San Gregorio Ranch State Beach, a historically clothing-optional location in California, will require visitors to wear clothing when it officially opens as part of the California State Parks system on July 29. The nonprofit land trust Peninsula Open Space Trust purchased the 195-acre property last spring with plans to donate it to the state park system.
Day-to-day operations of the beach will be managed by Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks. According to Bonny Hawley, the Executive Director of the organization, nudity is not permitted in state parks. The parks system intends to educate the public on the change in policy for the historically nude beach.
In addition to the new dress code, dogs will also not be allowed on this stretch of beach. This dual policy shift moves away from the beach's long-standing reputation as a free-roaming, natural space.
Some visitors have expressed confusion and disappointment regarding the changes. Bob Morton, who has visited the beach previously, told the Los Angeles Times that the requirement to wear clothing seems counterintuitive to the experience of being "one with nature" that the beach historically offered. He questioned how one can feel fully immersed in nature while wearing a swimsuit.
