Capital Regional District, British Columbia
Witty's Lagoon Beach
Witty's Lagoon Beach sits in a Capital Regional District park in Metchosin, about a 30-minute drive west of Victoria on Vancouver Island.
- Regional Park
- Vancouver Island
- Ocean
- Hike In
- Indigenous Heritage
About this place
Witty's Lagoon Beach sits in a Capital Regional District park in Metchosin, about a 30-minute drive west of Victoria on Vancouver Island. The clothing-optional section is at the far western end of the beach — not officially designated, but informally used for decades without incident. Reaching it takes a 1-kilometer hike through a temperate rainforest trail that descends past Sitting Lady Falls (a 30-meter waterfall) and crosses a tidal lagoon via a footbridge. The trail can be muddy after rain and partly inaccessible at high tide — check tide tables before the walk back. Once you reach the beach, walk west along the sand toward the more secluded coves where the naturist use concentrates. The setting is classic Pacific Northwest — pebble and sand mix, driftwood-strewn shore, Sitka spruce backing the dunes, and the Strait of Juan de Fuca visible across the water. Water temperatures are cold year-round; swimming is for the brave. The park is open dawn to dusk, no entry fee, no on-site facilities at the far end. The Coast Salish (T'Sou-ke and Scia'new) have stewarded this land for millennia — the park signage notes this. Pack out everything; tread carefully near the lagoon ecosystem.
Visitor notes
Contributed by ClothingOptional.org Editorial Team
Who visits
Vancouver Island locals, Victoria day-trippers, and Pacific Northwest naturist travelers — quieter and more rugged than Wreck Beach.
How to find it
Drive to 3500 Metchosin Rd; from the parking area, hike 1 km west on the lagoon trail past Sitting Lady Falls and across the footbridge, then walk west along the beach to reach the clothing-optional section.
Things to watch out for
Tide-dependent access (the lagoon footbridge can be partly inaccessible at high tide). No facilities at the far end. Cold water year-round. Mosquitoes near the lagoon in summer.
Last updated
Etiquette & ground rules
Witty's Lagoon is a public regional park with mixed users — the clothing-optional area at the far west end is informal, not signposted. Keep nudity to that section and dress on the trail or near the family beach area. Cameras and phones are off-limits without explicit consent. Pack out all trash; this is sensitive ecological habitat (the lagoon hosts waterfowl and the Coast Salish midden sites are nearby).
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