Chautauqua gorge, western New York
MAJOR UPDATE ON THE GORGE
In the Spring of 2023, the local authorities are starting to crack down on the nudity in the gorge. Thanks to the pandemic, the gorge popularity took off in the summers of 2020-2022, and some things were happening in the parking lot, along the trail down and in the gorge, that put the local authorities on high alert. As a result, the gorge is now a "use at your own risk". I would advise to give it a few years and lets see how things pan out.
The Chautauqua gorge is a deep gorge, cut into the hills of western New York. It falls under the control of the town of Westfield, NY.
I found out about the gorge in my early internet searches, mainly via usegroups, back in the late 80's. From what I have read, the gorge has had a long history (over a century) of nude use.
Although it is a unoffical nude area, public officials have always "looked the other way" as far as nudity goes. This is a great situation for those of us that love hiking this part of the gorge, without wearing anything but some sort of footwear.
A few words of warning:
Since this is a natural gorge, each new winter, with the area's heavy snow fall, brings changes to the gorge, sometimes these changes come in the form of fallen trees blocking the creek, making hiking difficult in those areas. Sometimes the hard winters bring about major change, like we witnessed a few years ago, with the loss of the Oxbow bend, but the formation of a series of new waterfalls!
A few last words... get outside, and get nude!
In the Spring of 2023, the local authorities are starting to crack down on the nudity in the gorge. Thanks to the pandemic, the gorge popularity took off in the summers of 2020-2022, and some things were happening in the parking lot, along the trail down and in the gorge, that put the local authorities on high alert. As a result, the gorge is now a "use at your own risk". I would advise to give it a few years and lets see how things pan out.
The Chautauqua gorge is a deep gorge, cut into the hills of western New York. It falls under the control of the town of Westfield, NY.
I found out about the gorge in my early internet searches, mainly via usegroups, back in the late 80's. From what I have read, the gorge has had a long history (over a century) of nude use.
Although it is a unoffical nude area, public officials have always "looked the other way" as far as nudity goes. This is a great situation for those of us that love hiking this part of the gorge, without wearing anything but some sort of footwear.
A few words of warning:
- The nude area only covers a small portion of the gorge, so please, if you visit the gorge, limit your nudity to the designated area! Also, PLEASE RESPECT THE SURROUNDING LAND OWNERS PROPERTY, AND THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS, AND ANY POSTED SIGNS! As I stated above, there is a "look the other way" mentality for the nude area, but if we abuse it, we will loose it!
- Also, although the rock (pictured to the left) states "NUDIST AREA NEXT ONE MILE!", in reality it is a clothing optional area, so if you see families with young kids hiking through, please be kind and cover up. Chances are they will only be within sight for a few minutes.
- While in the gorge you may also run into folks using ATV's. There is a major controversy over the use of ATV's in the gorge, and I personally prefer that they stay out of the gorge, but it's not my call. Just be aware that you may encounter a few ATV's while hiking the gorge.
- Wear good hiking footware, this is a gorge with may slippery rocks, just waiting to twist or break an ankle! I personally wear a pair of Fivefingers by Vibram. You don't have to go that route, but please wear something that will give you traction on the wet rocks!
Since this is a natural gorge, each new winter, with the area's heavy snow fall, brings changes to the gorge, sometimes these changes come in the form of fallen trees blocking the creek, making hiking difficult in those areas. Sometimes the hard winters bring about major change, like we witnessed a few years ago, with the loss of the Oxbow bend, but the formation of a series of new waterfalls!
A few last words... get outside, and get nude!