Exploring – Sandy's Global Eyes

Mystical Englishman River Falls Trail

If you enjoy fresh air, exercise, and experiencing nature through lush Vancouver Island rainforest adjacent to rivers and waterfalls, then Englishman River Falls Park is a mystical place to explore.

Central Vancouver Island–Between Nanaimo and Parksville.

The British Columbia Provincial Park even offers seasonal camping and the trails are utilized for hiking, running, biking, and nature exploration. Check the BC Parks website for updates about any trail closures or campfire bans.

Englishman River is located 35 km northwest of Nanaimo or 13 km southwest of Parksville. It takes about 30 minutes to drive to the park and conservation area from Nanaimo.

It’s a Tranquil hike on a hot day during summer!

The main trail is a 1.3 kilometer loop with a minimal elevation gain of only 52 meters mainly adjacent to the meandering river.

Englishman River Falls Trail during summer

There is a suspension bridge which overlooks a popular swimming area.

Many additional trails, of varying levels of difficulty, are fun to explore too. The previous photos were taken during the summer month of August.

Englishman River Falls Trail in mid October.

The following photos illustrate the richness in green growth, increased levels of water, and presence of mushrooms and fungi during autumn (October) on the Englishman River Falls trails.

In addition to hikers, people walking leashed dogs, and trail bike enthusiasts, you may even encounter the odd horse and rider traversing the outer, less used trails.

Gorgeous trails. Hikers practicing physical distancing safety protocols during Covid.

The Vancouver Island rainforest is abundant with vegetation and bird species. Watch for old growth and second growth evergreens interspersed in the forests of the park lands.

Englishman River waterfalls flow with the greatest volume and vigor after rainy seasons. However, this is also the season when trails can experience windfall (trees and branches down) and water erosion on the trails.

Englishman River waterfall mid October 2020

An excellent source of practical information when considering hiking on Vancouver Island is available from AllTrails app. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/englishman-river-falls

I will return to hike along Englishman River Falls trails. However, the next blog posts will highlight some of the other amazing locations to hike or kayak around Vancouver Island.

Keep Safe and Enjoy Life. Cheers.

Vancouver Island Paradise! Nature hikes in January!

Time to welcome in a new year! (I’m a bit behind!) Do you enjoy hiking through lush rainforests, or walking adjacent to the ocean where kayaks explore and seals and shorebirds are common? This is our paradise living on Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Island, British Columbia is a unique island paradise off the west coast of Canada. The “Island” is 460 kilometres (290 miles) in length, 80+ kilometres (50+ miles) in width at the widest point, and 32,134 km2 (12,407 square miles) in area.

Vancouver Island is roughly the same size as Belgium (30,688 km²)or Taiwan (36,193 km²), and much bigger than Israel (20,770 km²), Kuwait (17,818km²) and Jamaica (10,991 km²).

Most of our forest areas are rainforest; however, our coastal climate is much more temperate than most of the rest of Canada. This blog post represents some of the beautiful outdoor locations around our home in Nanaimo. Keep in mind, all these adventures occurred during January–Winter in Canada.

Winter time enthusiasts—Kayakers and a person paddling on a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard).

My husband and I love hiking, kayaking, exploring nature, skiing, and so forth. My son does not always share our adventurous ways. Sophia (our rescue kitten) has mixed feelings about outdoor adventures. She is incredibly curious, but likes the comforts of home too. Sophia loves to burrow and sometimes surprises us by hiding under blankets, rugs, cloth, coats, pillows, etc.

Another January day, another opportunity to explore beaches and beautiful decorated clouds adorning the blue skies.

Nature offers beauty everywhere and there is lots of physical space to explore…

There are dozens and dozens of trails to hike and explore around our home. This short video represents a hike through one of our rainforest trails in winter. You will see a vast array of flora (plant life) from Arbutus to moss and lichen wrapped nurse trees growing fungus between ferns.

Cottle Lake Trail at Linley Valley

Try to use your imagination to hear and see all the bird species who make their homes in our rain forests.

More blog posts of nature and wildlife on Vancouver Island will be coming, but the next post will be “Sophia’s introduction to Snow!”.

Until then….Stay Safe and Keep on Smiling.