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Photo credit: Gordy Phillips, People's Park Nudists, Spokane, WA
Latah Creek Beach, also known as People's Park is located about a mile west of Spokane on the banks of the Spokane River. It is one of the nation's best established nude beaches. Folks have been going nude at this beach since the Spokane Expo of 1974. When homes in the area were condemned to enlarge the nearby High Bridge Park, workers at the '74 Expo set up rough camp sites and introduced skinny dipping in the cool waters. Nude sunbathing and swimming at this site has been a normal practice ever since.
DIRECTIONS: Go west from downtown Spokane on Riverside Avenue for about 3/4 of a mile. At the bottom of the long hill, near where Riverside intersects Clark, you will see some concrete road barriers and the Spokane River curving around to the right. You then hike about 1/4 mile beneath the bluffs where Hangman Creek meets the Spokane River until you reach the parking lot (or you can also simply take bus #10 to the parking lot). The nude beach runs along Latah Creek at its intersection with the Spokane River.
SITE REVIEWS:
Subject: RE: People's Park Spokane WA
Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002
From: Rachel H.
Hi Mooncrow, I just thought I'd drop a line. I have visited your website and found
numerous beautiful places I would otherwise never know about that fit your descriptions
very well. But it was a great disappointment to see People's Park listed as one of the
'greatest' nude beaches, I live near there in Brown's Addition,
And people's park is all park fags, crusty homebum winos,drug addled hookers, and perverts
glaring at you from every direction, even in the nighttime I saw what appeared to be a red
glow coming from a bush, so I checked it out, making sure it was not an ember from my
campfire, and lo and behold, a 'gawker' with his pants down and an infrared camera! What
an expensive 'hobby' it must be! I will never take my family there, let alone take my
clothes off! It's a disgusting display of perversion, I love being a naturist, unless
people stare at you without blinking and make rude comments about my 'rack'. People there
blantly disrespect others, and I'm not usually one for police intervention, but they
really should go undercover to bust more of the undesireables. I remember going there as a
child with my parents, in the 1980's and it was so nice and pristine with total naturist
harmony. now there's broken beer bottles, used hypodermic needles and used condoms
hanging from bushes. Not my kind of place.
Just thought you might want to update your review!
Peace,
Rae :)
PS- please do not list my email address.
Gracias :)
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The following review was also posted in the Snake River Dunes section.]
Subject: Snake River Dunes, Rice Bar, and People's Park Updates
Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2001
From: Jack Recasner (seahawkopolis@hotmail.com)
Dear Mooncrow,
I don't know if you can use this info, but I thought I'd provide some updates anyways.
Snake River Dunes:
Visited the Snake River Dunes last Sunday...the weather was excellent and the heat wasn't unbearable yet. As the directions indicate, we hiked upstream from the main beach area and found a secluded beach cove between the two sandbar markers. Somethings to note: if you are going to be nude, please remember that boaters are frequent (every minute or so one passes) and standing-up on the beach or in the river isn't advised. Additionally, it's probably a good idea to build a windscreen with driftwood, not only for the wind but to give you privacy and time to cover up if someone approaches. Since summer is now in full effect, weekends are very crowded and you may find that there are too many people present to enjoy the Dunes nude.
Rice Bar:
This is supposedly another area for nude useage about 15 miles from the Dunes. I found information about it at the "Clothing Optional BC" webpage. However, I haven't had a chance to visit it yet...I'll give it a try this weekend. Probably much more secluded than the Dunes, which would be great since the Dunes are overrun with boaters and jet-skiers.
