Witchcraft Lake roadside parking lot and floating boardwalk update

On November 12, 2019 the Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) Board of Directors unanimously voted to decommission the roadside parking lot and floating boardwalk located at Witchcraft Lake at 2905 Benson View Rd, Nanaimo BC.

This decision follows the completion of the newly built parking lot at Mount Benson Regional Park located approximately 500m from the 24 stalls roadside parking lot slated to be decommissioned.

The new parking lot for Mount Benson Regional Park opened in June 2019 and offers 87 paved parking stalls, a drop off zone for buses, a new trailhead and other improved facilities including kiosk maps, bear proof garbage cans and an accessible vault toilet. The new parking lot also includes an overflow gravel parking lot that can accommodate an additional 30-35 vehicles, bringing the total capacity of the parking lot to over 120 vehicles.

In addition, a new trail connection has been built from the new parking area to access the west side of Witchcraft Lake.

The next steps for RDN parks will be to review a transition plan with the City of Nanaimo (who owns the lands surrounding Witchcraft Lake) and with the Ministry of Transportation who has jurisdiction on the linear 24 stall roadside parking lot. The work to decommission the parking and floating boardwalk should start this winter with an estimated completion date being in Spring 2020.

The Mt. Benson Regional Park trailhead and main entrance can be easily accessed through the new parking lot located at 2761 Benson View Road, Nanaimo BC. The gates at the new parking lot will be open from 5 am – 11 pm in the summer months and 5 am – 8 pm in the winter months.