Bare Ass Creek

A couple of years ago this French film came out called "Stranger By The Lake". It was a sort of murder-mystery/thriller that took place at this remote gay nude beach and cruising area. The location of the movie reminded me of this place in Angeles National Forest that a friend of mine liked to call "Bare Ass Creek." (only I never heard anyone else call it that.) It was up off of Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road.

This was a creek (there was usually water flowing into the summer, although it was usually mostly dried up by July or August except for a trickle) with lots of rocks that made for great sunning spots. Gay men would go out there to get some nude sunning in. It was the closest thing we had to a nude beach in Los Angeles County. I went up there sometimes when there'd be up to 30 naked guys up there.

And of course, sexual escapades happened. Not everyone took part; most were content to just get some sun, although nobody complained about the activity. It was just a very free, relaxed naked place in nature.

Then, a few years ago, the Station Fire tore through the area. This creek was actually right around the very edge of the fire line. But the damage was done, and the entire area had been closed to recreational uses for years.

The area is back open now, but road signs in the area around where the creek is seem to indicate that you can't park there anymore. I have seen sources that say that the parking restrictions aren't enforced there; the signs were put in place back when the area was still closed, and they never bothered to take them down. At least that's what I read by a guy who claims to have talked to a ranger.

I went up there with a friend a couple of weeks ago and there were two other naked guys up there. A lot of the trees had been burned... some were coming back though. We stayed for a couple of hours, got some sun and naked boulder-hopped, and didn't get a parking ticket. Still, I wonder if the creek and the crowd will ever come back to its former glory.