Trail Stats
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Distance | Approximately 8 km return |
| Elevation Gain | Approximately 700 m |
| Difficulty | Moderate to strenuous |
| Time | 3.5 to 5 hours return |
| Trailhead | Witchcraft Lake Road, off Nanaimo Lakes Road |
| Best Season | May through October |
| Dogs | Welcome on leash |
| Facilities | None on trail; parking at trailhead |
Getting to the Trailhead
Mount Benson rises from the western edge of Nanaimo, visible as a dark forested ridge from most of the city. The most commonly used trailhead is reached by driving west from the city on Nanaimo Lakes Road, then turning onto Witchcraft Lake Road. The drive from downtown Nanaimo takes roughly twenty minutes. A small parking area sits at the trailhead. There is no public transit to the trailhead, so a car or a rideshare dropped at the road start is necessary. The road to Witchcraft Lake crosses active logging roads in places, and logging trucks have right of way on working forest roads — drive carefully and pull well clear of any truck you encounter.
The Lower Trail: Second-Growth Forest
The trail begins in second-growth Douglas fir, a forest that has regenerated since the mid-twentieth-century logging that cleared the lower slopes of most large trees. The path is well-worn and easy to follow. The gradient in the lower section is moderate — steady climbing without sharp switchbacks — and the forest provides shade that keeps the temperature comfortable even on warm days. The understory is typical coastal forest: sword fern, salal, Oregon grape, and in open spots, arbutus trees with their peeling orange-red bark. The lower trail takes roughly sixty to eighty minutes to clear.
The Mid-Trail: Thinning Forest and Increasing Gradient
As elevation increases, the character of the forest changes. The trees thin, the soil becomes rockier, and the Douglas fir gives way in places to lodgepole pine and open rocky bluffs where the first long views appear. Looking east through the gaps in the trees, you can see across Nanaimo to the Georgia Strait and the Gulf Islands beyond. The gradient steepens in this section and the trail surface becomes rockier underfoot. Proper footwear with ankle support is important here — trail runners at minimum, hiking boots preferred. The mid-section takes roughly forty-five minutes to an hour.
The Upper Section: Rocky Bluffs and the Summit Approach
The upper portion of the hike involves genuine scrambling on open rocky bluffs. The route is marked by cairns and worn rock surfaces where previous hikers have passed, but there is no formal trail in the conventional sense — you are moving across exposed rock, choosing your line between cairns. Hands are useful in several spots. This section is what earns the hike its strenuous rating and is the reason to wear proper footwear. The scrambling is not technical — no ropes or climbing equipment are required — but it requires attention and reasonable fitness. Children and dogs can manage the upper section with help, but both should be confident on uneven terrain.
The Summit
The summit of Mount Benson is an open rocky plateau covered in heath vegetation: heather, blueberry, and lichen on exposed rock. The 360-degree view on a clear day is the reward that explains why local hikers return regularly. To the east, the Strait of Georgia and the Gulf Islands extend across the foreground, with the Coast Mountains of the BC mainland visible on the far shore. On particularly clear days — most common in September and early October — the peaks of the mainland range are sharply defined. To the north, the Beaufort Range runs along the spine of Vancouver Island. To the west, the heavily forested interior of the island stretches away toward the mountains above Port Alberni. Nanaimo itself is visible below to the east, the harbour and the Gulf Islands framing it from the water side.
There are no facilities at the summit — no shelter, no toilet, no water source. Carry everything you need for the day. A litre of water per person is a minimum for the summer months; more for warm days. The summit is exposed and wind can be significant even when the city below is calm. A warm layer is worth carrying year-round. Snow can be present on the summit from November through April, and conditions change rapidly in autumn.
The descent follows the same route and takes slightly less time than the ascent. Trekking poles help significantly on the rocky upper section going down. The total outing rewards an early morning start, which gives you the clearest air for summit views and the best chance of avoiding afternoon cloud that builds over the island in summer.