Reviews of Seal Bay Nature Park (Tourist Attraction)

Ron

One of my favorite parks in the Comox Valley. I've been coming here throughout the year to observe the changes of the seasons. The forest walk can be nice and quiet but I enjoy the beach area with wildlife such as seals, bald eagles, blue heron, ducks and cormorants. The only drawback is the area does get a lot of noisy jet traffic flying overhead because the airport is close by.

Fancy Pants

Beautiful

Darin Ducasse

Nothing beats a hot beverage and a morning stroll at this heart filling location. Seals can be seen decently close to shore as well.

ben wickham

We saw actual seals. 100%

Erin Robertson

Nature's park enhanced with man-made walking trails & horse riding trails, well marked, B.C. is a wonderland

Eric Pollard

Beautiful park with sn abundance of trails. Spectacular views of the strait and lovely coastal forest.

Kris Toijonen

Beautiful park and a refreshing walk!

Baz Cardinal

Beautiful park. Easy trails.

Jacob H

Just wonderful

Sarah B

First time here! It was a beautiful walk! However it was a little confusing on which direction to go to get down to the bay. The trail was well maintained and the views were lovely.

Matt Bell

Such a great spot in the Courtenay area. So good you want to keep it a secret :)

Chris Savard

I just love the trails that take you to the beach. They help you unwind from life's stresses as you anticipate the gorgeous beach. I recommend this park to anyone who appreciates west coast nature!

Karen King

Great trails!

Elaine Brown

A nature park close to everything Seal Bay has a wild beauty. Some of the trails down to the ocean are steep and I wouldn't suggest doing if you have balance issues unless you have a walking partner. However there are other trails through the forest that go over stream and gorges via bridges that are smooth and easy walking. Although they advertise one path as wheelchair accessible, it is a gravel pathway that would make for a bumpy ride and not an easy push for the companion. Seals and eagles are a common sight from the beach.

Nicholas Absolut

Great spot for big trees and peekaboo ocean views

Kyle Curtis

Amazing scenic trails, the beach has a great view and lots of sealife. We saw multiple sea lions/seals, and a heron hunting as well. Great place to visit.

Albert Law

Beautiful place for a easy nature hike.

Laura Janssen

Great for walks that vary from short 20 minute trips to longer ones around the whole park! Easy for a stroller to maneuver, and always clean, seal bay is our go to walking spot!

haggus6756

Nice quiet well looked after park. Lots of walking areas. Play areas good size private RV lots. Driving through Courtney to get here was relatively easy. Access to Parks and Ocean is easy to. Staff is friendly and people are very quiet. Definitely will put his place on the list for places to stay again.

John Frisch

Several different loops of varying distance and some with beach access (steep and rocky) some are wheel chair accessible with some assistance. West (Mountain) Side of Bates leash free, horse and bike friendly, so be prepared East(Ocean) Side trails are leash only no bikes or horses. Nice easy hiking minimal vertical gain unless you access beach. Outhouses both sides and garbage containers.

James Robertson

Trail was nice for a walk

Laura Carolina

Lovely forest and pebbly beach walks. Loop trails.

Breanna Neden

Such a beautiful park, went yesterday and loved it. The only thing is the lot is all by itself, nothing residential around and there is a sign that said frequent break ins. I just took my wallet and my phone with me, wouldn't leave anything in the car. Otherwise a truly gorgeous easy hike, the park is huge, going there exploring again today!

Joey Thiessen

This is a go-to spot to take a great walk through some west coast woods. benches, bathrooms, beach access... beautiful.

Fran Browne

Lots of various walking trails. Very well maintained, but all signage removed. I think they are putting up new ones. Switchback trails to get to the ocean, so that part not good of you have physical limitations.

lynne stirling

Seal bay is great! Owners and staff friendly, camp itself is beautifully treed and landscaped. If I could give more than 5 stars, I would ????

Dirk Jonker

Beautiful park to walk through to get to the water. Very tranquil. Trails are well maintained & clean throughout.

Rhythmicon Sound

Beautiful spot. Go far to the right from the road to git the easier access to the beach (otherwise it's pretty precious).

Jaime Murcheson

I always enjoy this spot. Lots of trails and loops to try out. You can connect from the ocean side to the Hardy road loops by crossing the road. Beautiful scenery through out.

Jody Marshall

Decent walk, nice gravel paths.

Debby Baker

Nice walking trails

Alexandre Guertin

Great place for a nice walk in nature.

Shawna Johnston

Just remember... what walks down to the beach, must walk back up! Lol. Beautiful trails, nice walk to take pictures, see nature, bring your leashed dogs... just a great place to visit! ????

Vivek Alby

I love this place. It's a nice walk and the park has many interesting trails, both over the cliff and along the beach. Got to see about 6-8 seals. Visiting the place is much better coz you can have a better walk on the beach.

Pam B

We only went on the water side. Very green, tons of ferns, beautiful ravine on path down to the water. Beach had lots of creatures, think I saw my first bristol worm. The seals were a ways off but listening to their antics with each other and the seagulls was entertaining. Will come another time to check out the march walk.

Guy Gilbert

Very Nice

Jaxon “DAVS” Davis

Great place for hikes! So many different levels of difficulty. From flat to steep, great for an afternoon walk to the beach or up into the forest. There is out houses along the beach side of the park.

Erik Pinheiro

The trails here are beautiful and very well maintained. Lots of different pathways to take makes every visit unique.

Jegook Lee

Dense Forest and fantastic view of the ocean!

