US National Parks
I always wanted to do a naked hike.
I read Federal Lands do not have laws prohibiting nudity, but some parks may have state or other local was applying. Probably Utah is part of it.
Arches Park has some nice hikes to go where only hikers go, seeing some specific arches.
Has anyone ever done a nude hike in Arches Park ? Or any other National Park ?
In the example of Arches Park, I was wondering if not allowed to do it naked, what if I go commando in a mini denim skirt ? Enough to cover but good for freedom. Obviously would be the only piece of fabric on me.
Thanks for advices and experience sharing.
Be careful about what you read in posts! While the Federal Code of Regulations does not specifically prohibit nudity, there are other provisions that can be invoked. National Parks also have individual regulations specific to that park that are founded in the legislation that established the area. Park superintendents have broad authority to create regulations and levels of enforcement. National Parks are independent of state and local ordinances, National Forests are not.
So, the only way to know exactly what is permitted in Arches is to review the official nps regulations. That said, Arches is a very busy and often congested park. It often closes it's gates shortly after opening when the parking lots are full.
There are millions of acres of federal lands outside the park, BLM and National Forests that are much less crowded, some seldom visited that are more conducive for naked activity. They have different regulatory authority but if the area is lightly used there would be little enforcement if any anyway.
So,
The best write-up on this scene can be found here:
https://www.boondockersbible.com/knowledgebase/is-nude-camping-legal-on-federal-lands/
The gist of it is that in some areas it boils down to what the local authorities consider "lewd and lascivious" and whether they feel like enforcing the rules or not. So blanket assertions can't be made here.
Bottom line- don't expect to hike naked in popular National Parks unless they are large enough to have remote Backcountry areas.
I have heard that Shenandoah, while one of the busiest parks, also has opportunity for backcountry nude hiking. Can anyone confirm?
While the parkway and connected developed sites are extremely busy, especially on weekends, there are a lot of trails. I've seen a number of posts from folks that have hiked nude there. And, the Appalachian trail goes thru it with well known naked hiking on the summer solstice (and other times).
Generally, the further you get from the spine and the more rugged the route the less traveled it will be, as is true anywhere. The adjacent George Washington and Jefferson National Forests also have many trails and see less use.
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