This park is fairly close to downtown Nanaimo with its charming restaurants and bookstores and home…read moreto a beautiful waterfall. They gave a map of the area in the visitor center as the other reviewer kindly noted it had a duck pond, fountains, and a waterfall. On the snowy day that we were there we also noticed many sledding and a few intrepid photographers hoping to capture the perfect shot. The waterfall isn't tall but perfect in its nature setting and made our youngest quite happy to see its beauty.

Bowen park is a long park with the entrances mainly on Bowen. The park has a creek running through…read moreit as well as several ponds. The park is great for trail running or just walking around or taking photos. Through out the park has many informational landmarks about nanaimo.

A beautiful park with great views and the dirtiest washrooms--floors have tons of dirt around the…read moreedges (and everywhere else). Showers grubby.

Such a beautiful place...magical really. That's why it's so heartbreaking to see it so poorly…read moremaintained and run. No toilet paper, no hand soap, only cold showers, garbage all over the grounds, people camping off site under trees, no accountability for partiers, dirtiest bathroom imaginable (including garbage everywhere and raccoon poop), dirty underwear at our campsite and on the beach. Just so sad! I picture it how it COULD be and sadly, it is being trashed.

For an easy, scenic walk with ample parking, come to Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park! You can walk…read morethe trails, on the beach and sit on one of the many beautiful benches they have provided. Vancouver Island is simply beautiful and scenic and reconnecting with nature is so easy in this lovely land. Highly recommend and will definitely return, eh!

While we were at Parksville on Vancouver Island, we took a morning stroll along a good length of…read morethe Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park. This is a beautiful place whether you want to stay for a couple of hours, or camp overnight (we didn't, so I couldn't tell you where the campsites were). Washrooms are conveniently spaced apart, there are lots of trees and shaded areas, and dozens upon dozens of solid picnic tables galore. I could imagine hauling all of our food with lots of friends/family down to this beach and NOT worry about having to find parking or a picnic a spot. There are plenty of trees to provide ample shade, and the sandy beach is never more than a minute away. The beach is the most awe inspiring and beautiful when it is low tide; you will see a stretch of sandy flats as far as the eye can see!

Cute little park. My friend wanted to visit here while we were staying in Victoria, so we made the…read moretrek and discovered it's much smaller than they thought, but we still enjoyed it. There are different trails, and the water's calm.

Cool place to visit! Lots of walking trails, rock formations, low tide allows walking to the…read morefurthest rock formation. Decent amount of parking available. Logs wash up onto the shore and provide habitation for insects and small animals.

This is a beach full of rocks, driftwood and a path that goes way out to B. Monahan Point…read more Small parking lot that holds about 20 vehicles. Dogs allowed while on leash. No services.

Locals will know about this place …read more I'm not a local but I know of it from my past youthful days of surf sailing here. It hasn't changed much since then. Rocky beach with a sharp drop off, so be careful. The lagoon will drain at low tide but will fill in again when the tide changes. If you're lucky, you may be able to catch a wave when the ferries come and go from Departure Bay. Idyllic spot for relaxing and a bit of climbing if you wish. I need to visit again.

This is a great spot for an easy walk beside some lovely waterfalls. It is great for dogs to jump…read moreinto the water. There is ample parking at the top of the hill near the soccer field and the waterfall path is just about 20 steps away from the parking and a public washroom.

Like Roberts Creek isn't un-urban enough, you can truly escape away from it all with a little jaunt…read morethrough Cliff Gilker Park. Well marked trails, easy paths, a babbling creek, waterfalls, bridges and huge, red cedars make this a little sanctuary. And the canopied woods means even if it's raining, you're protected. There's a few "viewpoints" with benches and in the hour that I was "lost" in the woods, I didn't see a soul. Although I should warn, the bear sighting signs didn't sit well with me. I should have brought my dog spray and my whistle. Then I could show them who's boss! There's lots of parking, an outhouse (just jump over to the golf course) and a big map that tells you where you are. If you're staying in Roberts Creek, I'd suggest just walking. It's only another 10 minutes and the trails aren't that long.

Looks like they've completed the renovations around the lake area. There is a new bridge in the…read moremiddle of the lake, as well as new pedestrian walkways over the water. They've also added several park benches and lounge chairs. It's a vast improvement. Definitely recommend checking it out. The trees are almost high enough to cover most of the surrounding condo towers. One can almost forget they're in the middle of a bustling city.

This is such a nice little oasis right in the middle of Richmond. I came over because I was nearby…read morefor lunch and saw green space on the map, but did not expect the park here to be so scenic and peaceful! I found it to be a great place for a long meditative walk as there as lots of paths you can take around the lake and through wooded areas. There are lots of benches by the lake for relaxing or more secluded picnic tables throughout the park. It's sprawling enough that you could probably spend an hour just exploring the different pathways. Well worth going out of your way to check it out.

My parents live 5 mins from here, so it tends to be our go-to for one of our Island Beach Days!…read more They have a really great playground & water squirt park, clean change/rest rooms. The beach itself isn't bad, but it can be quite rocky so I would strongly suggest to wear a cheap pair of rubber flip flops on the beach and wear them in the water! Also, the water is COLD! You can swim in it, but it's a rough go on the way in! Another thing to be aware of is the tide. At times you can walk and walk and walk before you get to swim. However, the tide will come in quickly, so watch your bags, towels etc. When we were there the first week of July, we decided to go onto a rock mass that was above sea level by quite a bit and had a Tee Pee on it! It was quite private as there was only another coupon on it at the time. We swam (froze) but generally had fun. We had waded across below the knee level to get to it. When we decided to leave, it was no longer knee level- it came up past my chest (I'm 5-8) I slightly panicked as I didn't know how we were going to get back to the beach. Luckily my husband is 6-2, but he had to carry the bags above his head in order for him to safely get across without getting our phones etc. wet! Funny after the fact, not so much at the time !!

This is a huge park! There are plenty of parking all over. We parked somewhere in the middle near…read morethe children playground. Lots of families were there on the day we went. There is a green space in the middle where the arboretum is. It feels peaceful to walk in the greenery under the cover of the trees. During low tide, you can see the seabed as far as the eyes can see. Families will take the opportunity to be out there with their beach towels. I did not venture out there but I think you will also see shellfish in the seabed. The advisory was not to harvest them as they are contaminated. My favorite part of this park is at the end where there is a Legacy Labyrinth. It is quieter here. You can meditate while walking the labyrinth. There are also many cairns set on the logs. Pretty neat to see them.

About 15 min drive from Qualicum. We spent an hour walking…read morein a loop on the trail around the falls Watch your step Wear good shoes Did not see a bathroom ! Don't leave valuable in your car Very beautiful place Kids liked it too Nice place for a picnic

Nice, easy outdoor activity with beautiful scenery. The lower falls are only a few flights of…read morestairs down from the parking lot. There's a nice bridge to cross and you can go further down stream for a better look at the area. The higher falls are a further walk but are worth it! The walk isn't tough and the trail well kept. There's a series of falls and different look out points along the way. Very beautiful!