The RDN states pending erosion work is expected to minimize spillover of soil onto stairs on a steep section of trail at Benson Creek Falls Regional Park. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Erosion work

Partial trail closure to mitigate lingering bank erosion downstream from Ammonite Falls

Apr 6, 2025 | 6:52 AM

NANAIMO — Access will be restricted at a well-travelled regional park just outside Nanaimo city limits, allowing crews to deal with slope erosion issues.

The Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) announced a portion of Ammonite Regional Trial within Benson Creek Falls Regional Park will be closed from Monday April 7 to Wednesday, April 16.

The closure means access to the park via the Weigles Rd. trailhead will be shut down during the work project.

Rick Daykin, RDN parks manager, stated the area being addressed is where the embankment stairs are located north of Ammonite Falls.

“The retaining structures will help keep soils from sloughing down onto the crib steps that form part of the Ammonite Falls Regional Trail. The retaining structures will be a combination of bagged flexible walls, logs, and yellow cedar wood stringers,” Daykin told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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Soil dropping onto steep embankment stairs at the park has been an ongoing issue. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

Addressing the steep sections of trail with the retaining structures will help minimize the erosion issue from spilling on to the trail, Daykin added.

The project is a continuation of work that started in the fall of 2023 involving the management of sliding soil within the steep gorge at Benson Creek where retaining walls were installed on each side of the ravine.

Access to Ammonite Falls will still be available during construction from the south entrance at Jameson Rd. via the Creekside Community Park parking lot, which doesn’t require usage of the steep gorge section to access the prized waterfall.

Map of the trail closure within Benson Creek Falls Regional Park (RDN)

Stairs on both sides the gorge, connected by a 90-foot-long aluminum bridge over Benson Creek, were installed in 2021.

Benson Creek Falls Regional Park has increased in popularity over the years, with the social media era drawing more locals and tourists to pristine Ammonite Falls.

The installation of stairs and a viewing platform leading to the falls, which opened in 2022, headlined multiple accessibility enhancements made in the park in recent years.

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