Saysutshun (Newcastle Island)

Newcastle Island — formally Saysutshun, its Coast Salish name — is a marine provincial park a short ferry hop from downtown Nanaimo. The island has no cars, no roads, and 22 kilometres of hiking and cycling trails winding through forest and along rocky shorelines with views back towards the city and across the Strait of Georgia.

The ferry from Maffeo Sutton Park runs regularly in summer; the crossing takes minutes. On the island, you can walk to sandstone cliffs, pebble beaches, and viewpoints looking towards the mainland mountains. A historic dance pavilion from the 1930s resort era still stands near the ferry dock. Camping is available for those who want to stay overnight.

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The island was mined for coal and sandstone through the 19th century, then converted into a resort in the 1930s by the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company, which brought day-trippers from Vancouver by boat. The dance pavilion from that era still stands. The island's original Coast Salish name, Saysutshun, was formally restored in recent years after a century of the colonial name.

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