Photo by Dana Wacker
Blueback Beach is one of Nanaimo’s best-hidden gems. Located in North Nanaimo, below roughly 200 stairs, the beach offers breathtaking views of the coastal mountains and sunset all at once. The shore itself is a mixture of small-to-medium sized rocks at first, but quickly transitions into a long sandbar, making it a great place for swimming, wading, and floating. Despite the stairs, the walk to the beach is actually quite short, only 300 meters.
The park is open all year-round, making a great place to beat the heat in the summer or a quiet hideaway in the winter. Regardless of the season, the stairs themselves are a popular place for those in search of a high-intensity workout.
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Activities
- Birdwatching
- Swimming
- Running
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Accessibility
- Not wheelchair accessible
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How To Get To Blueback Beach
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- To get to Blueback Beach, follow the Island Highway north until Mary Ellen Drive (behind Chapters and Save On Foods). Turn right onto Mary Ellen Drive
- Turn right onto Dover Rd.
- Follow Dover Rd until Blueback Road, turn left.
- Follow Blueback Road straight to the end, the parking lot for Blueback Beach access is at the end of the road.
Also, Nanaimo transit routes #20A and #40 have a stop there on Blueback Road & Dover.
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Blueback Beach Parking
Parking for Blueback Beach is available off Icarus Drive, in a private parking lot with room for roughly 15 vehicles. There is on-street parking available as well, but we recommend opting for the parking lot if possible.
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