Bare Ass Beach

Down the dirt paths below East River Parkway, near the Franklin Avenue bridge, lies the Twin Cities' worst-kept secret: a river sandbank that has been a nude and cruising beach for generations. Dusk is the classic hour.

Serious caution: since summer 2024 Park Police have run coordinated patrols here — indecent-exposure enforcement, drone surveillance has been reported, and alcohol rules are enforced. The river current is also genuinely dangerous; locals wade, they don't swim. Go for the sun and the company, keep anything more behind the treeline, and know the way back up before dark.