Hanlan's Point Beach

Well known to nudists in Canada, Hanlan's Point Beach is situated at coord|43|36|55|N|79|24|36|W|type:landmark_scale:10000 on Hanlan's Point near Toronto, Ontario on the shore of Lake Ontario. Part of the beach was officially recognized by the city in 2002 as being clothing optional. For those who don't care for nudity, there is a wide adjacent stretch of beach where bathing attire is required.

Hanlan's Beach can be reached most directly by taking the Hanlan's Point ferry at the foot of Bay Street at Queens Quay. The ferry cost is currently $6.50 CAD per adult for a return trip and the schedule varies depending on the day of the week and season. After the fifteen-minute trip, it is necessary to walk or cycle another ten or fifteen minutes along a paved path. The beach is shielded from the path by a stand of natural brush and trees. There are designated wooden walkways through this natural area to ensure that foot traffic does not degrade it. Aside from the cost of the ferry there is no admission fee.

It may assist potential first time visitors to know that the beach features: a lifeguard station; emergency telephone; refuse and recycling bins; well maintained washrooms and shower nearby as well a snack bar and ice for sale. Lockers ($2.00 exact change in the form of a 'Toonie'), lounge chairs ($6.00 with $2 deposit required) and umbrellas ($10.00) are available for rent. Signage, walkways, frequency of the ferry service and other physical facilities are noticeably upgraded each year. A volleyball court is situated on one end of the kilometre length of sand, but the beach offers little else in the way of formal recreation opportunities. The mood can be described as low-key and laid-back, with people there to sun, swim, and converse, but rarely to party. This can be contrasted to the more vibrant community feeling said to be found at Canada's only other official clothing optional beach, Wreck Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The effective beach season starts in late May and ends in late September, while actual swimming off the beach is possible only well within this period. On low-attendance days there are usually fifty or more people on the clothing optional side of the beach at any one time, with almost none to be seen on the "textile" side. On hot and sunny weekends five hundred or more people can often be found. Again, the end of the beach reserved for those who prefer swimsuits is usually only sparsely populated. Although there is no requirement for nudity on the clothing optional end, almost everyone takes the opportunity to completely shed their clothes. There are occasional curious individuals or groups who walk down the length of the beach while fully clothed, looking distinctly out of place. The regular beach goers routinely ignore this. Sailboats and motor boats often anchor just offshore to allow their owners to also enjoy the beach.

Prior to becoming "officially" clothing optional in 2002, Hanlan's Point Beach was a traditional site for nude sunbathing for decades. It was also an infrequent target of police crackdowns on this behaviour. Its official status has resulted in a distinct increase in ferry traffic, and it appears to be a profitable component of public and private sector advertising campaigns, since it draws visitors to Toronto. Police and park officials now work in partnership with the beach goers to maintain the beach's friendly atmosphere.

As is common for most public nudist-friendly venues, males make up a large percentage of the users of the beach, but women can make up to one quarter of the total on popular weekends. Recent years continue to see an increase in the number of families who attend.

This beach is mentioned on the website of the Federation of Canadian Naturists, and is the regular site of day trips by several local nudist organizations.

In spite of its proximity to Toronto Harbour, the beach can boast extremely good water quality since it faces south west and away from the mainland. Water quality is monitored daily (on weekdays) during the summer and meets a "Blue Flag" standard set by the Foundation for Environmental Education.

ee also

*List of public outdoor clothes free places

External links

*http://blueflag.ca/drupal/?q=node/108
*http://www.fcn.ca/