Morden Colliery Historic Park is seven kilometres south of Nanaimo on southern Vancouver Island, with access from Highway 1 on Morden Road. BC Parks says the parking lot also serves as a trailhead for a Regional District of Nanaimo route.
This small, undeveloped day-use park protects the only remaining coal tipple on Vancouver Island.
Morden Colliery is a focused heritage stop. The concrete coal tipple was built in the early 1900s by the Pacific Coal Company and was the first of its kind in the region. It is all that remains of the Morden Coal Mine, where the first sod was turned in 1912.
BC Parks notes that the mine produced 76,000 tonnes of coal in its first year. A historic railway right-of-way also runs through the park, and the Regional District of Nanaimo maintains a trail through the park to the Nanaimo River. The park works well for visitors interested in industrial history rather than developed nature facilities.
View the coal tipple from outside the fenced safety area, walk the regional district trail toward the Nanaimo River, learn about Vancouver Island coal mining history, take photographs, and use the site as a short day-use heritage stop.
Access inside the fenced coal tipple area is prohibited for public safety. There are no developed trails within the BC Parks portion itself, so obey posted signs and stay on designated routes. Keep pets leashed, keep bicycles on roadways, and keep e-bikes off trails.
