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Wondering where you can hit the beach in the United States minus all or part of your swimsuit? Here’s the skinny on some of the best topless and nude beaches in the U.S…

Little Beach, Maui, Hawaii

This eighth-of-a-mile stretch of golden sands is anything but easily accessible. The beach’s relative seclusion led a district court judge in the 1980s to allow nudity on a Hawaiian beach for the first time. Surrounded by shrubs and craggy volcanic outcrops, Little Beach remains Maui’s only “unofficial clothing-optional beach.”

Haulover Beach, Sunny Isles, Florida

There aren’t many county-run and government-sanctioned clothing-optional beaches in the United States, and Haulover Beach just north of Miami is one of the top nude beaches in the U.S. The nude portion is more than 800 yards long giving naturists plenty of room to, ahem, maneuver. The city of Miami lays on some great amenities, meaning there are certified lifeguards, barbecue grills (good idea, bad idea?), refreshment stands and showers.

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Black’s Beach, San Diego, California

Located in San Diego, Black’s Beach is famously the biggest nude beach in North America, but you have to make sure you hit the right half. The beach crosses state park and city park jurisdictions, and the bad news is it’s illegal to go topless in city-run parks. Located south of Torrey Pines and north of La Jolla, the big waves here make this a top surfing as well as naturist spot. Local volunteer organization Black’s Beach Bares mixes the two with a little birthday suit boogie boarding.

Gunnison Beach, Sandy Hook, New Jersey

Outside of Florida, Gunnison Beach has to be the top clothing optional beach on the East Coast. It’s really close to New York, so you get stunning views of the more traditional sense with a panoramic view of New York harbor and the Manhattan skyline. Make sure to cover up if you’re straying outside the designated nude areas, which are marked with signs.

South Beach, Miami, Florida

Unlike Haulover, South Beach isn’t one of Florida’s official topless beaches. All we’ll say is, some of the most attractive people on the planet choose to catch their rays here, including models who aren’t shy of ensuring their assets are looking their most beautiful.

Written by insider city guide series Hg2 | A Hedonist’s guide to…

Main image: istockphoto/Steve Katz

About the author

Brett AckroydBrett hopes to one day reach the shores of far-flung Tristan da Cunha, the most remote of all the inhabited archipelagos on Earth…as to what he’ll do when he gets there, he hasn’t a clue. Over the last 10 years, London, New York, Cape Town and Pondicherry have all proudly been referred to as home. Now it’s Copenhagen’s turn, where he lends his travel expertise to momondo.com.

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