Central Kootenay, British Columbia
Red Sands Beach
Red Sands Beach is a clothing-optional beach on Kootenay Lake near Nelson, BC — a freshwater beach in the Kootenay region of southeastern BC.
- Lake
- Kootenay
- Informal
- Alternative Culture
About this place
Red Sands Beach is a clothing-optional beach on Kootenay Lake near Nelson, BC — a freshwater beach in the Kootenay region of southeastern BC. Nelson is known for its alternative culture and arts community; the clothing-optional tradition at Red Sands reflects the town's generally progressive character. Kootenay Lake is one of BC's longest and deepest lakes, with clear water and mountain scenery.
Visitor notes
Contributed by ClothingOptional.org Editorial Team
Who visits
Nelson-area naturists, Kootenay visitors.
How to find it
Follow local naturist directions from Nelson — the beach is on Kootenay Lake.
Things to watch out for
Kootenay Lake is deep and cold even in summer. The Nelson area is a destination in its own right.
Last updated
Etiquette & ground rules
Informal naturism in Nelson's relaxed culture.
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Blackburn Lake
Blackburn Lake is a small freshwater lake on Salt Spring Island, in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia, with a long-standing clothing-optional convention at its small swimming dock. The lake itself sits inside the Blackburn Nature Reserve, a protected wildlife and bird sanctuary, which means access is limited to the dock — the rest of the shoreline is preserved habitat off-limits to recreational use. Access is informal. From Fulford-Ganges Road (the main spine of Salt Spring Island, connecting the ferry terminals at Fulford Harbour and Long Harbour to the village of Ganges), a narrow dirt path leads down to the dock. Parking is along the road; on warm summer weekends you'll see cars stacked along the shoulder. There's no developed lot, no signs, no facilities. The Gulf Islands have a long-standing tolerant culture toward naturist use of lakes and beaches, and Blackburn Lake's small dock has been the informal C/O spot on Salt Spring for decades. The lake is non-motorized (no boat launches), which keeps the environment quiet and the water clean. Swimming is the activity — sunbathing on the dock or the small adjacent shoreline area, swimming in the lake itself, and the standard Pacific Northwest summer rhythm. Crowd is Salt Spring locals, Gulf Islands regulars, and Vancouver/Victoria day-trippers (Salt Spring is a ~90-minute ferry from either side). The lake is small and the dock is the only access point, so crowding is self-limiting — busy summer days might bring 20-30 people spread across the day. Weekdays are mostly empty.
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Brunswick Beach
Brunswick Beach is a pebble beach on Howe Sound at Lions Bay, about 45 minutes north of Vancouver on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. The beach is a local clothing-optional spot — informal, long-established, and largely unknown outside the Lower Mainland naturist community. The Sound views toward the mountains of Howe Sound make the setting attractive. The beach is accessed by a short trail from the Lions Bay area. Water temperatures in Howe Sound are cold by summer standards — this is a naturist spot rather than a warm swim destination.
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Crescent Rock Beach
Crescent Rock Beach is the long-established clothing-optional section of the 6.5-kilometre shoreline running between Crescent Beach and White Rock on Surrey's South Surrey coast. The C/O area is named for an enormous 120-tonne granite boulder that marks the spot, just south of the Christopherson Steps at the west end of 24 Avenue. About 200 metres of bluffs screen the beach from the main textile beach and the inland railway corridor. Three pockets along the shoreline are traditionally used for nude sunbathing — Crescent Rock proper (marked by the namesake boulder), and two further sections at marked railway-mile points. The convention has been continuous for more than fifty years, dating from the early 1970s. The legal situation is unusual and worth understanding. The City of Surrey explicitly does not endorse the clothing-optional use of the beach — Surrey Parks Manager has publicly declined to acknowledge or advertise it. However, the RCMP have formally confirmed to Surrey's United Naturists organization that the nude use of Crescent Rock Beach is legal under Canadian case law, since the sections are out of sight of the marine parks at Crescent Beach and White Rock proper. The result is a perfectly-legal convention that the local government refuses to officially recognise. Access: from the west end of 24 Avenue in South Surrey, walk to the Christopherson Steps (a metal staircase down to the shoreline) and head south along the beach. About 100 metres south of the steps you reach Crescent Rock proper; the other C/O sections are further along. The active BNSF railway runs immediately above the beach — pay attention to passing trains. Beach raised areas above the high-tide line are the traditional sunbathing spots.