CABLE BAY TRAIL

From this signage in the parking lot, it only takes half an hour to hike most of the trail.

The small parking lot is located at the end of Nichola Road . Watch for the Cable Bay Trail Sign.

A bird's eye-view of downtown Nanaimo .

                                                A cedar-bark mulch covered most of the trail.

The author couldn't resist the temptation of a dangling rope and tried in vain to copy the famous Ape Man ...

A resident squirrel munching on a pine cone .

The end of a very easy and relaxing half-an-hour hike from the parking lot to the end of the trail...

 Cable Bay Trail is located just in the South East of Nanaimo in Cedar. From Nanaimo, take Highway 1 ( Trans Canada Hwy) South to the first Cedar Road Exit. Drive along Cedar Road until you come to MacMillan Road. You will find a small parking lot at the end of Nichola Road which is East on Barnes Road which is actually a continuation of the Holden-Corso Road. Just follow the signage along the well-travelled path beneath the power lines and into the forest. Just stay on the main trail and after about an easy half an hour hike, you will reach the end of the Cable Bay trail. There are a few old-growth Douglas fir trees inside this temperate rain forest. Occasionally, one might see sea lions, pods of orcas and eagles. It is about 3.5 kilometers in length. There is a 440 hectare park inside with wooden steps, gravel and stone paths. The best time to explore this park is between June to around September when there is less rain, The trails tends to be real muddy during the winter months.