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Nanaimo Waterfront Walkway

Nanaimo’s waterfront is one of our city’s greatest assets, and the existing waterfront walkway showcases its natural beauty. Many in the community have expressed a desire to expand the walkway and improve connections from existing trail and bike networks to the walkway. 

In December 2017, Nanaimo City Council endorsed the Nanaimo Waterfront Walkway Implementation Plan which outlines how the waterfront walkway can be upgraded and expanded from Departure Bay to the Nanaimo River Estuary.

The City is currently considering a key phase of expansion which focuses on Departure Bay. Improvements would connect the existing trail behind BC Ferries Terminal to the existing waterfront walkway near the Kin Hut at Kinsman Park.  The project is undergoing review and cost estimate updating for consideration by Council in 2025, in concert with other major capital projects. 

 

Want To Know More?

To learn more about the proposed walkway concept in the Departure Bay section, check out www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca/waterfrontwalkway

To learn more about the Waterfront Walkway Implementation Plan, check out the Documents tab to download a pdf copy of the plan.

If you have any comments or questions, please contact us at 250-754-4251 or email waterfrontwalkway@nanaimo.ca

  • Progress

    The City is currently considering a key phase of expansion which focuses on Departure Bay. Improvements would connect the existing trail behind BC Ferries Terminal to the existing waterfront walkway near the Kin Hut at Kinsman Park. The project is undergoing review and cost estimate updating for consideration by Council in 2025, in concert with other major capital projects. To learn about this phase of the project please visit www.getinvolvednanaimo.ca/waterfrontwalkway. 

    In 2019, construction work was completed of approximately 1km of interim waterfront walkway on 1 Port Drive.  The construction work included new asphalt surfacing, new LED trailway lighting, new benches and waste receptacles.  The walkway is now open to the public and allows users to walk or cycle between downtown and cruise ship terminal. Although the walkway is only built to an interim standard at this time, it allows users to access an area of the waterfront that was once on private land and inaccessible. 

    In December 2017, Nanaimo City Council endorsed the Nanaimo Waterfront Walkway Implementation Plan. 

  • Documents

    December 2017 - Waterfront Walkway Implementation Plan  

  • Details

    In December 2017, Nanaimo City Council endorsed the Nanaimo Waterfront Walkway Implementation Plan. This plan provides a vision for a continuous multi-use pathway from Departure Bay to the Nanaimo River Estuary that can be enjoyed by pedestrians and cyclists, and is the centrepiece of a thriving and sustainable community.  The Implementation Plan be used to expand and improve upon the existing sections of walkway that were built incrementally over the last 30 years.

    The Implementation Plan was prepared through collaboration with community members, key stakeholders, experienced professionals and City staff to ensure the goals and desires of all were considered.

    Check out the Documents tab to download a pdf copy of the Waterfront Walkway Implementation Plan.

  • Background

    The City of Nanaimo is a waterfront community on the east coast of Vancouver Island with a population of over 90,000.  The natural beauty of Nanaimo’s waterfront forms the backbone of the community, bringing residents and tourists together to experience one of the City’s greatest assets. The waterfront is a commercial and industrial hub with shipyards, fishing docks, marinas, yacht clubs, and ferry and plane terminals. The area provides employment and integrates residential and recreational uses to create an active and vibrant waterfront.

    Nanaimo and its surroundings are part of the ancestral home of a migratory Coast Salish people, the Snuneymuxw. The Snuneymuxw – meaning “The Great People” in the Hul’qumi’num language – lived in several waterfront villages along Nanaimo’s shores from Departure Bay to Newcastle Island, where they found abundant food, fresh water and winter shelter. Great cedarplanked longhouses were constructed in various locations along this stretch of Nanaimo’s waterfront, from the Nanaimo River Estuary to Departure Bay. The proposed Waterfront Walkway will travel through these important Snuneymuxw village sites and it will link present-day parks, shipyards, marinas, transportation terminals and residential developments.

     

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