Nanoose Bay Hiking – How to get to Wallace Point
One of the most amazing areas to check out houses, go for a walk, enjoy great views, see wildlife and of course bird watching is the Fairwinds area in Nanoose bay. An unknown gem of a walk is a small island off the tip of the Nanoose Peninsula called Wallace Point . At high tide this great little island is cut off from foot traffic. At low tide you can easily walk across a small human made bridge of rocks and the lowest tides you wouldn't even need boots.
Please remember that this hike can be tide dependant, if you want to get over to the island make sure you go at low tide. For up to date tide information for this area: Click Here
There is quite a bit of controversy over this great area as it is owned by the Department of National Defense. At every turn you'll see signs in the trees that say no trespassing. It is not recommended to ignore the signs, keeping to the beach is the best way to go.
To get to this area:
Once you pass the Nanoose Bay area on the highway heading north from Nanaimo , take a right at the Petro Canada gas station onto Northwest Bay Road . Stay on this road until it takes a sharp right corner and then a sharp left corner and goes over some train tracks (this is the second set of train tracks) take your next right on Powder Point Road and keep going until you get to the Fairwinds Golf Club. Take a right onto Andover Road , this is a windy road with some great views and amazing houses. On the left after a few sharp corners you'll see Ainsley Place . Park on this short road where ever you can find a spot.
Here's the path that you're looking for, it's hard to see but it's just to the left of the yellow fire hydrant:
This is a close up of the path, it goes right up to the fence of the DND and then turns to the left.
As you go along the path you find a set of stairs that takes you right down to the beach. If you go to the right staying very close to the trees you'll find a path that takes you along the edge of the forest out to the point. Follow this path and staying to the left each time it brances off on your way out to the point. Here's a picture of the beach you'll be at:
The rest of the pictures below are from the area at the point, also known as Wallace Island:
This is the rock bridge that you're looking for if there is still some water in the channel:
