Discover the Comox Valley: Nature Parks, Coastal Trails and Railway History

In the Comox Valley, you can experience nature across a wide range of landscapes and trails: wetlands and second-growth forest sit alongside waterfalls, coastal views and traces of coal transportation. Each park has its own focus, from diverse habitats to trails for multiple uses. The region’s railway history and events at the Exhibition Grounds also offer distinctive ways to explore the area.

Nature Parks with Varied Landscapes

Seal Bay Nature Park protects 642 hectares of biodiversity and valuable wildlife habitat, including regenerating second-growth forest, wetlands and rare plant communities. On the north shore of the Puntledge River, Nymph Falls Nature Park protects 61 hectares of second-growth forest. The cascade at Nymph Falls flows over fish ladders built in 1977 to allow spawning salmon to migrate upstream.

At Mt. Geoffrey Nature Park, the landscape ranges from very dry arbutus-covered slopes to rainforest-like Sitka spruce forest at the foot of the slope. Mount Geoffrey reaches 330 metres and is the highest point on Hornby Island. Goose Spit Park has a different kind of coastline: this shifting sand spit, fed by the Willemar Bluffs, forms Comox Harbour together with Gartley Point.

Trails and Nature Experiences

Seal Bay Nature Park is open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders, and dogs are permitted. Three trails lead to the shore: Ravine/saʔpɛt, Don Apps and Eagle/q̓ayk̓ʷ. The trail signs include Coast Salish names in the traditional language of ayajuthem, recognizing the park’s cultural and historical significance to the K’ómoks First Nation.

Mt. Geoffrey Nature Park has six trails open to horseback riding within its multi-use trail network. This gives you a clear distinction when choosing a trail: Seal Bay combines several types of use with three trails to the shore, while horseback riding is an explicit feature of Mt. Geoffrey’s trail network.

A short, easy 0.5-kilometre trail leads from the parking lot to Nymph Falls. The wide, gentle trail is wheelchair accessible, and designated parking spaces are available at the trailhead. For the Royston Seaside Trail, the accessibility information applies to the section between the parking lot on Hilton Road and Chinook Road: this section is accessible to people with reduced mobility. The southern half of the trail runs along Marine Drive, with views across Comox Harbour. Check local conditions before your visit.

Railway History and Events

The Royston to Cumberland Railway Trail preserves the corridor of the former Wellington Colliery Railway. From 1888 through the 1950s, the railway transported coal from Cumberland via Royston to the docks at Union Bay. The trail can be accessed from Baden Road or Trent Road. Shrubs and young alders, maples, cedars and poplars grow beside the trail beneath a light canopy.

Events can also be the focus of a trip: the Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds are a venue for equestrian events, dog shows, bonspiel curling, community celebrations and music events. If a particular event is the deciding factor for your trip, check the dates before making plans.

Discover more destinations: Mount Washington, Kitimat-Stikine, Metro Vancouver, Columbia-Shuswap, Fraser Valley, Okanagan-Similkameen, Powell River, Skeena-Queen Charlotte

Back to the main travel overview: British Columbia.