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49°15′48″N 123°15′34″W / 49.263359°N 123.259499°W / 49.263359; -123.259499 Wreck Beach is a popular clothing-optional beach located in Pacific Spirit Regional Park, which is in turn part of the University Endowment Lands just west of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The clothing-optional section is clearly marked with signs and stretches approximately 6.5 km from Acadia Beach, in the north, to the Booming Grounds Creek on the north arm of the Fraser River. The park is administered by the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD), though aboriginal claims are repeatedly asserted, especially by the Musqueam.

Acadia Beach - Tower Beach - Point Grey

The shoreline throughout this section of Wreck Beach is mainly rocky with some sandy stretches with fewer beach-goers. An area is provided for owners to have their dogs off leash. During the smelt season, naturists share this area with clothed fishers and their families. Smelt fishing is typically prohibited from the middle of June to the middle of August.

Acadia Beach is short walk down a gentle slope from the parking lot on Marine Drive where there is a grassy area with several picnic tables. Tower Beach is at the end of the much longer Trail 3 and Point Grey is near the steeper Trail 4. There is pay parking close to Trail 3 and 4 at the Museum of Anthropology. All of Wreck Beach is contiguous and it is possible to walk along the entire coastline. However, when the tide is too high, access can be limited.

Along Tower Beach are two tall concrete searchlight towers that are relics from World War II. Just south of these towers is Point Grey, called Ulksen in the local Salish language.

Along with lush vegetation, various forms of wildlife can also be seen, including nesting herons, sea lions, kingfishers, and bald eagles.

Wreck Beach proper

While the entire 7 km beach around to Point Grey from Acadia Beach to Booking Ground Creek is often referred to as Wreck Beach, the large sandy area on the north side of the North Arm Breakwater at the base of Trail 6 is what many think of when they talk about Wreck Beach. The trail is the most developed of the trails down the bluff and consists of 542 wooden steps. This section of the beach is the most heavily used. At the bottom you will find a stretch of sand between two artificial rock jetties as a water breaks lined by a row of licensed vendors selling imported clothing, jewelry, drinks, snacks, and other beach related items. Other unlicensed vendors may be found wander the beach selling alcoholics beverages and other more illicit cash crops of British Columbia.

Nudity is optional throughout Wreck Beach; however, regular beach-goers consider it good etiquette to join the unclothed rather than just observe them. Additionally, due to Wreck Beach's proximity to the University of British Columbia, many students and even faculty, can be found at Wreck Beach. In recent years many beach users have objected, on both privacy and environmental grounds, to the University's plans to construct new buildings too close to the cliff edge and partially overlooking the beach.

While many people assume that clothing-optional beaches and resorts are for adults only (and some are), it is common to see families with children and teenagers enjoying Wreck Beach.

Trail 7

The trail has recently been improved with the addition of handrails and better stairs. The ocean here was stagnant and polluted - however changes in booming practices have helped to revive the balance and water is now considered suitable for swimming.

At the bottom of the trail one can choose to go right (northwest) or left (southeast). There are several sandy spits several hundred meters to the northwest. There are numerous small pockets of sand along the trail in both directions. There are also a number of small trails, all along this area. The estuary area to the North is known as the Oasis.

Access

Trail 4 leading down to the Tower Beach area of Wreck Beach.

Wreck Beach adjoins the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus, west of the city limits of Vancouver. It is accessible by road, water, and public buses. The most popular part, Trail 6, is 3 km overland from Vancouver.

TransLink runs a number of bus routes (4, 9, 17, 25, 33, 41, 43, 44, 49, 84, 99, 258, and 480) to the UBC bus loop. From there it is a five-minute walk west, down University Boulevard, to UBC Gate 6 (from which Trail 6 takes it name). Turn right on N.W. Marine Drive and the trail is immediately to the left about 100 meters.

From Highway 99, turn west on one of these roads: S.W. Marine Drive, 41st Avenue (which eventually merges onto S.W. Marine Drive) or 16th Avenue (which eventually ends at S.W. Marine Drive, then turn right). Alternatively, from the north only, take the 4th Avenue exit off the Granville Street Bridge (then from 4th Avenue, turn right on N.W. Marine Drive).

From Highway 1, take the Grandview Highway exit (28A) westbound (this eventually becomes 12th Avenue), turn right (north) on Clark Drive, left again (west) on 6th Avenue (this eventually becomes 4th Avenue), and then turn right on N.W. Marine Drive.

Wreck Beach lies at the base of a cliff; therefore the trails are fairly steep. Trail 6 and Trail 7 both have stairs. Trail 6 has 473 counted steps from the top to the bottom and is the better developed of the two trails. The path from the Acadia Beach parking lot is the most gentle slope and provides the easiest access to a clothing-optional area. When the tide is not too high, it is possible to walk along the entire shore: from Acadia Beach past the base of Trail 7. Erosion can make the route south of Trail 6 a bit tricky, and it can often be quite muddy.

Parking

A ground-level view from Wreck Beach, looking towards Bowen Island.

There is a small parking lot at Acadia Beach, a pay parking lot south of Trail 6 and several pay parking lots on the UBC campus. Free parking is also allowed all along the east side of S.W. Marine Drive (opposite the cliff side) and along Old Marine Drive. Illegally parked vehicles are often towed away.

Toilets

The GVRD provides limited sanitary facilities. There are outhouses by the Acadia Beach parking lot and at the tops of Trails 6 and 7 and there are also portable toilets at the base of Trail 6. There is no running water, so many visitors bring their own. A few times over the years, the Metro Vancouver health authorities have issued warnings that the beach Coliform counts are too contaminated for swimming- however for the most part, Wreck Beach tends to have a lower count than many Vancouver Beaches.

External links

Pacific Spirit Regional Park
Translink (Vancouver and area bus information)
Wreck Beach Preservation Society
Wreck Beach Butoh Art Film

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 == Toilets ==
-The GVRD provides limited sanitary facilities. There are outhouses by the Acadia Beach parking lot and at the tops of Trails 6 and 7 and there are also [[portable toilet]]s at the base of Trail 6.  There is no running water, so many visitors bring their own. A few times over the years, the health authorities have issued warnings that the beach is too contaminated for swimming.{{Citation needed|date=February 2007}}
+The GVRD provides limited sanitary facilities. There are outhouses by the Acadia Beach parking lot and at the tops of Trails 6 and 7 and there are also [[portable toilet]]s at the base of Trail 6.  There is no running water, so many visitors bring their own. A few times over the years, the Metro Vancouver health authorities have issued warnings that the beach Coliform counts are too contaminated for swimming- however for the most part, Wreck Beach tends to have a lower count than many Vancouver Beaches.
 ==See also==