Damage to stairs near Ammonite Falls has forced a trail closure in the area. (Shawn Fonseca)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

fallen tree

Storms damage section of Nanaimo’s Ammonite Falls Regional Trail

Dec 23, 2025 | 3:11 PM

NANAIMO — Repairs will likely have to wait until after the holidays on a popular hiking trail west of the city.

A fallen tree took out a staircase on the northern section of the Ammonite Falls Regional Trail, near Weigles Rd., during recent storm activity through the region, forcing the Regional District of Nanaimo to close the trail

“The section…that runs through the ravine is closed indefinitely due to stair damage caused by a fallen tree,” the RDN posted to social media this week. “As a result, visitors cannot access Ammonite Falls from the Weigles (Rd.) parking lot at this time.”

NanaimoNewsNOW confirmed the one flight of stairs affected are located on the south side of the bridge.

Early surveys of the site suggest the damage does not extend to the footings of the staircase.

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Officials are hopeful repairs will be completed by mid-January.

Signs are posted on site directing hikers to a different route.

The falls themselves are still accessible from the Creekside Pl. end of the trail.

The stairs and a bridge were installed in 2021, while additional work in the spring focused on mitigating bank erosion, with soil dropping onto steep embankment stairs an issue for many years.

A retaining wall structure was also added to help future-proof the area from continued erosion.

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