Here's the info from COBC: "About 15 to 20 miles downstream of the Dunes you will find area a little cove called Rice Bar. This is a beautiful area about a mile and a half long along the river that DOW leases from DNR. A good gravel road leading down the mountain, good fishing, deer, and awesome scenery. Other than deer season and the occasional boaters, I very rarely encounter another sole. Nudity laws? I don't know. I have never run into a ranger there either. [Jim, June 2001]"
And lastly, People's Park:
Though I swore off People's Park as a haven for gawkers and homeless types, I though I'd give it a visit three weeks ago. It was my hope that the elevated police presence would run off the undesirable types (druggies and prostitutes); of course, I was wrong. On a nice Saturday afternoon I was one of about ten nude users on the beach. There were probably an additional thirty or so suited users. And then there were the gawkers...lined up like penguins along the backside of the beach where the sand meets the scrub grass and trees. I would guess that there were 15-20 gawkers, blatantly standing up or sitting on their bicycles, slobbering over every breast or ass they could see. Many of those present didn't look homeless or ragged, and I started wondering to myself if this was really a police raid waiting to happen. But alas, they were just perverts...coming down to check out the few nudists who wanted to simply soak up some sun by the river. Any woman who ventured out into the water instantly became eye-candy for the entire gawking audience. It got to the point where everyone was spending more time laying on their fronts than their backs. I just don't get it. Perhaps a new location should be established; I've seen some promising places along Hangman's Creek south of Spokane, near the golf course. Unfortunately, the only way to access these pseudo-beaches and coves is by parking on the highway, something I'm a little hesitant to do.
Well, that's it. I'm going to try to make a little trip to the Portland area early next month. I hope to visit Sauvie Island, St. Martins H.S.'s, Inner City Hot Tubs, and maybe even Cougar/Terwilliger (which I've never found...call me stupid). I'll provide some pictures and stories if I can. Take care and enjoy the summer!
Jack
Subject: Peoples park now
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001
From: Name/email withheld by request
Just thought I would drop a line about the park now. It is completely different than it was about 5 years ago The comments from Jack R. are totally correct. The gays have taken over. You can not even sunbathe anywhere without gawkers (male). It is ridiculous. The reason the police are down there a lot now is because of the lude conduct from the non-straight crowd. When the police used to come down for their normal stroll, it was to just make an appearance and like another person said, were not in a hurry. Everyone just put on their clothes for a while and in about half an hour everyone was sunbathing nude again. There is another park further up Latah Creek, why don't the non-straight crowd go there. You have ruined Peoples Park for the real nudists; male or female. Everyone is now afraid of being arrested.
Date: Sun, 09 Jul 2000
From: Jack Recasner (seahawkopolis@hotmail.com)
Dear Mooncrow,
Here are some of my thoughts on People's Park:
Recently I visited People's Park for the first time and I have to report I wasn't impressed at all with it. When I first arrived I noticed several vehicles in the parking area and thought this might live up to being "one of nation's best established nude beaches" However, upon reaching the beach and surveying the situation, I quickly realized this statement to be incorrect. The largest beach area, featured in the above photos, was entirely filled with clothed visitors. This was a surprise...I thought surely someone would have been sunbathing nude. So, deciding not to give up, I walked west along Latah Creek several hundered yards. Sure enough, I found plenty of room to go nude and proceeded to set things up. However, I quickly realized that I was on what amounted-to-be the gay end of the beach. In one hour, I was blatantly propositioned for sex twice...this is the first time this have ever happened to me at any nude beach. Having figured that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I packed up my stuff and moved farther west along the beach. I was a little happier with the seclusion I found...unfortunately, gawkers continuously paced up and down the beach. Having about had enough, I decided to cool off in the creek and call it a day. That's when, as I began to dry off, that I saw a couple having sex accross the stream in a little cove. And people wonder why the Spokane Police Department is picking on nude usage of this park? Anyways, as I began the trail back, the last straw was when a single woman asked me if I "wanted to party." Great...prostitutes too!
What has happened to this place? I've never had such an experience at German, French, or Spanish nude beaches (where it's about sun, not sex). I'm really beginning to think that American society isn't mature enough to accept nude sunbathing as a non-sexual endeavor.
Sorry about the rant...but this is getting rediculous. When the few nude places we have are being used for unsavory uses, it's really sad.
Jack Recasner
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999
From: Martin Taylor (mtaylor@SOLAR.RTD.UTK.EDU)
Just thought I'd drop a quick line with an update on The People's Park in Spokane that has surprised a lot of people (if it turns out to be true).
