Gear up (or down) for Naked Hiking Day

If you’ve already heard of Naked Hiking Day, you’re probably also already into baring it all in public. You’re probably nude right now.

For the nude curious, this unofficial holiday falls on June 21, the longest day of the year for soaking your buns in the sun. Some nude-related web sites say it’s an ancient, summer solstice tradition that goes back for centuries. Others say it was started by thru-hikers of the Appalachian and Pacific Coast Trails as a diversion from the grind of endless miles.

Like all nude-related activities and hobbies, it’s seemingly simple —you drop trou and hike — and complicated: it’s not really legal on public hiking trails.

Most participants in Philly’s annual Naked Bike Ride are still safety conscious and wear helmets and shoes. Hiking, depending on your skill level and ambition, has its own dangers, and there’s enough must-haves like water, food, extra sunblock, and some protection from biting and stinging insects, that you might need a backpack, too. You should also pack the clothes you’re not wearing.

“Boots too. You should probably wear boots if you’re going to be hiking,” said Jeffrey Baldasarre, marketing director for the American Association for Nude Recreation.

Most nude hiking advocates say hikers, particularly first-timers, should go with a group if they are nervous.

Hitting the trail, legally, is where nude hiking gets hairy. The easiest way is to get permission to hike on private land. Elsewhere in Pennsylvania, nudity is off limits on the vast trail systems maintained by the state’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Game Commission. It’s a Wednesday, though, and depending on how remote you go, you may not see another human, let alone a park ranger.

“When you encounter textilists don’t panic! Smile and say hello,” one web site recommends.

There’s plenty of places to hike in Philadelphia, including the Wissahickon Trail, but if you’re skittish about people seeing you, you’re sure to run into clothed outdoors enthusiasts there. Maita Soukup, a Parks & Recreation spokesperson, says there’s no city rules about nudity but state codes about indecent exposure apply.

Most sources say nudity is permitted on federal lands, but officials in Western Pennsylvania’s vast Allegheny National Forest specifically restricted it in 2017, citing “public health and safety.” There are exemptions if you obtain a permit or, oddly, if you’re a firefighter.

Ultimately, the safest and most inviting way to hike nude next week is to go all-in and join the nudists. Beechwood Lodge, a family nudist camp in the Poconos, has its own trails along with hot tubs and a sand volleyball court. At Sunny Rest Resort, also in the Poconos, hikers can be shuttled to trails, then come back to grab a beer at Streakers Poolside Bar.

“Hiking in the nude provides a feeling of being one-with-nature like no other experience,” Beechwood’s web site promises.

If it all sounds like too much skin, too soon, Baldasarre said July 8 is International Skinny Dip Day.

“I’m not much of a hiker myself,” he said. ‘But everyone’s gone skinny dipping once in their life.”