Top 5 Outdoor Activities to enjoy in Nanaimo

Beautiful Nanaimo Harbour
In no particular order here are the Top 5 outdoor activities you MUST check out with the year round fantastic climate in the beautiful harbour city of Nanaimo.

5. Take in the gorgeous harbour of Nanaimo by visiting the waterfront. You could spend a day exploring the harbour walk way, grabbing an ice cream cone at one of the many local shops along the way. Avid hikers can take the small ferry over to Newcastle Island for a full days exploration. In the summer the waterfront is bustling with outdoor concerts, events and crabbing down at the dock! It’s the place to be in the spring/summer months. An outdoor Farmer’s market happens on Friday in the warmer months. Straight from the sea fishing boats offer the freshest seafood right from the dock!

4. Hiking! Mount Benson is Nanaimo’s mini Grouse Grind. A 2 hour (one way) uphill climb to an amazing view of Nanaimo. There are many starting points but the most popular is at the end of Bensonview Rd, about 15 minutes from downtown. Take in the view, have a picnic and enjoy the feeling of reaching the top! For a less strenuous hike there is also an amazing off-leash dog hike Cable Bay Trail that is just over an hour and brings you down to awesome views of the ocean. Excellent hiking trails are all over the city as well as an extensive parkway trail system starting from the south end and ending in the north. 

View from a peak near Timberlands Lake
 
3. Bathtub Weekend! The last weekend in July (July 23-26 2015) is an important weekend for most Nanaimoites. It marks the date for the Nanaimo Marine Festival and World Championship Bathtub Race. Tons of free events, beer gardens, food venders, outdoor entertainment at Maffeo Sutton Park (downtown) and a phenomenal fireworks display on the Saturday night. Sunday is the race, with the finish line at Maffeo Sutton. It’s an action packed weekend you don’t want to miss!

2. Nanaimo River swimming holes. Probably some of the best river swimming in British Columbia, the Nanaimo River boasts locations for the rock jumper or calmer family friendly pools along it’s 56 km stretch. There are also ample lakes to cool off in as well, Westwood being the most popular and often has lifeguards on duty.
 
So many wonderful swimming holes at Nanaimo River!
1. Nanaimo boasts some of the world’s BEST scuba diving sites (some would consider it second only to the Red Sea) with 3 amazing wreck dives, the HMCS Saskatchewan, the RivTow Lion and what is now the largest Artificial Upright Reef, the HMCS Cape Breton. Kayaking, canoeing and stand-up paddle boards have also become very popular outdoor activities to partake in within the beautiful Nanaimo harbour and surrounding areas. Sport fishing is also very popular with many of the lakes fully stocked with beautiful rainbow trout as well as salmon/cod fishing not more than 15-20 minutes from the Nanaimo harbour. The yearly run of pink salmon can be exciting as people can catch them right in the harbour! 

All these activities and MUCH more can be experienced near the GableCraft Summerhill homes on Dufferin

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vancouver Islanders love Lucky Lager

Image
If you were born on Vancouver Island you probably know of the beer Lucky Lager (perhaps more than others!). Here are some interesting (and SURPRISING) facts on Lucky Lager! It was originally made by General Brewing Company, located in San Francisco, California (in 1934) This company become the Lucky Lager Brewing Company in 1948. Historically, all the breweries for Lucky Lager have been in the U.S It is only available in selected areas. This includes most of Southern British Columbia It has an extremely dedicated following on Vancouver Island - notably, Ucluelet, Chemainus, Comox, Courtenay, Cumberland, Port Hardy, Port McNeill, Port Alberni and Sooke. (I can vouche for Ladysmith and Nanaimo being included in this list also) Cumberland B.C was named by Labatt Brewing Company the "Luckiest Town in Canada" in 2002 due to it's amazing consumption! You can read the entire Wiki article HERE
Read more

Prawning in Nanaimo

Image
Between Piper's Lagoon and Neck Point Park in Nanaimo   Since prawning is open year round (in most areas always check the BC Sport Fishing Guide to learn of possible closures in your area) my dad and I decided to brave the unpredictable winter weather and head out just off of Neck Point Park to drop some prawn traps.   There are actually 6 species of shrimp/prawns that thrive off the British Columbia coast, but we were after the largest of the species; the local spot prawn. Large females can exceed 23 cm in total length! You can tell a spot prawn by 3 distinct white horizontal bars on their head area and two white spots on their first and fifth abdominal segment. Prawns are male in their second and third year, then becomes female in the third or fourth year, eggs can be found on the underside of their abdomen Oct - March. For conservation purposes it is suggested that these egg bearing prawns be returned to the ocean.   the local spot prawn with it's distinct
Read more

Vancouver Island Hiking: Harewood Plains, Nanaimo

Image
The Harewood Plains in Nanaimo B.C is home to second growth forest and open meadows and highlights an amazing view of south Nanaimo. It is bordered by Harewood Mines Road, 10th St and McKeown in Chase River. It can be accessed via Harewood Mines road just past Rimrock Trail, or at the end of McKeown Way the first right off of Chase River road past the elementary school. MAP The Harewood Plains area is privately owned by stakeholders Island Timberlands and the BC Transmission Corporation (they maintain the transmission lines throughout this area). The area contains some rare plants, 10 rare plant species that are considered endangered or threatened. One extremely rare plant called the meadow bird's foot trefoil (Lotus pinnatus), is only found on the Harewood Plains and in a small area in Duncan. This area is unprotected and at risk for being destroyed by motorized vehicles and people walking off-trail. It is important to respect the land and stay on designated trails. W
Read more