This loop combines the Galloping Goose and E&N Rail Trails – 18.6k. For a longer ride add Victoria Center Loop for a total of 30.5k.
Link: Allow 3.5 to 4 hours for the complete loop that includes Victoria.
Travelers having to wait overnight for a ferry might want to check out Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park This 336 hectares reserve located right in Nanaimo Harbor is accessible by a 10 min ferry ride leaving from Maffeo-Sutton Park, just north of downtown Nanaimo (south of the ferry terminal), and offers fine camping and facilities. Its trails offers a time away from urban life and offers great seashore experiences.
Quote from BC Parks: For an experience rich in history, culture and entertainment, do what people have been doing since the 1930s—hop a boat to Newcastle Island Marine Provincial Park, one of the most intriguing parks in BC. Bring your own boat or take the passenger ferry from Nanaimo—a 10-minute ride that deposits passengers on Newcastle Island, located just a few hundred metres offshore from Vancouver Island. From a distance you’ll see an island shoreline dominated by steep sandstone cliffs and ledges, interspersed with sunny beaches – a marked contrast to the interior of the island, which is studded with mature Douglas fir, Garry oak, arbutus and Big Leaf maple trees.
The town of great murals. This former sawmill or forestry town has transformed itself into a mural capital and a magnet for artisans. This relatively short walk of wonders will take an extended amount of time because of needing to stop to take in its attractions. Allow about 3 hours or more. The trail to rail making up the Trans Canada Trail balances out the town experience with a delightful natural trail. Try to find parking as near to the train station as possible.
This wilderness loop allows for spectacular viewing of the Cowichan River and forest. The mossy maple forest is of particular interest. Of course, the Marie Canyon trestle is a wonder and Skutz Falls is also worth viewing. Best to park at Skutz Falls. This venture can easily be made into two smaller loops, a 6k, and an 8k loop. There is a Provincial Campground nearby and Sathlam Lodge has a cable car over the river to the trail.
This superb urban trail loop takes advantage of a variety of greenways, city parks, and ecological settings. A good place to start is in the parking lot at Swan Lake. The highlights are Swan Lake, the Blenkinsop Bridge on the Lochside Trail, and the Centennial Trail. It connects with the Trans Canada Trail and takes in its alternative, the Lochside Trail. It is equally interesting going clockwise of counter-clockwise. Allow 5 to 6 hours. If you choose to cycle it, you will be asked to walk your bike where bicycles are not allowed to be ridden (allow 2.5 hrs).
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