vermont "beaches"
Return to DiscussionsIve been to 3 of them to enjoy the sun and water:
Rock River in Newfane
The Ledges in Wilmington
Lake Willoughby (white Caps Cove on the south end) in Westmore
I also visited Condon Point on the Chittenden Resevoir, which is supposed to be a nude beach. Looked really nice, similar to the rocks at The Ledges, but it was early in the season , so didnt go in the water
Ive been to 3 of them to enjoy the sun and water:Rock River in NewfaneThe Ledges in WilmingtonLake Willoughby (white Caps Cove on the south end) in WestmoreI also visited Condon Point on the Chittenden Resevoir, which is supposed to be a nude beach. Looked really nice, similar to the rocks at The Ledges, but it was early in the season , so didnt go in the water
I've been to all these and of the four of them I like Lake Willoughby the most. It is potentially endangered every year by local pressure to stop the nudity at the beach and on the trails but so far it is still clothing optional. There is a plan to put in a large parking lot with a bus turnaround and with heated rest rooms, all almost unimaginable when you see how relatively unspoiled it is. There is a local group trying to block the redevelopment, the fear being that even though nudity is completely legal and protected, that the increased tourism would result in textiled tourists lodging complaints that will result in the town passing an ordinance to stop nudity at the southwest cove. But there is another group who want the economic development. But, whatever the outcome it is a stunningly beautiful spot. It has been popular for decades as a nude swimming area but two years ago it was advertised in Canada as a local getaway location. Now it can get extremely busy on summer weekends. Where there used to be a quiet place for naked people to swim, kayak, canoe or lie out quietly in the nude, it can now be very busy with more speedboats and way more clothed people. The lake has two other textile only beaches that are always packed. The small southwest cove is the only clothing optional area but now with the greatly increased visitorship in 2018 and 2019, the beach now has way more textiles than nude bathers. The good thing is that, although these new tourists wear suits, they are largely tolerant of the nudity. Lake Willoughby is still my favorite spot in New England. The Ledges in Wilmington is a very nice place. It's a reservoir so the water level varies throughout the summer. Rock River is great, it just can get very sexual there. I'm not against sex, in fact I love sex, it just is sometimes so pervasive in some sections that it is something to be aware of. Other places I have been are Huntington Gorge, which is nice, but treacherous and anyone who goes there must be extremely cautious. One place that I think is beautiful and dramatic is Warren Falls. Unfortunately nudity is no longer allowed at the falls. It is one of the places that actually suffered from the open nudity laws. After 200 years as a local spot for naked swimming, when the laws protecting nudity were enacted and naked swimming increased, a group of locals worked successfully to establish a local ordinance to ban it in the area of deep gorge pools and jump off spots.
The clothing optional spots upriver are shallow and really not appropriate for swimming. Warren Falls is not far from the Mad River Punch Bowl, a place I have never visited. Not many miles from Congdons Point on the Chittenden Reservoir is Clarendon Gorge south of Rutland. The Gorge is nice and there is a great walking bridge across the river, but I think the popular and really lovely falls and gorge are traditionally textile. Way up river in the shallows there are places to lay out along the shore. I have encountered nude people in all areas at one time or another, but I've also been there and seen no nudity. I don't care much for the nude beach on Lake Champlain in Burlington but I heard all swimming is sometimes banned anyway due to problems with the water quality. Other places to check out are Stratton Pond, popular with hikers, and there are some spots along the White River around Royalton and Sharon, but you will encounter many textiles so I am always discreet. I do not care at all for the Woodbury Quarry. It's hard to get to and there is a strange isolated darkness of mood I always feel there, so I no longer go.