Franklin County, Massachusetts
Bare Ass Beach
Bare Ass Beach is an informal clothing-optional swimming spot on the Green River in Franklin County, Massachusetts — the name says everything about its long-standing local reputation.
- Day use
- Freshwater
- River
About this place
Bare Ass Beach is an informal clothing-optional swimming spot on the Green River in Franklin County, Massachusetts — the name says everything about its long-standing local reputation. The Green River flows through the Pioneer Valley's hill towns north of Deerfield, and this particular gravel bar and swimming hole has been a known C/O gathering point for locals and Five College area residents for generations.
The Green River at this spot is wide, clear, and cold — snow-fed through early summer, then warming to swimmable temperatures in July and August. The gravel bar provides sunbathing space, and the quiet surrounding forest makes it feel more remote than it is. Pioneer Valley's outdoor culture and the influence of Amherst, Hampshire, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and UMass have long made the western Massachusetts hill towns unusually relaxed about clothing-optional recreation.
The spot has no formal amenities or signage — it's a locals' swimming hole that has accumulated its nickname and reputation purely by word of mouth over decades.
Visitor notes
Contributed by ClothingOptional.org Editorial Team
Who visits
Pioneer Valley locals, Five College students and faculty, western Massachusetts outdoor regulars. Tends to draw a mixed-age crowd of people who know the area well.
How to find it
The specific access point circulates through western Massachusetts outdoor and naturist networks. The Green River corridor in Franklin County has multiple pull-offs; asking locally in Greenfield or Deerfield is the most reliable way to find the right spot.
Things to watch out for
The Green River runs cold until mid-July; check conditions before a long drive. The area can be crowded on summer weekends. Parking is informal and limited. No facilities of any kind.
Last updated
Etiquette & ground rules
Low-key and locals-oriented. The C/O tradition is long-established here — respect it by keeping things quiet and leave-no-trace.
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