Hiking out in nature without clothes provides a level of freedom that may exceed that of hanging out at a nudist resort pool or nude beach.

Sunny Rest Resort in Palmerton, PA, provided the setting for our first experience with real nude hiking - legally and within the grounds of a gated nudist resort who adheres to the standards of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR).

Sunny Rest usually gets props for its excellent amenities (pool, indoor hot tub, game room, restaurant, etc.) and grounds. The nude hiking trail is a hidden gem.

Picture of Sunny Rest trail
(Source: Sunny Rest website)

Anyone can hike Sunny Rest's wooded hiking trails in the nude and feel safe. The trails are within the 190-acre resort property boundaries.

Just wear sneakers and socks. The trails were well-maintained and level with the exception of one small hill on what's called the "hard trail" - really just a small section that diverts from the main trail.

The main trail goes about 1 mile and then there are smaller side trails that are dead ends. Tack on about half a mile for the walk on pavement from the pool area to the start of the dirt trail.

A Nudist Travel Guide Blog exclusive, I've scanned the literature I received from Sunny Rest.

"Bare" with me. The papers got wrinkled. Oops.
The thing about hiking in the nude is the distinct lack of pockets.
I was forced to fold up the maps and stuff it in my sock. Lesson learned.

Click on any of these pictures to see larger versions of the maps and handouts.





The second lesson learned is to bring enough water if it is hot out. Even without clothes, staying cool is not easy if it is 90 degrees out. And don't forget to put on bug spray before you start hiking.

We walked in the paved areas of the grounds too. Many nudists have seasonal trailers in this part of the resort property. Some had more elaborate homes that may have been year-round. Everyone seems to take care of their lot and some people had unexpectedly nice landscaping. We saw some people camping in tents too. Some pictures of the grounds are on Sunny Rest's website here.

The heart of the resort is the area around the pool that includes offices, indoor hot tub, rec room (pool table and video games), dance room, workout room, restaurant and accommodations.

This is a map of the grounds.



To maintain a safe family atmosphere for visitors, Sunny Rest has a typical set of rules to follow.


A very good nudist campground, we plan to return.

Have you been to Sunny Rest? What did you think?

0 comments