City of trails

Mountain bikers who drive through Nanaimo are missing out

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a peek-a-boo window between two towering fir trees. Ignoring the fact my mountain biking companions are quickly disappearing into the forest ahead, I squeeze my brakes to take in the panorama. Seemingly all of Nanaimo spreads out below me, hence the trail’s name: Panoraimo.

I can see the Island Highway snaking off to the north carrying cars towards Parksville, Cumberland and the west coast of Vancouver Island. To the south, the Gulf Islands break up the Vancouver Island coastline. The eastern horizon fuzzes out into the blue haze of the Strait of Georgia and the hint of the B.C. mainland near Vancouver. And in between it all is the City of Habours.

Nanaimo is best known for three things: its scenic coastline, including an expansive and protective harbour; an eponymous desert; and its three BCFerries terminal. Because of the latter, most people arriving in Nanaimo are just passing through on their way to somewhere else. Understandable – there are a lot of amazing places on Vancouver Island – but also short-sighted. Anyone that stops in Nanaimo long enough to look around quickly realizes there’s a lot of reasons to linger. That’s especially true for mountain bikers and it’s not just the quantity and quality of trails. As I soon find out, Nanaimo’s a perfect place to practice leaving a positive impact.

In the Nanaimo region there are six main riding areas with more than 500 kilometres of trails. There’s easy rolling terrain, technical singletrack, steep and long downhills, jump lines and the Stevie Smith Bike Park, a memorial to one of Canada’s top downhill racers. There’s a lot of trail builders working on personal projects, which means new trails emerge all the time.

“It’s an exciting time for mountain biking in Nanaimo,” says Grant Laird, the owner of FOR Bikes, the city's newest mountain bike shop. “We’ve always had something for every kind of rider, from some of the longest DH trails on the island to cross country and family friendly. Now the club, community and bike culture are starting to find their way together. The result is a lot of energy being poured into the sport. But the trails here still have a rawer feel than the rest of the island.”

I can attest to that. An hour ago I met a few locals for a guided tour of the Westwood Lake trails, one of two sanctioned networks in the Nanaimo area. From the doorstep of a suburban neighbourhood we roll onto a multi-use path that circumnavigates the namesake waterbody. We quickly deviate from the gravel onto singletrack and climb steadily through a cool, green forest of ferns, salal and Douglas fir trees.

Once we hit a logging road the real climbing begins. The gravel road jacks uphill at a just pedal-able grade. I manage to ride most of the sustained climb with just a few dabs to catch my breath.

My guides politely wait at the start of Panoraimo for me to stop gasping. Then we coast into the trail, which parallels the road along the edge of a bluff, swinging from rock to dirt, cliff edge to banked turn, and back again. It’s rough and tough, fast and fun. And then it gets rowdy. Near the bottom we skid down a series of rock slabs and rock gullies. It’s hold on and sit back kind of riding that testifies to the Nanaimo Mountain Bike Club’s nickname: Gnarnaimo.

“There’s a lot of renegade building and fewer sanctioned riding areas in Nanaimo, compared to a lot of other Island communities,” Laird says. “The result is a wilder, rougher, rugged building style.”

But there is fast flow, too. We find it lower down on Binx, understandably one of Nanaimo’s most popular trails. It follows a faint ridgeline inclined at the Goldilocks angle where you barely need to brake, especially with the perfectly placed berms. A quick squeeze before the corner and its high speed G-forces coming out the other side. Then it’s off a small jump, past an old, moss covered wooden stunt, and into the next perfect corner. It’s fast and flowy like a machine built trail, but 100 percent handmade excellence. It’s the kind of trail that every rider, from intermediate to expert, coasts out the bottom hooting with joy.

As we do just that I’m struck by how quiet the trails are. It’s a sunny weekend, the dirt is perfectly tacky and, yet, we’ve only passed three other groups of riders in three hours of pedalling. It feels like we’re in on a secret, which is thrilling in a time where so many trail networks are crowded. Granted it is November, but timing is also an important factor in being a good mountain bike visitor.

