Photo: Taylor Cave ProductionsNanaimo, BC

Nanaimo Cycling Trail Loop

A ride described at Trails BC

How we describe routes →

Easy Smooth surfaces and gentle climbing.

Difficulty Our overall read of how demanding a route is. We score surface roughness, climbing, singletrack, and how far it runs from services. The route publisher's own rating, a lot of busy road riding, or sheer scale can push the tier up, never down.

Derived from OpenStreetMap. Good data, not perfect. Spot something wrong? Tell us.

How we describe routes →

A 63 km loop through Nanaimo's greenways and parks, linking Bowen Park's forest, Petroglyph Provincial Park's ancient rock carvings, the harbourfront walkway, and the city's rail trails, with a ferry side trip to car-free Saysutshun (Newcastle Island) the highlight worth building in. Mostly flat; allow four to six hours with stops.

Get the route on Trails BC →

Where this ride goes#

Approximate lineGet the real route ↗

Map key & layers

Show stops Mute other bike trails

Food & DrinkAttractionsSuppliesCampingAccommodationBike ServicesTransport

Dashed line = our rough sketch of where the ride goes. The rideable route lives at get the route from Trails BC.

☕Stops worth stopping for213 along this route

Dinghy Dock Pub: Canada's only registered floating pub, moored off Protection Island in Nanaimo Harbour since 1989. · Nanaimo

Communities along this route#

Nanaimo 213

Nanaimo (213)

Dinghy Dock PubInfo· Brewery / Pub · $$ · Casual

Hullo FerriesAccredited· Ferry

Saysutshun Newcastle Island FerryAccredited· Ferry

The Coast Bastion InnAccredited· Hotel / Motel · $$$$ · Upscale

Bistro TaiyoWelcoming· Restaurant · $$ · Casual

Nanaimo Art GalleryWelcoming· Museum / Gallery · Free

Nanaimo Ceramic Arts Studio & GalleryWelcoming· Museum / Gallery · Free

The View Oceanside GrillWelcoming· Restaurant · $$$ · Upscale

Arbutus DistilleryInfo· Winery / Cidery · $$ · Casual

AsterasInfo· Restaurant · $$$ · Upscale

Plus the fast-food chains — Joe Burger, Pizza Mia, Triple O's +38 more

+162 more in Nanaimo →

Slice and dice these stops in the directory →

These stops come from our directory of welcoming places across BC. Spot something wrong, missing, or closed? Tell us and we'll fix it.

⛴Getting here, bike and allNanaimo

Getting to this ride, bike and all#

Nanaimo is the handiest transit doorway for this ride. Ferries, buses, and the SkyTrain will carry you and your bike there:

Gabriola Islandbest: ferry
Vancouverbest: ferry
Victoriabest: bus
Kelownabest: bus + SkyTrain + ferry

Or pick any two places on To & Fro →

🪶Traditional territories

This route travels through the traditional territories of the Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group, Snaw-naw-as, Snuneymuxw, and Te’mexw Treaty Association.

Territory data from Native Land Digital, for educational purposes only.

Ready to ride it?

Get the route on Trails BC →Got the GPX? Add BC Bike Stops to it →