Hiking Trails
Transfer Beach Park - Ladysmith BC
This centrally located seaside park is a major gathering spot for activities and community events. Go for a swim, have a picnic, paddle a kayak, or enjoy the fabulous spray park and playground. Live music events during the summer months at the large amphitheatre. Offers a dog off leash area. Located just off the Trans Canada Highway.
Buttertubs Marsh Trail Loop is a beautiful, easy and wheelchair accessible nature walk. Length 2.3km
📍Buttertubs Marsh Park https://maps.app.goo.gl/vCv98XWsQQV3DYrC7
Colliery Dam Park - City of Nanaimo
Accessibility notes: Best wheelchair access is main entrance off of Sixth Street within paved parking lot. Hard-packed and level asphalt path takes visitors to the first lake. Access to upper lake requires crossing a gravel parking lot. Trails range from easy to quite steep. Washroom doors are 86 cm wide.
📍Malahat SkyWalk https://maps.app.goo.gl/bLHGamcKQNNKRybDA
If you're willing to drive a little bit the Malahat Skywalk is also great and very wheelchair accessible. It's probably one of the most stunning eco-tourism destinations on Vancouver Island.
Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville, BC is very wheelchair friendly for a beach trip.
Bowen park has paved and gravel trails that are very accessible for wheelchairs.
Maffeo Sutton Park is wheelchair friendly, as is the Nanaimo waterfront walk. Even the playground is wheelchair friendly. There's a few nice shops, restaurants and eateries, ice cream shop and a tea house along the water front walk
If you want a shaded forest walk, the Walley Creek Trail in North Nanaimo is lovely. Park on the west side and walk all the way to Mcguffie, then there is a huge bike lane/sidewalk past the sewage plant that will take you all the way to morningside drive which in turn leads to neck point park. All RDN trails are listed here - https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/8fb57c31e79f4fd2ae9f33dc4abe3f03?data_id=aa49d8fd4f104e73a8a91c7c29c9f3ff-186bd6a6903-layer-21-186bd6a6b3b-layer-24%3A9
WheelChair Friendly Beach Access
Neck Point Colliery Dam Park Loudon Park Departure Bay Beach
The beach at Neck Point, right by the parking lot, has a wheelchair mat! https://www.nanaimobulletin.com/news/accessibility-mats-installed-at-more-nanaimo-beaches-1117575
The City of Nanaimo’s parks and rec crews installed accessibility mats at three new locations for the summer season.
The Mobi-Mat non-slip walkways help people who use wheelchairs access beach areas. The new mats were installed at Colliery Dam Park, Neck Point Park and Loudon Park after a pilot on Departure Bay Beach in 2022 proved successful, the city said in a press release.
“The installation of the Mobi-Mats is another example of how the city is working to make accessibility improvements. It is helpful for those in wheelchairs, those with strollers or those with wagons or kayak trailers, and I am sure they will be well-used by many members of our community,” said Mayor Leonard Krog in the release.
The Departure Bay mat has been upgraded and features an area that’s suitable for resting and picnicking. In Loudon Park, the mat provides access to the beach and is located next to the accessible fishing dock and washroom building. The mat at Colliery Dam Park is located at the south side of the lower colliery dam and the Neck Point mat is on Finn Beach and is accessible from the parking lot.
The Nanaimo Art Gallery and the Museum are both accessible and super interesting. Plus they have changing exhibits, presentations, events and workshops so you can make visits a regular thing without it getting stale.
This might be helpful too: https://tourismnanaimo.com/accessible-travel-in-nanaimo/