As someone who enjoys nude hiking, the question whether to go completely naked or wear shoes/sandals comes up time and time again. If you have ever wandered through the woods barefoot, you will have experienced quite a different connection with nature. You are much more aware of every step you take, and you pay more attention to all that is beneath your feet. As a naturist, this is something I really cherish, even if this means I occasionally have to use tweezers to remove small thorns afterwards.

On the other hand, the benefits of wearing protective footwear are clear when you are walking over sticks and stones. In our Western World most of us are not accustomed to walk barefoot anymore. Our feet are sensitive to cuts and stitches from small objects on the soil that our ancestors would have walked over without even noticing them. I have grown up walking barefoot at home and in our garden as a kid, and I still do this today. But walking barefoot in nature is definitely something different that can be quite uncomfortable for me, especially when I cover a longer distance.

So, when I am naked in nature I wear footwear when it's pragmatic, just as I wear other clothing when it's pragmatic. When I just want to experience nature and have the time to walk slowly, I walk barefoot most of the time. When I want to have a longer walk, and the path is uncomfortable, I am happy to put on my shoes.

How do you handle this?

In a recent video we walk barefoot alomng our little stream, The soft warm mud, the refreshing water is nicer without shoes. It is lovely to walk on soft sand, bouncy grass, different textures like wood, stone and even tarmac, It is also surprisingly easy how feet toughen up. I remember seeing lots of Moaris barefoot when I went to New Zealand 30 years ago. I wonder if this is still the case. I also love encouraging my two to be broad as opposed to squished from wearing shoes. 

We get a lot of thistles and nasty thorns on our land so barefoot walking in some areas is a little too uncomfortable. It all depends on where I am walking, but if I can be barefoot I will be and I have had no nasty incidents that I can recall from it.

I love going barefoot where I can but haven't really gone out of the way to challenge the norm.  I spent a wonderful time at Sunsport Gardens in Florida where we all went naked and barefoot for a whole week and I really want to experience that again. Sand and grass and sometimes mud between my toes made me feel very connected to nature. I felt myself as part of it, vulnerable to but at the same time embraced by it. Maybe I'm getting too philosophical here!

Years back I visited Cairns in Australia when I was a kid and saw whole families went to malls and supermarkets barefoot. I wanted to join them but my parents would certainly stop me.  I also heard that barefooting is the norm for Kiwis especially for kids to young adults. Way to go!

yes barefoot is quite common here. Even when you'd think the weather wasn't warm enough. I think there are multiple reasons. 1 - climate while we do get cold weather nothing like a lot of places. 2 - wide feet, while compared to europeans and Asians the English have wide feet its nothing compared to the Polynesians ( most shoes are too narrow to be comfortable). 3 - mostly we have nothing nasty to step on. 4 - culture, because its so common its not frowned on like it would be in most places.  

So here most kids run around barefoot and compared to most countries is far more common overall.

Hey WalkingSkyclad,

Thanks for this thoughtful reflection — it resonates deeply with my own experience as a dedicated nude hiker. Like you, I cherish the sensation of total nudity in nature, but I’ve also found a balance that prioritizes both connection and practicality.

For me, the solution has come in the form of Vibram Five Fingers — minimalist shoes that offer just enough protection while preserving much of that barefoot feel. They allow me to stay completely nude, with the exception of footwear, while hiking through rougher terrains or covering longer distances.

Walking barefoot is indeed a beautiful, grounding experience. There’s an intimacy with the earth that’s hard to replicate. That said, nature isn’t always barefoot-friendly — thorns, sharp rocks, brambles, or even hot stones and biting insects can turn a serene walk into a painful one pretty quickly.

What I’ve found with minimalist shoes is that:

• They protect my soles from injury without detaching me from the sensory experience of the trail.

• They encourage natural walking posture, which fits perfectly with the naturist ethos of moving in harmony with the body.

• They let me go further, for longer, without compromising on that essential feeling of freedom and connection.

I absolutely agree with your pragmatic approach — nudity is not about dogma, it’s about authentic, intentional living. Wearing footwear when needed doesn’t detract from the naturist experience; in fact, it can enhance it by enabling us to venture deeper into nature, more safely and comfortably.

So in short: I stay naked, I walk often, and I wear my Vibrams as a tool — not as a compromise.

Thanks for opening this conversation. I’d love to hear what kind of terrain you hike and how often you choose to go fully barefoot.