Getting Back to Nature: Your Ultimate Guide to Outdoor Sex

Imagine being out on a hike with your special someone in the mountains. The air is crisp. The sun is shining. You arrive at the waterfall and look over at your partner and the mood strikes. But you aren’t anywhere near privacy. So, you take them by the hand, slink off the beaten path to a secluded spot where you can still see the waterfall and you have a quickie against some rocks. Not the most passionate, but it’s very satisfying for both of you.

What made it satisfying? The waterfall? The perfect weather? The endorphins from the hike? Maybe it’s the fresh air or the thrill of possibly being caught. Whatever the reason, there is a rush that comes with alfresco, or outdoor, sex. Really, alfresco anything is usually better than being stuck inside. Think about how lovely it is to sit outside to enjoy a meal in the cool air. Sex in the outdoors has so many possibilities and offers the same type feeling as outdoor eating.

There are tons of reasons why people enjoy having sex outside. Switching up locations is a good way to help revive a dull sex life. It’s an easy way to spice things up without adding anything wild or out of your comfort zone. There’s no need to learn about new tricks, just go where the wind takes you. Let your emotions and passion guide the way. One of the only limits to where you can have sex outside is your imagination and the law.

Why Outdoor Sex is SO Good

Outdoor sex is something that humans have been doing since the dawn of time. Sure we many have had shelters, but those shelters haven’t always had climate control and may have been full of people. There were times in history where being outside gave way more privacy than being indoors. Being surrounded by nature and getting lost in the person that you are with is exciting.

There are some reasons that outdoor sexcapades are a popular thing to do. There’s the thrill of the risk of being caught. The rush of knowing that someone could catch you at any minute adds to the surge of endorphins you get from sex anyway. It’s the taboo of doing something you aren’t supposed to do as well. Some people like to know that they are being watched. The voyeur element is a big turn on for some.

For others, like me, it may take us back to a time when sneaking around was a necessary part of life because maybe you still lived with your parents or had roommates that made alone time with your partner a challenge. Maybe you were committing a mortal sin by having sex outside of marriage and outdoor sex made it seem more dangerous.

Emma Austin shares on her blog why she loves to have sex outside. She talks about her secret requirement for a new home; she has a need for it to have an outdoor place where she and her partner could sneak out for a quick romp. She talks about the rush of sex outside on a trampoline to avoid tiptoeing into a house and disturbing his parents. Her secret desire for a secluded place to have sex outside took her back to a time her life when she lived without holding back. It connected her to her younger self.

It’s risky. Almost irresponsible. Reckless. As I read through her post, I was reminded of a time when I lived at home. And the brief time that I couch surfed in college. My boyfriend, now husband and I would find all sorts of creative places to get frisky. A dark side road when he would drive me back to my parent’s house. The side of my parents’ house when I would walk him to his car (thank goodness it was before surveillance cameras were common in homes). The practice field in the middle of the night. Or that one time when we were all at the beach and my husband and I went swimming in broad daylight.

We still do this sometimes, though not as often. There are risks and we have to be careful with the ones we choose to take. On our last vacation to the beach, one of my best girlfriends suggested porch sex. When I asked her what she meant, she said to go and find a dark corner of the porch and go at it. This friend told me that her and her husband do this on every vacation they go on. She said it’s the naughtiness of it that makes the sex hotter.

And that’s exactly what we did every single night that we were there. I’m happy to report that she was more than right. It was such a rush to know that someone could walk by and see us. The best time on that vacation was when people checked into the condo below us and we were mid party when they came out on their porch. Having to stay quiet to avoid getting caught and then sitting back down like nothing had happened. It’s such a thrill that it made the orgasms that much more intense.

Exhibitionism

When we talk about sex outside, we talk about a few different things. We have exhibitionism, being an exhibitionist, or having agoraphilia.

According to kinkly.com, an exhibitionist is a person who experiences an extreme compulsion to expose themselves in public. This usually involves private body parts, such as the penis, vagina, buttocks, and breasts. An exhibitionist may target friends, family, loved ones, or total strangers. According to research, 35% of people who expose themselves want sex while almost 20% do not need a reaction from their audience. This may be part of your desire to have sex outdoors, but not the entire reason.

An exhibitionist is more often than not someone that flashes their nude private parts. Think of a streaker. This is highly frowned upon behavior because it’s usually only the one person that wants to do it.

