A more strenuous hike is up Mt. Benson. For the saltwater fishermen, Nanaimo offers a number of hot spots for coho, chinook, pink, sockeye and chum salmon. Try the Neck Point, Five Fingers and Snake Island areas. Freshwater fishing is particularly good in the Nanaimo Lakes if you're after rainbow and cutthroat trout. A series of four lakes accessible by Nanaimo River Road, the lakes are best from April to June and September and October.
Some camping is available at the first and fourth lakes.
Long Lake, right on the Island Highway in North Nanaimo, is stocked with rainbow and cutthroat trout. It's also a great lake for smallmouth bass. Nanaimo's harbor has moorage for over 500 boats, making it the ideal base for boaters planning to explore nearby areas. Kayaking is big in Nanaimo, with the sea sculpted cliffs of nearby islands offering sheltered waters and incredible rock formations. The harbor is also where you can sit and watch floatplanes take off and land.