Local Insights: How to get to Blueback Beach in Nanaimo
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.
Activities
- Birdwatching
- Swimming
- Running
Accessibility
- Not wheelchair accessible
How To Get To Blueback Beach
- 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 Icarus Drive, turn left.
- Follow Icarus Drive straight to the end, the parking lot for Blueback Beach access is at the end of the road.

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.
article credit: www.tourismnanaimo.com
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