This city park located in Nanaimo has a little something for everyone. With multi-use trails, an off-leash dog area, a swimmable lake, and waterfalls, Colliery Dam Park is a great spot to spend an afternoon.
Location: 635 Wakesiah Avenue
Quick Park Facts
- The multi-use trails are great for walking, jogging, and mountain biking.
- Lake is used for fishing, swimming (no lifeguard on duty) and non-motorized boats.
- Off-leash dog park – see below for details
- Waterfalls
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- Onsite washroom facilities
- Picnic area
A Bit of History
The dams at this park are a rare link to Nanaimo's industrial and coal mining heritage, and as of 2002, recognized and registered as one of Canada's Historic Places.
The Harewood Colliery Dam was built in 1910-11 by the Western Fuel Company as a place to wash coal. It was also used by the miners, mules and horses in the mines, and as a water line to nearby homes. The water system was eventually carried to most South Harewood homes until another dam was built in 1932.
The lakes created by the dams are now a popular swimming and fishing location.
The Trails at Colliery Dam
The outer trails of the park form a figure 8 around the two small lakes, with a few interconnecting pathways. The area also connects to the Parkway Trail, a 20 km paved path connecting several of Nanaimo's beautiful parks.
Within Colliery Dam, the trails vary in topography and difficulty. You will find paved sections, a few bridges, walkways with stairs, bridges built specifically for mountain biking, and mulched wooded trails. These wooded trails have a few beautiful large trees scattered throughout.
Colliery Dam Park is a great destination for families. The 2.3 km loop around the park is easy to navigate and well-maintained. And if you like waterfalls, two can be found here!
Finding the Waterfalls
The first waterfall is a spillway from the dam, but it is still quite pretty.
Head towards the first bridge as you follow the paved path to your left when leaving the parking area off Wakesiah Avenue. The spillway you see under this bridge is the first waterfall. Take the dirt path down the hill on the left-hand side of the bridge and follow the spillway to the bottom. This path is quite steep and out of park boundaries.
Chase River Falls, better known as Granny Falls, is the more significant waterfall found at this park. However, it's a bit more hidden.
To find Granny Falls, you must first find the large culvert that allows Chase River to flow underneath the Parkway. It's so large there is a wide concrete walkway inside the culvert. And if you enjoy graffiti art, this tunnel is full of it (both good and not-so-good)!
You'll find the culvert by heading to the highest point in the park and also where the wooden pedestrian bridge and walkway are found near the upper lake. On the park's map, this upper lake is called “Middle Colliery Dam.” After crossing the wooden walkway, locate the culvert ahead of you. Walk through the culvert and continue to follow the dirt trail for a short distance to Granny Falls. If these directions don't work, find Chase River within the park and follow it upstream.
Dog Park
The dog park is at the upper lake, AKA “Middle Colliery Dam.” The trail that loops around this portion of the dam is an off-leash area. Many families enjoy walking their dogs in this section.
The parking area closest to the dog park is off Nanaimo Lakes Road. This parking area also leads you to a bridge between the two dams.
Wheelchair Accessibility
The best wheelchair access is from the park's main entrance off Wakesiah and Sixth Street. This paved parking lot gives you access to a hard-packed and level asphalt path that leads you to the first lake.
Negatives about this Park
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention some of this park's negative aspects.
- Although the city is trying to update this “University District,” Harewood is a well-known high-crime area (petty crime). Please don't leave anything of value in your vehicle.
- The park is surrounded by busy roads, including the Parkway (Hwy 19). This means that traffic noise is quite evident throughout most of the park.
- In saying both of these points, I still believe it's a worthwhile location to explore.
Other Destinations in Nanaimo to Explore
Nanaimo has a lot of great places to explore, especially parks. Here are a few of my favourites.
Have you been to Colliery Dam Park? Did you find Granny Falls? Let us know about your experience in the comment section below. To save this article for future use, please pin this image on Pinterest:
We’ve been visiting these falls through “the painted tunnel”, as it’s fondly known in our family, for years. I especially appreciated the short loops when the kids were very small — sometimes on a longer hike you hesitate to let the curious young children stop for lengthy periods to explore freely because in the back of your head you’re thinking “shoot we still have such a long way back to the car…” but these loops are perfect for the youngest meandering walkers to stop at every bit of interesting thing. You’re never so far that you can’t just pick them up and head back even if there’s a meltdown at the furthest point 🙂
So true! Thank you for sharing your story with us.