Fishing dock at Long LakeLong Lake is a nice big lake right in the middle of North Nanaimo, between the Uplands and Diver Lake areas. There are some water accesses and small trails at various parts of the lake, but the main one is at Loudon Park on the south side of the lake. There is a boat launch, a walking trail, a sandy swimming beach with two swimfloats offshore, and a small fishing dock.

The beach feels very urban. The highway runs past, and power boats are allowed on the lake; some of the luxury homes across the lake even have float planes. But the water is warm for swimming in the summer, and the lake is convenient to most areas of town. Admittedly, it gets a bit crowded in the summer - it's not a big beach!

There is some good urban fishing here as the lake is stocked regularly.

Recent History of Long Lake: This was a major recreation site for the town of Wellington that developed around the coal mines in the nearby Diver Lake area in the 1800s. There are great old photos of people skating and boating on the lake. In 1963 there was a sensation when a boy found a semi-automatic .22 rifle in excellent condition, just under the ice near the shore; it turned out to be the weapon from an infamous murder at Pipers Lagoon three months previously. It was also the same rifle used in 1948 to save the telegraph and telephone lines connecting Vancouver to Eastern Canada. (If you're curious, search the web for "The Station Agent's Rifle".)


Nearby Neighbourhoods

Long Lake aerial view looking east

Where is Long Lake?

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