Loudon Park - Long Lake

Loudon Park, by Long Lake, is just off the Island Highway. There's a very short trail along the shore, starting from the parking lot. Next to the parking lot, there are a few picnic tables.

(2020-06-11)

Boat launch into Long Lake

Historic spot on the shore of Long Lake

View from the beach at Long Lake

Anyone for fishing?

Residential development across the lake

Linley Valley, Cottle Lake

So, what are we calling this park? Cottle Lake or Linley Valley? I guess it doesn't really matter so long as we enjoy our walks. A nice thing about the park is that the trail completes a circumnavigation of Cottle Lake. On this day in May, the rain had finally let up. It was nice to get out walking again. (2017-05-08)

There's a few steps down before the trail around the lake begins...

A fork in the paths...

There's a few car wrecks off to the side; ideas for lovers of rust...

Cottle Lake...

Cottle Lake...

Cottle Lake...

Cottle Lake...

How about a picnic?

A view of the lake and valley...

Colliery Dam

There's much to recommend the Colliery Dam Park. Easy access, at the south end of Nanaimo, with plenty of convenient parking (at two locations) is one plus. While none of the elevation gains are too onerous, there's enough variety to keep a walk along the trails from being boring. At all times, walkers are never far from water; mostly the lake, but occasionally the river and it's falls over the dam. (2017-03-27)

(2017-03-27) Just meters from the parking lot, this placid lake view...

Colliery dam; I've seen people swimming here in the summer...

Newly updated egress...

Colliery dam; just past the bridge, the water rushes downward...

Colliery Dam Park; a well-maintained trail around the lake(s)...

Plenty of shades of green where the Chase River enters the lake...

Regardless of the time of year, there's some great reflection photographs to be taken...

Take a load off; one of many benches along the paths...

Moorcroft Park in January Snow

In the weeks prior to this visit to Moorecroft Regional Park, I'd been reading about the impending purchase of this property by Nanaimo Regional Parks. This post doesn't give a typical view of the park, what with the ground being covered in snow, but it does show that the park is worth a visit regardless of the weather.

• Location: 49.24634,-124.143711

 Interesting ray of sunshine through the trees as we leave the parking lot.
At this stage the cabins are still standing. (2012-01-15)

I found this amusing: Snow. No lifeguard.  (2012-01-15)

Here the trail skirts the bay. (2012-01-15)

 Hearty West Coasters; sailing in the snow... (2012-01-15)

Vesper Point.  (2012-01-15)

Boathouse at Moorecroft Park. (2012-01-15)

 The bay at Moorecroft Park. (2012-01-15)

 Looking out over Vesper Point and the Salish Sea. (2012-01-15)

Jack Point and Biggs Park

In early December, as all things Christmas are starting to occupy the mind, it's often a good idea to go out for a walk. Then, if the weather cooperates - sunshine and reasonably warm - there's no excuse not to visit one of Nanaimo's many parks. Today I opted for Biggs Park, with Jack Point as the final destination.

The captions on the pictures make up the trip report .

After parking the car and walking through a pedestrian tunnel, 
the path to Jack Point parallels the Nanaimo River estuary 
for a few hundred meters. (2015-12-11)

On this day, I was blessed by the sun illuminating my destination. (2015-12-11)

Before entering a boardwalk, this curious sculpture. (2015-12-11)

A bit of a boardwalk leads to a set of stairs that 
takes us to the trail at a higher level. (2015-12-11)

A modern "petroglyph" (2015-12-11)

One of my favourite stops on the Jack Point trail: a nice view of the 
sandstone cliffs that constitute the point. (2015-12-11)

Typical Gulf island sandstone "art". (2015-12-11)

The Jack Point navigation light with 
Gabriola Island in the distance. (2015-12-11)

Bowen Park after a January downpour

Bowen Park is a major park, smack in the middle of Nanaimo. There are a number of cool features to this park. In the appropriate season, rose enthusiasts can admire the garden near the park's entrance. Even more impressive, in early spring, is the vast rhododendron garden just beneath the slope leading down from Bowen Road. However, the key attraction to Bowen Park has to be the Millstone River. An interesting feature of the Millstone is the way it reflects the seasons. In early September it can be but a trickle. Come the January rains, it's a raging torrents with spectacular waterfalls. So it was on this particular day.

The Millstone River near the lower reaches of Bowen Park. (2016-01-13)

Further upriver, the waterfalls roar and send mists
into the surrounding forest. (2016-01-13)

Coming from the duck pond, this creek adds to the
 torrent that is the Millstone. (2016-01-13)

Seeing the power of this river in January, it's no wonder that,
 in earlier years, there was an electricity-generating
 power station on the Millstone River. (2016-01-13)

The duck pond. Always a Bowen Park
 favourite with the kids. (2016-01-13)

Departure Bay

Looking across Departure Bay, floating in a kayak. For a more pedestrian view of Departure Bay and it's parks, follow the links (LINK: DEPARTURE BAY). In this picture, the island in the background is Jesse Island.

Sailing out of Departure Bay

First post in this blog about Nanaimo parks

First post in the blog about Nanaimo parks: a stroll down the centre of Neck Point Park. The objective of this blog is to feature the major parks in and around Nanaimo. Each of the major parks will be given a page of it's own. The blog posts themselves will be a rather random selection of photos taken at the parks, with links to the relevant pages. For example, this post about Neck Point is also linked to the corresponding NECK POINT page (see page index above).

Neck Point Park