Nudity No Longer Allowed at Tahoe’s Little-Known Nude Beach

Secret Cove, located just south of Sand Harbor on Lake Tahoe’s east shore, has been Tahoe’s little-known nude beach for many years. Locals use the beach’s privacy to bare all in front of the beautiful scenery and crystal clear waters of Lake Tahoe.

But now, with more activity on the lake’s shore in recent years, law enforcement is cracking down on the practice, threatening to cite anyone sunbathing in the nude to indecent exposure, which equates to a sex crime.

Washoe County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Bob Harmon said nude sunbathers were making lewd gestures on the beach this weekend, forcing law enforcement’s hand to crackdown on the beach.

“I think one of the issues, with the new bike path and increased use of the lake, areas where people may have gotten away with it before have to be looked at a little more closely,” Harmon said to KOLO 8.

The new bike path referred to is the East Shore Trail, which recently opened in Sand Beach State Park and is expected to see up to 2,000 bikers and pedestrians on a given, busy day. Its no surprise the crackdown coincided with the grandiose opening of the beautiful new 7-mile trail.

Of course, the nude sunbathers who have enjoyed the beach for many years were not happy with the decision, with one posting a video of the tense confrontation between law enforcement and those on the beach:

As the development of Lake Tahoe has provided a boom in the area’s tourism economy, locals have recently felt the brunt of the crowds. For the locals who’ve enjoyed Secret Cove for years, they may need to find a new place to sunbathe in the nude.