The weather has finally turned warm in Spokane, and I was able to go to the creek most all last week, all week end, and a couple of days this week. During that entire time the police came through exactly one time. That alone was a surprise. But, the biggest surprise -- They told us not to worry about getting dressed so fast next time. They wern't going to be bothering with simple nudity anymore -- just lewd activity and people drinking.
If it's true then the park just became a much better place. We'll have to wait and see.....
Martin Taylor
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998
From: Tallskinny Whiteman (tallskinny_whiteman@yahoo.com)
I am a semi-regular visitor to People's Park. Each of the several times I visited in the summer of 1997, I spent the whole day with a fine group of people (mostly regulars), and only on one or two occasions did the police enter that section of the park. Everyone simply kept some clothing nearby, and I did not see or hear of any arrests or citations. I am pleased that the city has allowed People's Park to continue to exist, as it is a beautiful place to relax with other naturists.
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 1996
From: Marshall Thompson (mtcs@qik.com)
Peoples Park is about two to three miles west of Riverfront Park, near the downtown of Spokane along the Spokane River.
Over the past few years, Washington & Idaho have been working on the completion of a bicycle & walking path called the Centennial Trail which runs from Riverfront Park east to Coeur d'Alene Idaho.
Late last year, plans were taken up to extend the Centennial Trail to the west to Riverside State Park (which is about 5 miles west (down river) from People's Park. The proposed route for the trail would take it through the middle of People's Park and along the edge of the adjoining cemetary.
Late last fall, a group of nudists were arrested at People's Park. I do not know the specifics of the arrests, but believe that the city was trying to clear the nudists out of the area in order to facilitate the construction of the Centennial Trail through the park.
Last month, the cemetary denied the city access to their property and the status of the western leg of the Centennial Trail seems in doubt.
I do not know if the city will leave People's Park alone this summer or use the opportunities provided by recent legal actions to shut the beach down entirely.
As I thoroughly enjoy sunbathing at People's during the summer, if you have any additional information on the status of People's Park, I would love to hear from you. Otherwise, I trust this information will be informative to you.
Thank you for the information you provide. If I can provide any additional information regarding People's (etc), please do not hesitate to contact me.
Marshall Thompson
The following review was written by: R. Casault (casault@u.washington.edu) (12/11/95)
Carl, you are welcome to use the following information in your NW Naturist Page to update the info there.
I visited Latah Creek, Spokane, WA, commonly know around Spokane as "People's Park," twice last Summer. That does not make me an expert, so I hope others who are more familiar with the site will contribute better information.
The East bank of Latah Creek is mostly sandy, somewhat muddy close to the water. There are some shade trees above the sand. At the confluence of the creek and the river (rather swift moving even in late Summer), people have built (or amplified an existing) pool in the river to cool off in. There is no potable water, so bring your own (it does get hot!). There was a sani-can close to the beach. The area was generally quite clean. Truly a beautiful spot to relax.
When I was there (midweek), there were about 50 people; a comfortable mix of men, women, children, singles, couples and families, some partially clothed, most nude. The atmosphere was friendly and social, without being a raucous party. In the morning there were about a half dozen otherwise homeless men who appeared to have made the area their temporary "home."
On my second visit the police showed up on their bicycles, resulting in a flurry of quick dressing. They didn't make any arrests or write citations as far as I could tell. They did spend a bit of time appearing to warn a group of regulars. I hope that did not portend a change in what I understood to be a live-and-let-live attitude of law enforcement toward this site. It is isolated and well signed so no one need be surprised by, or take offense at, the nude use.
This review was written by: michaelc@cet.com (12/04/95)
Just thought I'd let you know, that the name of the park that you have listed as Latah Creek Beach, is actually called People's park. I've been going there for about 3 years now, and with the exception of the transients that attemt to camp there every summer, it's actually a nice place. The people are friendly and outgoing, and for the few that chose to stay clothed, none of the nudists there pressure them at all.
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