Hanlan's Point is the western part of Toronto Islands, near Toronto City Airport. Hanlan's Point Beach is a 15-minute walk from the ferry dock. It is also the only beach in Toronto offering a “clothing optional area”! A large part of it is indeed a nude beach but a good section is not. I visited the beach recently (July 2013) and saw that the two of them coexist peacefully.
The very first entrance to the beach you'll see (across a field) posts a sign marking the access to the "clothing-mandatory" part of Hanlan's Point. Families entering from this entrance will see no more bare skin than usual on a beach. The water is shallow for a great distance, reaching no higher than an adult's waist for at least 50 metres.
The second entrance a bit further south is my favourite. Gorgeous with branches weaved into a lovely fence, it leads us through small dunes to the beach, to the point separating the nude beach (on your left) from the clothing-mandatory beach (towards the airport).Â
Note that it takes approximately 20 minutes to walk to Centre Island with the splash pad, playground and Franklin Children's Garden and 10 more minutes to reach Centreville Amusement Park.
