Jack Point and Biggs Park — Attraction in Nanaimo

This was an unexpected gem of a hike with beautiful scenery every step of the 5.1 km loop. The parking lot is relatively small in an industrial area beside the Duke Point ferry terminal and at first glance the walking area is hidden, but there's an underpass that takes hikers under the roadway coming out next to the water of the harbour facing Newcastle Island. The first kilometer of the walk is along a flat wide path which is suitable for individuals in wheelchairs or strollers. After that the path becomes more diverse with dirt paths, natural rock, and durable wooden stairs with handrails. There are approximately 100 stairs in each direction of the path broken up in various places. There are some hills but nothing too steep and there are some areas where there are tree roots through the pathway. Walkers with mobility or balance issues may wish to bring walking poles but most people will not have difficulties with this walk which I would characterize between easy and moderate. At the point you can see Nanaimo harbour, Duke Point harbour (and the ferries) and the mainland Coastal mountains ahead. It can be breezy and the natural rock terrain could be slippery when wet or frosty. There are no washrooms. Fast walkers can do the loop in an hour, but if you like to stop to take photos and walk slower it may take 2 hours. It's a beautiful spot and...

It's definitely a pretty lookout point. A little hard to get to...there's a parking lot on the other side of the highway where you have to pass by an industrial-looking and smelling area to arrive at. There's a dark and obscure tunnel to traverse to get you to the other side of the highway. We happened to go on a rainy day and there was apparently some activity going on in the parking lot when we drove by that made us decide to loop back and try to access it directly from the highway instead. We found the lookout point right by the ferry terminal. There really isn't a designated parking or stopping spot, but we saw many cars stopped along the side of the highway, potentially also to look for Jack Point. On that grey, rainy day, I can't say the trip was worth the view. But I trust the view would actually be worth the trek on...

First time visiting this trail with our Walking group. The weather wasn’t the most cooperative, luckily only a little bit of rain. I can only imagine how gorgeous would be with sunny blue skies. Although the beginning of the trail is a bit noisy due to the close proximity to the ferry terminal and the mill, once you are past that, it is quiet and peaceful. I would rate it as a medium trail, definitely lots of stairs and in wet weather, some of the trail could be quite slippery. The views of downtown Nanaimo, and at the far end of the trail, you can see Gabriola Island. We were lucky enough to see two ferry boats passing in the channel. I would like to go back in the summer when there’s more leaves on the trees. There is a fair sized parking lot, and also a few intricate carvings on the rocks. Also...