Naked Hiking Trails You Need to Try (Before You Die in Your Hiking Boots)

Nick Vannello
Aug 21
2 min read

Where gay men, clothing-optional culture, and the great outdoors collide in all the right ways.

The first time I hiked naked, I was terrified someone would spot me. I wasn’t afraid of being arrested—I was afraid of being seen. My stomach wasn’t flat. My thighs touched. And still, I peeled off my shorts because the air was begging me to.

There’s something about male nudist travel that strips the ego faster than the clothes. On the trail, surrounded by other gay men who had their own scars, bellies, and wrinkles, I realized nobody gave a damn. The mountains didn’t care if I had abs. The guys I was with didn’t either. We were there for the body-positive freedom of it all.

We started in silence. Just the crunch of boots on gravel, the rise and fall of breath, and the occasional bird slicing through the sky. Then someone cracked a joke about tan lines, and the whole hike shifted. Laughter echoed through the trees, bouncing off granite like we belonged there—clothing-optional, unapologetically free men in nature.

I’ve since learned this isn’t just a one-off thrill. It’s a whole thing. Germany’s Harz Mountains? Full of nude hikers who treat it like Tuesday. California’s Black’s Beach trails? Strip down at the bottom and dive straight into the Pacific. Even Vermont has its secret corners of woodland where guys trek bare, body and spirit both unzipped.

But here’s the thing about clothing-optional gay men’s hiking—it isn’t about showing off. It’s about showing up. The sweat trickling down your back, the sun kissing places it usually doesn’t reach, the quiet acknowledgment that you’re enough as you are. And maybe, if you’re lucky, the hand of a new friend reaching out to steady you when the rocks get loose.

Summary

Nude hiking isn’t a gimmick—it’s the purest form of gay male nudist adventure: freedom, connection, and self-acceptance wrapped in sunlight and dirt.