If you don’t want to just expose yourself, you may have a fetish for the outdoors. This is called agoraphilia. It sounds kind of scary and clinical, but it really isn’t. As defined by kinkly.com, agoraphilia is a fetish for having sex in public places. Agoraphiles may enjoy having sex outdoors or may simply fantasize about this practice.

Agoraphilia is a really fancy way of saying that you get turned on by the outdoors. It’s a combination of exhibitionism and the desire to have sex outdoors. People with agoraphilia are aroused in public places.

There are those of us that want to have others watch us have sex. They crave to be seen. An easy way to dip your toe into the exhibitionist/agoraphilic pool would be to open your windows. Just doing that allows you to be seen without the risks of getting arrested or bug bites in awkward places. Remember Naked Guy on Friends? It would be like that.

If you’re feeling more daring, you could try places like an alleyway or a dressing room. Alleyways for the most part aren’t full of people and there are things you could duck behind to get it on. In those locations someone could walk by and see you or the store attendant could come to check on you. Both of these options aren’t for long drawn out sessions. Make it quick and it one of you doesn’t finish, then it’s good foreplay for when you can. Be sure to check the pulse with your partner before you get brave and try public sex. You can also start with small steps; sex in a car or maybe your back porch.

Precautions and Risks

Alright, you and your partner have decided to go for it. You’d think it’s something that is very straight forward. But there are some things that you need to take into consideration.

There are laws about public indecency. If you decide to have nooky in public, you’ll want to check that it’s a place where police involvement isn’t likely. Also, sex anywhere that a kid could be (it doesn’t matter if it’s the middle of the night and there are no kids around), is off limits. If you were to get caught near a school or a playground, you could end up on the sex offenders list.  That consequence has long lasting repercussions that will impact the rest of your life. You have to constantly report and check in both your location and your residence.

As a former beach girl, I always wanted to have sex on the beach. It’s my haven, where I feel the most connected to the universe. But sand is not my friend if it gets in any private areas. It doesn’t feel good. Sex in the ocean is wonderful, but you need to be sure that it’s a time when sharks and other sea critters, like sharks, aren’t too active, like sunrise and sunset. A bite or a brush from something swimming by in the water is an instant mood killer.

If you decide to go for a hike and get inspired for some fun, make sure you stray from the path a bit. It would be quite traumatic for a family of four on their Sunday afternoon hike to catch you and your partner getting down on the trail. You need to be able to look out for someone coming along but be out of the way enough that if someone does see you, it looks like something innocent. Have an exit plan.

For a few more things to consider when having sex in public places, check our article.

Good Locations

There is an excellent argument to be made for scenic sex. A walk at sunset. A trail on a beautiful spring day. The sounds that you hear. The breeze on your skin. The smell of the flowers. All of these things can inspire romance.

It’s a great thing to try when you want to incorporate all of the senses into your sexual escapades. When all five senses are incorporated into playtime, the whole experience is taken to another level. Everything is elevated. Lots of folks don’t think to include location. Where you do it can be a real mood enhancer.

Here’s a list of some great places to get your freak on:

• The car: Do you remember when you were a teen and you couldn’t wait to get it on but the only place you had to have sex was the car? Remember that thrill? Car sex can be super satisfying and really hot. There are some things you’ll want to think about when having sex in a car. You’ll want to park the car in a secluded space to keep from prying eyes. You’ll also want to crack the windows open to help air out the delicious sexy smell. Here are some other tips for sex in your car.
• A tent or a yurt: Tent sex is fun, speaking from personal experience. Sex in a tent does provide both sex in the outdoors, while also providing some privacy from prying eyes. A yurt is more for glamping. You will want to consider not turning on a flashlight in the tent. This will keep anyone walking nearby from watching your shadows going at it. Also, when there is no light, that heightens the senses of touch and sound, making it that much hotter.
• The hood of your car: It’s a great place. It offers leverage as well a place to lay on if you want. You can be bent over the car or laying on the hood. Samantha Jones combined the hood and the beach in Sex and the City 2.
• In the water: So many amazing possibilities with water sex. There is the element of weightlessness that can make lifting your partner easier. Self-confidence skyrockets because you’re not self-conscious about your weight or if you aren’t strong enough. Think of all the water around you at your disposal. The lake, the beach, the pool, the hot tub. Water sex has a few more things to think about and include so it’s pleasurable for both parties.
• A barn: Literally rolling around in the hay can be hot. It’s out of the way and typically there aren’t a bunch of people hanging around. There’s privacy while still experiencing the outdoors. Hay can get really itchy and it sticks to things the same way that sand does, so you want to be sure to have a blanket handy when you go rolling in the hay.

