Newcastle Island viewed from Maffeo Sutton Park

Newcastle Island Marine Park is located just offshore from Nanaimo on Southern Vancouver Island. One of the charms of this park is the absence of cars on Newcastle Island, which is accessible only by privately owned boats or a foot passenger ferry from Nanaimo.

Part of the east side of the island is grassy and flat with sandstone beaches - the rest is wooded. It takes 2.5 hours (8 km) to walk around the island, which has 21 km of trails to explore. The Giovandi Lookout at Nares point is a fine viewpoint on the island.

The camping area of Newcastle Island Provincial Park, with 18 walk-in campsites, is located 500m from the ferry dock.

A charming little paddle steamer operates the 1-km ferry service from Maffeo Sutton Park, behind Nanaimo's Civic Arena, to Newcastle Island.

Click for companies that offer Hiking & Backpacking services, or visit our Recreation section for more information on Hiking and Backpacking in British Columbia.

Trail information for Vancouver Island is provided in three superb Hiking Trails guides by the Vancouver Island Trails Information Society.