It's legal to be naked (anywhere) in Seattle

Nudity was made legal here in the case of Seattle v. Johnson. Yes, really

Little known Seattle factoid: City law allows you to be nude anywhere, any time. Not, however, if you flaunt it and make others uncomfortable. (Flashers, be warned.) Despite this free range law, nudists stick to pockets of the city where others openly express their nudity. One recent warm afternoon, about a dozen naked people relaxed on the lawn at Howell Park on the shores of Lake Washington. Most of the sunbathers were men, laying on blankets or towels reading books, eating snacks, or resting with their eyes closed. The tiny park, known as Hidden Beach to longtime locals in the Madrona neighborhood, is surrounded by tall bushes that hide it from the road. To clothed Dave Warnock, however, this was his grandma’s beach, the place she took him on his visits in the 1990s. He and Grandma picked blackberries from the overgrown bushes and played in the rocks. Grandma swam out a few hundred feet for exercise. Here, Warnock overcame his fear of water.

Credit: KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer



“I used to be scared of the water when I was a little kid,” he said. “I stayed in the very shallows and every so often would go a little deeper and deeper until I finally learned how to swim.” The norm was to visit the beach with clothes – but every so often a topless woman would appear, Warnock said, and Grandma hiked up the steep path home to call police. Grandma would not abide the nudity—no matter that she was an ardent feminist and civil rights activist. But she moved out of the neighborhood in 2001, and since then (whether by coincidence or causation) the small enclave is now overwhelmingly naked and gay. Warnock asked KUOW, how did this beach become a haven for nudity? Today the park is known as a safe and welcoming place for all bodies and sexualities, with or without clothing. And on this particular afternoon, boyfriends Elias Darling and Will Flannery walked down the path to the beach with their friend Emily Lipton. They said they come often for the mellow, accepting atmosphere. “Once you get naked, it kind of strips away all your walls,” Flannery said. “You just feel comfortable, like there's no social expectations to even talk to people,” Lipton said. “You're kind of alone, but with people.” They carried blankets, sunscreen, and a picnic of salad, cheese, chicken strips and ranch dressing. Devotees of this beach are legion, and they are protective of this small oasis.

Credit: KUOW Photo/Megan Farmer