Off-Leash Dog Parks in Nanaimo
Nanaimo has 12 designated off-leash areas. They are set out in Schedule B of the City's Animal Responsibility Bylaw, and that designation is what makes off leash lawful in those places rather than merely tolerated.
The part people miss is seasonal. 5 of the 12 have a beach, and dogs are barred from any beach area from 1 May to 30 September. That rule overrides the off-leash designation, so a park can be off leash and closed to dogs on its beach at the same time.
The map shows all 12 with their status. The list below it says the same thing in text.
Where are the off-leash dog parks in Nanaimo?
All 12 are inside the City of Nanaimo. Select any pin for the fencing, the parking, the seasonal rule and the bylaw condition that applies to it.
Green means off leash year round. Amber means the beach area closes to dogs from 1 May to 30 September. Grey means the beach status is unconfirmed and is treated as restricted. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence - Nanaimo.
| Park | Where | Extent | Seasonal status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beaufort Park | 69 Lorne Place | signed area only, partly fenced | Off leash year round |
| Beban Park | 2300 Bowen Road | signed area only, fenced | Off leash year round |
| Cable Bay Trail | Access from the end of Nicola Road, in Cedar | whole park, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round, beach area closed to dogs 1 May to 30 September |
| Colliery Dam Park | 635 Wakesiah Avenue | signed area only, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round, beach area closed to dogs 1 May to 30 September |
| Diver Lake Park | 2430 Black Frank Drive | signed area only, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round, beach status unconfirmed |
| Gallows Point Light Park | 208 Colvilleton Trail | signed area only, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round, beach area closed to dogs 1 May to 30 September |
| Invermere Beach Access | 6420 Invermere Road | whole park, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash 1 October to 30 April, closed to dogs 1 May to 30 September |
| May Richards Bennett Pioneer Park | 6780 Dover Road | signed area only, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round |
| Northfield Rotary Lookout Park | 2450 Northfield Road | signed area only, fenced | Off leash year round |
| St. George Ravine Park | 1060 St. George Street | signed area only, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round |
| Wardropper Park | 2957 Departure Bay Road | signed area only, fenced | Off leash year round |
| Westwood Lake Park | 231 Westwood Road | signed area only, fencing unconfirmed | Off leash year round, beach area closed to dogs 1 May to 30 September |
Can my dog be on the beach?
Not between 1 May and 30 September. Section 48(a) of the bylaw states that no owner may permit an animal to be on a public beach during the months of May through September inclusive, and it opens with the words despite any other provision of this Bylaw. That phrasing is what makes it override the off-leash schedule.
A public beach is defined as any beach area adjacent to a lake or ocean located within a park, so the rule reaches fresh water as well as salt. Westwood Lake, Colliery Dam and Diver Lake are caught by the same wording that catches the ocean sites.
Invermere Beach Access is the one to watch. Schedule B designates the entire park off leash, and the entire park is essentially the beach. For five months of the year the designation has nothing left to apply to. Read it as off leash from 1 October to 30 April and closed to dogs from 1 May to 30 September.
Which off-leash areas are fenced?
Three are recorded as fenced: Beban Park, Northfield Rotary Lookout Park and Wardropper Park. Beaufort Park is partly fenced. For the remaining eight the City does not publish fencing either way, so this page records them as unconfirmed rather than guessing.
That distinction matters more here than it does on most amenity lists. A guessed fence status is worse than a blank one, because somebody drives out with a dog that does not recall reliably.
What does off leash actually require in Nanaimo?
Section 45 permits a dog off leash in the Schedule B areas on one condition: the dog is under the effective control of a competent person, such that it will obey verbal or hand commands to come when directed. Off leash is not the same as unsupervised, and the bylaw says so.
Two of the twelve are designated in full. The other ten are signed areas inside a larger park, which means the rest of that park stays on leash. Westwood Lake is the clearest example: the off-leash area runs along the hydro line easement on the far side of the lake, and dogs must be leashed on the main chip trail.
Which parks have parking, washrooms and waste bags?
Where the City publishes it, the map panel says so. Where it does not, the panel says unconfirmed. Nothing on this page reads no parking or no washrooms unless the City states an absence, because an unpublished amenity and a missing one are different things.
Waste bag dispensers are the exception, in that they come from the City's own amenity data rather than from a park description. Nine of the twelve sites have at least one recorded inside the park boundary.
Common questions
Where do I take my dog in an emergency in Nanaimo?
Central Island Veterinary Emergency Hospital at 6550 Metral Drive is the city's dedicated emergency hospital, on 250-933-0913. Its published hours run continuously from Friday morning through to Tuesday morning, which leaves Nanaimo without overnight emergency cover from Tuesday morning to Friday morning. On those midweek nights the nearest 24 hour hospital is in Langford. Hours were verified on 23 August 2026 and the hospital states it intends to return to full 24 hour service, so phone ahead before you drive.
Can I bring my dog on the ferry to Nanaimo?
It depends which operator and how big the dog is. Hullo carries house cats and small dogs weighing no more than 10 kg including the carrier, one carrier per ticketed passenger, and the animal stays in that carrier on your lap or at your feet for the whole sailing. That rules out most medium and large dogs. BC Ferries is the route for a bigger dog, where pets travel in your vehicle or in a designated pet area, on a leash no longer than 1 metre, with a maximum of two pets per handler.
How many dogs can I keep at one address in Nanaimo?
Four dogs over the age of 16 weeks, under section 9.1 of the Animal Responsibility Bylaw. Going above four means meeting the requirements of the City's Zoning Bylaw and holding a valid business licence, which is a commercial path rather than a residential one. Note that the limit is not the same across the corridor: Duncan allows three dogs over eight weeks.
Does my dog need a licence, and what changes the fee?
Yes. Two things change what you pay. A sterilized dog is charged about half what an unsterilized one is, and paying by February 28th costs less than paying after it. Under Schedule A of the Fees and Charges Bylaw as consolidated on 19 January 2026, that is $25 against $50 when paid on time. Confirm the current year's figures with the City before you pay, because the fee schedule is updated.
Can a dog declared aggressive use an off-leash area?
No. Section 80 of the Animal Responsibility Bylaw bars an aggressive dog from the areas listed in Schedule B, which is the same list of 12 sites on this page. The same section bars them from school grounds, from within 30 metres of playground apparatus, and from parks generally.
Where to go next
- Dog-Friendly Nanaimo: off-leash parks, beaches and trails, the longer read on living here with a dog.
- Nanaimo trails, where to walk, ride and take the dog.
- Best beaches near Nanaimo, worth reading alongside the seasonal rule above.
- Moving to Nanaimo, the relocation hub this page sits under.
- Nanaimo neighbourhood guide, if you are working out which part of town to land in.
Sources: City of Nanaimo Bylaw 7316, Animal Responsibility Bylaw, sections 2, 45, 48 and 80 and Schedule B; Fees and Charges Bylaw 2021 No. 7336, consolidated 19 January 2026; City of Nanaimo open data, Parks and Open Spaces and Park Amenities. Park locations and amenity data contain information licenced under the Open Government Licence - Nanaimo. Verified 23 August 2026. Bylaws are amended from time to time, so confirm anything you are relying on with the City.