Red Rock Beach (Mickeys Beach)

Noted as one of the best nudist beaches in California, Red Rock Beach is just south of Stinson Beach in California. It has a steep trail leading down from the highway so wear sensible footwear to reach this remote wave-battered crescent of beach which is favoured by naturists. You can also reach it at low tide by walking along the sand and scrambling over the boulders at Rocky Point from Stinson Beach.

Red Rock Beach is known locally as Mickey’s Beach. It is part of Mount Tamalpais State Park with free parking (on Highway 1 just south of town) but there are no facilities. The shoreline is mostly rocky and you need to walk past some large boulders to reach the white sand which tends to be covered at high tide and in winter.

At low tide, it’s a different story. A hot spring appears out of the sand near the large boulder just south of the access path. The beach is popular for sunbathing, rock climbing and bouldering (sometimes bare-ass!) and there is a camp ground nearby at Steep Ravine.

The waves here make it unsuitable for swimming as the beach has strong riptides and there are no lifeguards around.

Walkers can enjoy the challenges of nearby Rocky Point Trail that is a 1.6 mile round hike from the beach with easy-to-moderate conditions.