3rd Annual
Get Naked Banff!
3 August 2024
Saturday
1 pm - 5 pm
New Location!
Due to the Lake Louise shuttle tickets selling out in moments on 18 April 2024, we are moving to a new location for 2024. The new location will be far easier to get to and will not require shuttle tickets.
The location will be in the Johnson Lake area near the town of Banff. This is much closer to Calgary, will have ample parking, and washroom facilities nearby!
We have four sites in mind, but we want to look at a bit closer at each before deciding.
We will update this website closer to the date. Follow us on social media for updates as well!
Curious how the last activity went?
2023 Activity Report
Join us for a fantastic opportunity to connect with nature!
Fully clothing-optional. Wear whatever you wish or nothing at all.
Every participant will be using the park as an individual park user. Please bring everything you need to enjoy your day.
Pack it in, pack it out, leave no trace.
About Get Naked Banff!
Created to reconnect Canadians with nature and inspired by Naked Hiking Day, GET NAKED BANFF strives to bring unique and amazing opportunities to Canadians who prefer to enjoy nature the most natural way. What better place than the crown jewel of Canada's national park system?
GET NAKED BANFF promotes clothing-optional recreation by openly hosting activities in amazingly beautiful locations. Skinny dipping is empowering, natural, and practiced by countless Canadians every single year. It's a completely normal form of recreation, it's boring to watch, and we don't believe it needs to be hidden away in undesirable swimming holes.
GET NAKED BANFF was created to facilitate unique experiences for the average Canadian -- the casual skinny dipper. We don't consider skinny dipping to be any more of "a lifestyle" than going to see a movie or
however all our activities are fully clothing optional. We appreciate when clothed people enjoy their day with us because we can demonstrate that all people can co-exist, regardless of how much they are wearing. We empower the individual to make the decision that is best for themselves to wear as much or as little as they wish. Anyone not offended by the human body is welcome to enjoy their day with us.
Please bring everything you need for the day, including water, food, sunblock, towels, etc., and please pack out all your trash. This is a leave no trace activity.
participating in a local bowling league. We promote skinny dipping,
GET NAKED BANFF welcomes humans of all body types, sizes, sexualities, genders, and anybody unoffended by the human body.
This will be the 3rd annual activity at Lake Louise. If you are curious how the first two went, read our activity reports.
FAQ
Is this for real?!?
Yes.
But is this legal?
That's a very good question, and the answer is complicated and relies on A LOT of case law. The TL:DR version is that we do not host illegal activities.
Did you just dodge the last question about legality?
A little bit, but only because the full answer is somewhat complicated and boring. The most factually correct answer is "It depends".
Case law really does shape and define what is legal and what is not, and the court findings are based on circumstances specific to each individual instance. This activity has been crafted to follow case law as closely as possible.
The law unfortunately allows the police in the field to interpret and enforce the law how they see fit. Those interpretations are often clouded by personal biases. The police are often not knowledgable on case law.
The courts are the only ones that can definitively answer this question, and we currently do not believe an activity such as this would ever end up in court.
Communications with the Alberta Crown Prosecution Service and the Attorney General of Canada may be of interest in the Pre-Activity Communications section of our 2022 Activity Report.
These communications back up our assertion that non-confrontational nude recreation for self-fulfillment purposes are unlikely to be charged by prosecutors.
What if someone is offended by nudity?
One thing we should all be able to agree on is that one of the best parts of our legal system is that being offended is not what determines what is legal.
Park regulations guarantee everyone's right to peaceful enjoyment of the park. We assert that we also have a right to peaceful enjoyment of the park, and any person confronting us would be violating that park regulation. It is our experience that this is the correct interpretation.
Regardless of our interpretation and past experiences, if getting dressed deescalates a potentially volatile situation, then that is what we will do. We will continue to enjoy our day because Banff truly is an amazing place to visit.
What if I'm not comfortable getting naked with clothed people around?
Wear as much as you wish. You are still welcome to join us and hang out with us. You are welcome to enjoy being part of this amazing experience in any way you choose. We don't shun people for having slightly different comfort levels than us.