There are other places you can explore like rooftops, the mountains when you go on a hike, even at work.  

Things to Have on Hand

The main thing that I have learned in life is to go into any situation as prepared as you can. When my husband and I were dating we kept a blanket in the back of the car in case inspiration hit. We also discovered the importance of keeping a shovel in the trunk of the car in case we got stuck. That happened once and my Dad and a cop had to come and dig us out.

If sex on the beach is the thing that you have your heart set on, then you’ll want to have a blanket. Like I said earlier, the idea is sexy, but sand is not. You’ll want a decent size blanket if you want to have one of you on your back. If a blanket isn’t available because you got swept up in the moment, you’ll want to maybe go with doggie style.

While on the subject of sex on the beach, let’s talk about what you need for sex in the water. I didn’t know why sex in water always felt dry. You’re essentially surrounded by lube. But here’s the thing, it’s the wrong kind of lube. Water actually washes away our natural lubrication. The result is dry and sometimes painful intercourse, regardless of how aroused you are. You’ll want to look into silicone-based lube. It is waterproof and will hold up during water play. Just be sure that you don’t use it with silicone-based toys. It will damage them.

You can also consider an oil-based lube, but that has its own issues. There is a higher rate of infection associated with oil-based lubes and you can also stain clothes. Here’s a good guide to different types of lubes and the pros and cons.

If you choose to go at it while you’re on a hike or out in the woods, you’re going to want to include bug spray. I know it’s not the sexiest smell, but it’s better than getting bug bites in very inconvenient places.

While you’re in the woods on your hike, a blanket is a good idea to have. Whether you’re doing it on the ground or up against a tree, you want to try and make sure not to get any scratches from the bark or dirt from the ground. Blankets are a good thing to have handy.

One thing that some folks don’t think about is condoms and how to get rid of them when you are out and about in nature. Make sure that you bring baby wipes to clean up and ziploc bags or a trash bag to throw away any evidence of your good time.  

If you go off the beaten path to have privacy and total freedom, be sure to have charged cellphones that you can find your way back or call for help if you get lost. Try and stay within the limits of the GPS and cell signal of your phone. I’ve been on many a mountain where there is no signal.

Here are a few more words of wisdom. The link has great tips for more do’s and don’ts of outdoor nookie. They even have a list of gear to make it more fun. They have ideas for tents, sleeping bags that are sexy and more.

A Few Final Words of Caution

Sex outside can so fun and fulfilling. Personally, I love it. I love the adrenaline rush. I love the connection to nature and myself. There is something oddly freeing about it. Not worrying about the confinement of a bedroom is liberating.

I do have a few things I recommend you check out to avoid any problems. First, check the laws in your area. There is big difference between a misdemeanor and a felony. And as great as an outdoor romp is, it’s not worth the criminal record. Like I said earlier, you also run the risk of becoming listed on the sexual offender list. Being put on that list has ramifications that will impact your professional life and your personal life.

Also, be sure not to fall asleep. This is especially important if you’re not 100% sure where you are at. I read a story about a couple that was wanting to get busy during a party, but every room was taken. They went outside, went about their business and then fell asleep. They woke up in the yard of a church. That was unnecessarily embarrassing for them.

Remember that outdoor sex doesn’t mean public all the way out in the open sex. You can have sex with the windows open in your hotel room, house, or apartment. You can have sex in a tent or a yurt. Or even the porch of your cabin if you are on vacation in the woods. My husband and I stayed in a cabin once that had an amazing view and no one behind our cabin. We took full advantage of the back porch. But no one could see us.

The point here is this: have fun. Don’t be afraid to try new things with your partner. Variety is the spice of life. That variety isn’t limited to BDSM type stuff or trying out a threesome or even trying new positions. It’s about open communication and experimenting. See what you both like. Life is an adventure and sex is part of it. Why not make seek out the adventure in sex?