“In the last few years there’s been a real change in the perception of tourism,” says Eugene Thomlinson, a sustainable travel expert and professor at Victoria’s Royal Roads University. “Rather than tourism for tourism’s sake, it is now about how can tourism benefit the destination and the locals.”

With a little thought and planning a travelling mountain biker can leave a positive legacy in the communities and trail networks they visit. It starts with acting respectfully and conscientiously, says Thomlinson, and extends to travelling with intention.

Visiting outside of peak season, like mountain biking in November, means quieter trails and lower costs at ferries, accommodation and restaurants. Plus it injects money into the economy when it’s more needed. Visiting under the radar destinations, like Nanaimo, spreads the money around and ensures a unique experience. Shopping locally supports residents – and the visitors.

“The perfect tourist comes into the shop to get their brakes bled because they forgot before leaving home,” says Laird. “Once they’re here, they get a taste of the local riding culture and we give them intel in the best place to ride.”

Visiting a bike shop is also the best place to learn about local trail etiquette, says Kira Marshall, the manager of content production for 4VI. Formerly Tourism Vancouver Island, 4VI changed its name, and its approach to destination marketing in 2019, to better reflect its goal of making Vancouver Island a good place to visit and a good place to live. Money that used to go to advertising to travellers is now spent on building a new climbing trail or educating visitors on how to have a positive legacy. A good example is 4VI’s guidelines for being a model mountain biker.

In a riding area like Nanaimo, which is almost entirely maintained by volunteers, that means contributing to trail development and maintenance, says Marshall.

“Local trail clubs provide not only a community to rely on for the best local biking tips, but also are likely the reason many of those trails exist,” she says. “It's important to show your gratitude for their hard work.”

That could mean stopping to move a branch off a trail, picking up garbage, or showing up for a trail maintenance event. And it definitely means donating to the local bike club – many have a donate button on their websites or via QR codes at trail heads.

I’m thinking about other ways I can give back to Nanaimo as we near the end of our ride. I figure it starts with riding here more often. Panoraimo and Binx were so much fun I can’t wait to come back and they are just a tiny corner of the trail network. There’s Chainsaw Ridge and the other monster descents at South Benson, XC trails at Ridge Runner and The Abyss, and a mixed bag of fun at Doumont. After the ride I can swing by one of the local breweries or stop for a coffee. Maybe grab a new pair of gloves at the bike shop.

I figure a mud splattered face communicates a lot to business owners. And maybe down the road, in some indirect way, it translates into a new trail, a trailhead washroom or a spiffier parking lot.

More than anything, I realize all those times I drove straight through Nanaimo were opportunities lost to do more with my bike.

Nanaimo Ride Guide

Getting there: Nanaimo is on the east coast of Vancouver Island, about a 1.5 hour drive north of Victoria. Two car ferry routes from the Vancouver-area arrive right in the city, from Horseshoe Bay and Tswassen. It also has an airport with direct flights to Vancouver, Calgary and Kelowna.

Coffee: The caffeine aficionados head to Drip Coffee.

Post ride bevy: There are two microbreweries in town, White Sails Brewing and Longwood Brewery.

Swimming hole: There’s a swimming beach at the Main Westwood Lake Parking area and plenty of other places to dip a toe nearby in the ocean, river and lake.

Accommodation: In addition to tent and RV sites right on the trail network, Westwood Lake Campground Resort rents cabins, cottages and tiny homes.

Guiding: Island Mountain Rides

Support: https://nanaimomountainbikeclub.com/donations/

Find out more: Tourism Nanaimo

Trailforks Link: https://www.trailforks.com/region/nanaimo/

Where else to ride: Hammerfest is a quality and varied trail network outside of Parksville with 91 kilometres of recently sanctioned trails.

The City of Nanaimo is located on the Traditional Territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.