For reference, in 2022 and 2023 we were 150 meters off the closest trail. While we were visible, no one needed to walk through our group to get to their destination.
What if the police show up and ask us to get dressed (again)?
We believe if everyone follows instructions from the police to get dressed the matter will be considered to be "resolved", just like at our 2022 activity. Our 2023 activity was uninterrupted, and this is the most likely scenario going forward.
We are well prepared should the police deem this activity to be illegal (again). Park Authorities maintain that they will respond to all complaints, which is as fair as can be. A complaint is not indicative that a crime has been committed, and we will maintain our current position that our activity is lawful.
Our plan does not include people we do not know getting arrested for us. Please get dressed if asked.
Does GNB! believe people should be naked anywhere?
Of course not. There are reasonable restrictions on everything.
We believe that there ARE instances where public nudity is a nuisance, which is why we actually support s. 174 of the Criminal Code for public nudity. There are many people who do not understand proper behaviour in regard to nude recreation. Simply put, the law does not support nudity or behaviour that is designed to disrupt.
The Brian Coldin case is a great example of nudity designed to disrupt where he attended drive-thru restaurants without any clothes. The court ruled that Coldin was “flaunting” his nudity to shock people, and that he had some “missionary zeal” which seemed "contrary to the naturist philosophy he was espousing to not embarrass or confront others".
It is the courts that get to decide disruptful behaviour, not the individual being obnoxious. The courts look at situations from the perspective of how a "reasonable person" would react or respond in any given situation. This is to say that someone's claim of "not doing anything wrong" is irrelevant if their behaviour says otherwise.
Legitimate instances of skinny dipping are completely different than someone using nudity to cause a disturbance. Nude recreation for self-fulfillment purposes are often times (but not always) lawful.
Our goal is to demonstrate what appropriate instances of nude recreation look like as well as speak out against those that use nude recreation as an excuse to cause disturbances. We believe the police should understand the difference as well, and we will continue to advocate for policy changes so that Canadians may choose the swim attire of their preference without fear of legal repercussion, especially while enjoying any of our amazing national parks.
DIRECTIONS
Overflow Parking: Please plan on using the overflow parking lot and taking the shuttle to Lake Louise. The parking lot at Lake Louise fills up quite early in the day, long before it'll be warm enough for us. This year, the overflow parking is at the Lake Louise ski resort. You must pick up your shuttle tickets from the ski resort before boarding the shuttle.
Book Your Shuttle Ride: Please plan ahead and book your shuttle ride in advance.
Shuttle tickets will go on sale on 18 April 2024 at 8 am Mountain Time!
Instructions to purchase shuttle tickets: The Parks Canada website is not instinctive.
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Click the link in the black box above. It will take you to a "frontcountry camping" reservation screen.
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Click on the "Day Use" tab
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Select August 26th, your party size
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Select "Banff - Lake Louise" from the drop down box
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Click "search"
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On the left there are 2 boxes. One says "map" the other says "list". Click on "list"
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Click on "shuttle"
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Select "11 am to 3 pm"
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We suggest selecting 11am-12pm departure. Click the checkmark for August 26th
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On the bottom right, select "reserve" in the green box
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Scroll to the bottom and select "all reservation details are correct"
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Click "confirm reservation details"
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Click "proceed to checkout"
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Check all of the boxes
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Click "I consent" to the cookies statement
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Select "continue with GCKey/Interact"
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We suggest signing in with your bank
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You'll need to create an account
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You'll get a confirmation email. Click the link in that email.
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When you get into your account page for Parks Canada, click on "cart" on the top right
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Complete your checkout
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Be sure to email information@pc.gc.ca to let them know how much you appreciate their streamlined reservation system for shuttle tickets.
Get Naked at Lake Louise: Take the foot path along the north side of the lake to the silt flat at the back side of Lake Louise. Be sure to stay next to the lake and not take any uphill trails. The hike is about 2 km each way from the Fairmont with very little elevation change.
