Nanaimo City Loop

Nanaimo, BC

Directions:

You can join this loop at any convenient place along the route.  We usually have lunch at a good restaurant after the ride, so we try to park near it.  Our favourites on this ride are The Plate on Jingle Pot Road, Smokin' Georges on Mostar, The Saigon Kitchen on Metral, or Milton Street Pub.  All of these are either on the route or close to it.

Conditions:

This approximately 23km route is mostly paved multi-purpose trails but connections between them are on city streets, almost all of which are usually quiet.

The Trip:

Follow the route in a counter-clockwise direction.

The E&N Trail portion of the route is an easy ride, gradual uphill going North, but with traffic noise and a very commercial view.  Third Street, Bowen, and Diver Lake parks are great rides with a lovely, peaceful, ambience.  The Parkway is slightly downhill going south, but with rolling terrain.  There are frequent views of the highway, so there is some noise, but it's mostly hidden in the forests and a very pleasant ride.  Watch out for root caused bumps in the pavement.  They are usually marked but they seem to like being at the bottom of a steep ride down a hill.

There are several optional adjustments that can be made:

• There is a tunnel under the Parkway just south of Mostar that some people find clostrophobic. To skip this, cross the Parkway at Mostar and go south on Jinglepot for a bit.  As shown on the map, you can reconnect with the Parkway path on the West side of the Parkway right at the tunnel exit.
• You can extend the ride a couple of kilometers by coninuting North on Metral rather than turning West on Dunster.  Cross over to the Parkway on Doumont and join the Parkway going South at Dunster.  This would be the best route if you chose the Saigon Kitchen for lunch.
• If you want to start the route at Smokin' Georges, there is an exit on the Parkway trail near the end of the trip that allows you to skip the ride back up Mostar.

Map:

Here is a map of the route on Google Maps with a link to the .gpx file: Nanaimo City Loop

Elevation Profile

The route has ups and downs but no major hills.  The graph below looks extreme, but the elevation gain/loss is only 60 meters.