Newcastle Island Provincial Park
Newcastle Island is the perfect day trip within Nanaimo. Visitors to Nanaimo can leave their vehicles at their hotel and walk down to the Newcastle Island ferry terminal, located at Swy-A-Lana Lagoon Park, just north of downtown. Or better yet, you can camp at the beautiful oceanside Newcastle Island campground (see the links below).
Once you're on the island, all the facilities and campsites are within walking distance, but if you want to lug a lot of gear, you'll want to use one of the signature Newcastle Island wheelbarrows - big ungainly things that are fun for the kids and certainly handy.
Newcastle Island - Nanaimo's Great Secret!
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Visitors to Nanaimo usually encounter this park as a large, undeveloped island on their left as they enter Departure Bay on the ferry. Newcastle Island was bustling in the elder days; it's been home to quarries, a fish packing plant, generations of First Nations residents, and coal mines. All of these facets are visible today as park installations and leavings.
Newcastle Island was acquired from the CP Railway by the city in 1955, then passed on to the Province in 1961, at which point it was made into a park. It is quite large, especially considering its proximity to downtown Nanaimo; a walk around the circumference covers more than 7.5 kilometers. The hiking is easy. There are camping facilities on the south end of the island, close to where the ferry drops off passengers.
The island is home to albino raccoons (or are they simply blonde?), deer, bald eagles, rabbits, some kind of weasel, mallards, geese, and a host of other kinds of wildlife.
Back to the list of Nanaimo parks and places
Open in Google Earth (kmz file) 
| Southeast island | Northeast island | Kanaka Bay area |
| Northwest island | Midden Bay area | Brownie Bay area |
