Bear Naked Granola encourages hikers to go ‘bare naked’ this summer

Many people turn to hiking as a way to immerse themselves in nature and appreciate the scenic landscapes they traverse. But Bear Naked Granola is encouraging these hikers to deepen their connection to the wilderness in “the way nature intended”—taking to the trails in the nude. In honor of “National Nude Day” on July 14, the Kellogg’s-owned granola brand set out to empower nudist hikers with guidance on clothing-optional hiking trails and tips for navigating dense forests or craggy mountains with little protection from the elements. For its “Naked Trails” campaign, Bear Naked partnered with nature-focused magazine Outside and the publication’s hiking trail navigation app, Gaia GPS, to map out nude-friendly trails across the country. These trails are identified in the app with a simple, emoji-based code: nude-friendly treks are labeled with a bear, a peach (an emoji often used to refer to people’s butts), and a green check mark, while those deemed unfit for nude hikers instead replace the check mark emoji with an “X.” Bear Naked’s entire campaign—created in partnership with agency Leo Burnett—is infused with tongue-in-cheek, humorous energy, emphasized in a mockumentary-style, three-minute video at the heart of the campaign. The video, produced by Hungry Man and directed by LJ Johnson, stars a group of nude hikers in search of trails that suit their clothing-free style of exploring nature. However, their methods of determining the nude-friendliness of these paths are played for laughs—one hiker, for example, deems a trail acceptable after she shouts “hello” and receives no response, indicating to her that there’s “nobody around for miles.” On the other hand, on a trail the group determines is unsuitable for nude hikers, the group is chased down by a park ranger eager to issue tickets to the hikers for their nudity. Though hiking in the nude isn’t prohibited on the federal level, many national parks and other popular hiking trails have their own regulations banning nudity, and these conflicting rules can be confusing. "Every year, hikers across the country embark on these hikes to get as close to nature as possible," said Sadie Garcia, senior director of brand marketing at Bear Naked. "Connecting with nature is at the core of our brand, and to help them along the way, we want to make sure they know which trails are friendly.” As part of the campaign, Bear Naked also launched a limited-edition belt designed to shield hikers’ crotches with a “strategically-placed” bag of granola. Hikers can purchase the “Bear Naked Belt” on the campaign website, which also features a series of articles offering additional guidance for clothing-free hiking, such as “15 casual greetings for when you’re caught hiking in the nude” and “6 tips for taking tasteful nude pics in nature.” The granola brand also teamed up with several outdoor-focused creators across Instagram and TikTok to show off how they’ve embraced nudity in the great outdoors. For example, on National Nude Day, home gardener Gray Davis posted a video of himself picking fruit while donning the “Bear Naked Belt,” while self-proclaimed “granola girl” @bonjourbecky shared a video of herself taking a dip in a hot spring. Bear Naked is urging others to do the same with the hashtags #HikeBearNaked and #GetBearNaked. “Some people think all granola is the same, which can be boring. Naked hiking, on the other hand, is very much not boring," said Britt Nolan, president and chief creative officer of Leo Burnett. “When your name is Bear Naked, you have to take advantage of that.”

Bear Naked Granola encourages hikers to go ‘bare naked’ this summer

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