspects of life while ignoring the glaring ones.
I think its pretty humorous that the Auburn Journal is going to the river and asking people if they're gay.
I support a full Constitutional amendment banning nude sunbathers that that no one knew about for 30 years, yet were perfectly open about.
Just kidding, you republicans are nuts.
How did political parties get involved, shredsavage? Chill.
I have been unfortunate enough to have seen men engaged in both oral and anal sex at that beach. I think this might be the activity that has people rightfully concerned. The morality question is irrelevant. Does this type of activity need to be done in the open in a public park where children could be present?
You are ok with children walking up on a man and woman having both oral and anal sex?
Sheesh. "cracking down" on nudity at beaches isn't necessarily going to reduce public sex.
Nude beach does not equal orgy.
Children can see sex whenever they watch a nature show. Should National Geographic be given an X rating because it shows primate sex?
If you have them, talk to your kids. Be honest with them. There are far worse things to see than the oops, lets walk another direction because there is some mammalian sex occurring beside those boulders there.
Realist, sexual activity is a completely different topic--homesexual or hetro. If two people wanted to do this, stripping off one's bathing apparell is just about as easy as starting out nude in the first place.
I have no problem with nudists enjoying public areas that are relatively remote. However, this stretch of river is not going to be remote any longer - the Auburn State Recreation Area has set it up to be high usage for boaters. On public land *where there are many visitors*, each person has the right to choose whether or not to see naked people. Nudists in such an area are taking that choice away from every visitor. There's nothing wrong or horrible about nudity, but the choice of whether or not to see it in a high-use public area should be preserved.
The simple solution here is to make that stretch of river remote again. There's already a great road right down to the river below the section traditionally used by nudists. It's a Placer County Water Association (PCWA) road that goes to the pumping station and the new man-made rapids. If boaters could put in there then everyone would be happy. Regardless of the nudists, boaters don't even want to float through the section upstream (it's all slow water), but right now it's the only way to get to any of the whitewater below the Confluence.
Call or email PCWA (www.pcwa.net) and let's get them to open up the road!
I think Cameron Turner is a stupid dummy
I was offended while walking a path to the river one day and came upon two dogs that were going at it hot and heavy
They made no attempt to hide their actions .Really what is wrong with dogs today I mean they use to sit on the couch at home and just do their thing now they just do it outside in the open what shall we tell the children that these dogs are doing?
Been to Europe, Australia, even Canada, there, nudity is no big thing.
Dude, who cares about nudity, dogs having sex, or Canada?! Let's all move on from this bickering and do something positive: get PCWA to open that road! Then nudists can have it their way, and boaters can have it their way - everyone's happy, even the Canadians! :)
Send an email to: HumanResources@pcwa.net
I hear there's some openings at the Ashford park restrooms.
Auburn outdoors is right let’s move on to the next news article we can laugh at and shrug our shoulders at in amazement
I was just kidding about the dogs I didn’t see it I was just messing around. But all kidding aside like I said in an earlier post if any Auburn, Colfax, residents want to debate an important issue it’s the growing gang problem in our community. If it is making the channel 3 new because the local police and Sherriff department say we have a growing gang problem I would like to as a community to work together on this growing problem if anyone has any kids in high school up here in the hills and your kids talk to you with honesty then you are also aware that the big city problems of drugs and gangs are here and they are only getting to become a bigger problem.
So with that I hope everyone who uses the rivers and lakes up here have a safe and fun summer
ChristinaO, the point is, since you didn't grasp it, is that this type of activity is inappropriate, regardless of the sex of those involved. The fact you want to argue this is sad.
When nudity in the state park is ignored, then it leads to bolder and more inappropriate actions. As we have seen here. Hockey1, comparing humans to lower forms of life is ignorant. I would hope man would have more self control and display more appropriate behavior in public.
Unless there is a law prohibiting particular behavior, it would fall under discretion and the peeps will be the peeps. Oh, no another law.
Realist:
My point is gender and preference/orientation are beside the point.
My second point is that people tend to try to micro manage other people in areas that are not their concern.
My Third point is it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of life.
By inappropriate actions, do you mean sex, or do you mean violence? Because the two really are not related, even though some think so.
If you mean sex, people who are clothed can easily disrobe and go on with their activities and so the issue of nudity is mute in that case. As I mentioned before, nude beach does not equal sex party.
I did not miss you point, I can see that you find nudity to be inappropriate in a place where others may walk or boat into it. There are many things I see day to day that I find inappropriate. However, I don't tell people they cannot do it because it goes against my value set. That is where I am objecting with this case. You do not have to like it, but why do you feel the need to interfere with their choices when no real harm is done?
If you are saying that I was comparing humans to dogs well I wasn’t but I will tell you something it wasn’t a dog who molested by daughter when she was six I trust animals like dogs more than people anytime if a dog bites you can train it not to but you cant retrain child molesters and humans. Like I said I choose not to go to that part of the river, I choose not to take my kids trick or treating in bad neighborhoods. Those people at the river choose to sunbathe and the argument is why should we not go to that part of the river because of the sunbathers well take that same attitude to Del Paso Blvd at 12:01 am you have a right to walk that street at anytime don’t you. This is just my opinion I am not here to fight or start augments with anyone I know in my life right now I have more serious problems with family members health do I joke around oh yea it’s the only way to get through this crazy world we live in. and it is cool that we can agree and disagree on the internet about things that go on in our world so with that have a good one and a smile goes along way (and I don’t mean a plumbers smile)
steelybob, you will have to ask Woodall, he's on it. Sound's like we need a tie breaker.
Can someone give me directions to the nearest female nude beach?
Don't you think that in full disclosure that when an article is written about rafting or any of the effects that the auburn journal should note that gus thomson and derrick roth own a rafting business?
Duh, what a surprise. Go float your boat some where else. If you were born in Aubun or grew up in this area, you would know about the nude beaches along the American River. If some "newby" wants to float down the river in their designer kayak, enjoy, but don't put your "holier than thou" attitude on us. This is still America, land of the free.
Rash_inker ____ You said, "I think this goes to a fundamental disregard for the law..." Sorry, wrong guess.
A 1972 California court case set the precedent that simple beach nudity is not indecent exposure and therefore not illegal. Please return to the global warming blog. Do not pass go.
Well put Stellablue! I couldn't agree with you more. People are way too hung up about nudity, and way too homophobic. At least we can enjoy the river without seeing them down there! They're too scared to enjoy the beauty of scenary and the cool water...let them, more for us!
A nude participant...:)