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Beach Visit: Blacks Beach (Nudity Optional)
Blacks Beach isn't the easiest beach to find. If you Google "Blacks Beach," a number of unhelpful sites pop up with cryptic directions, faraway entrances, miles-long hikes, and no real address. But here's the easiest way to the somewhat secluded optional nude beach: from wherever you are, get to the west side of UCSD via the Torrey Pines Scenic Drive and turn into the Gliderport (2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr). Take the paved road to the end and park in one of the free dirt lots. The state beaches run from the reserve two miles north or so.
(We didn't take photos on the beach because visitors were...nude.)
The steps down to the beach are a hike. Tourists sometimes hike partway down to watch the gliders without getting into the nude part of the beach. The vibe at Blacks Beach is relaxed. Today at 2 p.m., two or three naked toddlers played in the surf with their naked parents. If this Saturday was any indication of what it's like on most weekends, Blacks Beach is 90% men, and 10% women. Nudity is optional, and there are no trash receptacles or bathrooms near the beach.
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Beach Visit: Blacks Beach (Nudity Optional)
Blacks Beach isn't the easiest beach to find. If you Google "Blacks Beach," a number of unhelpful sites pop up with cryptic directions, faraway entrances, miles-long hikes, and no real address. But here's the easiest way to the somewhat secluded optional nude beach: from wherever you are, get to the west side of UCSD via the Torrey Pines Scenic Drive and turn into the Gliderport (2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Dr). Take the paved road to the end and park in one of the free dirt lots. The state beaches run from the reserve two miles north or so.
(We didn't take photos on the beach because visitors were...nude.)
The steps down to the beach are a hike. Tourists sometimes hike partway down to watch the gliders without getting into the nude part of the beach. The vibe at Blacks Beach is relaxed. Today at 2 p.m., two or three naked toddlers played in the surf with their naked parents. If this Saturday was any indication of what it's like on most weekends, Blacks Beach is 90% men, and 10% women. Nudity is optional, and there are no trash receptacles or bathrooms near the beach.
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Hmmm. 9 naked males for every naked female is hard to fathom. Or perhaps not so hard to fathom. Maybe the girls are smart. Nudity is supposed to be back to nature, yet it can also result in the wrong kind of attention. Where the writer says that nudity at Black's is optional, I think he/she errs. The city doesn't provide for nudity on that beach. There was a big whoop-de-doo a couple decades (or more) ago about it, and a public vote overturned the "swimsuit optional" status of the beach. But, surprise, surprise, the city hasn't done much or anything to enforce the nudity ban. The best thing for visitors to do is just shut up about the area and let what's gonna happen, happen.
Could not agree more--the less said the better, and the last time I visited the place, the ladies outnumbered the guys. I think there was some kind of naked volleyball tournament planned that day. From what I saw, they are very healthy people. Long live the freedom!
Freedom and liberty is what our great country is all about and this beautiful beach is one of the last bastions of this expression. Blacks beach is clothing optional, read optional. On Blacks we have the freedom to choose if we should take our clothes off or leave them on, not so in the clothed society where we have no choice. Don't like freedom and liberty and the right to choose? Then move to Iran or Korea...
I'm all about the freedom!
been happening there for over 30 years....nothing to talk about...it is what it is...a bathing suit optional beach
nice area to hang glide in...good air
Just to clear up a few things mentioned above. Officially, Black's was on Torrey Pines City Beach. What we now call Black's is, and always has been Torrey Pines State Beach. Nudity was voted down in the late 70's after three years of legal nude use on the city beach. The city was lax in enforcement for many years but started enforcing the ban again in 2000. The state beach tolerated nudity since 1979, it was always a grey area. (An entire story could be written about this)
I've been a proud part of a user group at Black's Beach for the past 12 years. We are a group of friends who meet there at least every Sunday throughout the year. We meet at a group of Volleyball courts which we installed. We're the people who clean the beach of trash other people leave behind and we're the people who maintain the trail. Our group of friends is about 60/40 male to female and we also have a handful of families who attend.
I've been an unofficial spokesperson for many years on TV and print. I was even interviewed for the Reader cover story in the 9/7/06 issue. My wife and I speak at local colleges about nude recreation and we even got married on Black's in 2009. I also serve on the Member Advisory Board of The Naturist Society (TNS), a national organization dedicated to protecting clothing optional public lands, like Black's. www.naturistsociety.com
I also have a Black's Beach web site at www.FriendsOfBlacksBeach.com.