Matt Rowlandson

Amazing trails. Especially great after a rainfall; the way the moss, and trees glisten with the sun I stunning! The trails are well kept and are a pleasure to walk through.

Jennifer Finch

Breathtaking view of the ocean and lots of exploring to do on the beach.

Emily Beckham

Great trails. Manageable with 3yr old.

Rahul Menon

Really great trails for running, walking, or horse riding. It has a very secluded feel to it, giving anyone who goes there a chance to unplug from the world. Trails are very well maintained and the park itself is split on either side of Bates Rd. The ocean side has an amazing view with several paths running down to the beach. The only downside as far as I can tell is that there are no buses that go there. Other than that, it's a great place to commune with nature.

Victor Procure

Beautiful trails through the forest and down to the Bay. Great hike

Laura Ogden

Well maintained trails that are wide enough for strollers and families. The accessibility to the shore is great as there are switchbacks to take you down/up. Looks like Jurassic Park with oodles of ferns and soft mosses. Takes a very short while to walk from parking lot to water. At low tide you can look for purple sea stars.

Kyle Hillman

Plenty of great trails, both down to the ocean and in the forest above. Because of the aspect and the slope, the beach mainly gets sun in the mornings. The trails are relatively flat except for a well built trail with lots of switch backs going down to the beach.

Barb Rees

This place has everything including a fishing pond, outside kitchen area, pavillion, drive thru full service sites for $43.05 including taxes. No highway or city noise.

Cindy Mcpherson

Winter 2016 Fall 2017. This a beautiful year round resort

JS

Wonderful walk with many trails

chase

Interesting variety of molds and mushrooms. Also nice walk.

Corey Hobbis

great hike :)

Jonathan Veale

A nice place to go for a walk. Short and long walks. lots of wildlife around the lake. Access to a nice shoreline. lots of mud. Still people that feel its ok to have their dog off leash!! its not. be prepared.

Travis Cadden

Had a great walk and met a few nice folks on the trail but not overcrowded. My child really enjoyed exploring the beach!

Xepher

Only trees, like wheres the playground of it's a park bruv

Foreverblue

Love this spot. It’s a great little hike down to the water. The trees and ferns are amazing.

Gail Martindale

Beautiful trails, beach access.

Dave Johnston

What a great trail system. The trails are well constructed, maintained and signed. The trails between Bates Road and Seal Bay are pedestrian only and fairly easy walking. However, there are a few opportunities to take side trails down to the beach. These can be quite steep and not for everyone. The trails on the other side of Bates Road are a combination of Multi-Use (horse, cyclists and pedestrians), Cyclists & Pedestrians and Pedestrians Only. The Pedestrian Only trails are quite flat and relatively easy walking. The other trails have a bit more up and down to them, but none are difficult. They are quite enjoyable both on foot and by bike. There is a good variety of trees and vegetation, a large marsh and a small lake. Overall, in combination with the birds and wildlife, these trails should hold your interest.

Mama Bear

Beautiful place to take a quiet forest walk.

Mark Johnson

Easy trail to navigate with a moderate slope to the beach. The views and combination of ocean and forest is surreal but you have to stop and take it all in to experience it.

RPL Asquith

Great walk through the woods and down to the harbour! Amazing views of nature.

Northern Love

Amazing park overall (5 stars) but the 1 star is for the atrocious mapping system on the other side of the park. I went for a run and not only did I get lost but I had 4 instances of others being lost. Not cool! The maps are disorienting and not positioned well. Reminds me of the maps at Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver. Maybe the same person did both of these parks. Otherwise a great park for running and casual biking.

Dwayne Bennett

Nice easy cool walk

Emily

Beautiful spot. Lovely trails. Moss carpeted woods, rocky coastline, thick ferny undergrowth. Lots of banana slugs.

Dulce Lopez

The best RV park in town. So clean, enough space between each other. Friendly people, with a full equiped kitchen/Bbq and great vibe.

Vernon Brewster

Beautiful park.

Toby Barazzuol

It's a 1 km hike through a beautiful forest to reach this beach. Apparently, young seal pups will warm themselves on the stones of this beach, though we didn't see any on our visit. We saw a few herons though and enjoyed the quiet ocean view. Worth a visit if you're in Courtenay!

Skyelar Pollack

Amazing trails on the oceanside. Well maintained easy walking. And access to the beach.

Kathy Davies

We had a wonderful time cycling the trails. Our thanks to whomever keeps the trails in such good shape.

Amanda Stover

Well maintained campground and very clean facilities. Not very much for kids to do at the campground, but there are beaches close by.

Peachey Family

Best hike and place to go to see seals. Was so beautiful

Nicola Edwards

Lots of trails. Great for dogs on and off leash. Beautiful park.

Pradeep Kumar Kumaran

Need pure oxygen? Just visit this place. Even if the car park is full you hardly come across people much when you walk through the place.

Black Fox

Great place for almost everyone to enjoy...sorry no wheelchair trails...but multi use trails for horse riding including steps for the rider to get off and go to the outhouse...the horses just dirty the trail...multi use trails include horses, bicycles, pedestrians and dog walkers...there are doggie bags for the dogs but nothing for the horses so watch where you step...then there are pedestrian ONLY trails which seem to attract lost horses riders and lost bycycle riders...cell service is either spotty or non existent...this is a wonderful peaceful park...please respect each person's need for distancing. Signage is being repaired and is a bit confusing...there are trail maps with different colours for trails than the sign posts...but it's a great place and a wonderful 10k round trip walk should you want to circumnavigate the whole park...many entrances from ever side of the park.

Nigel Kellett

Very pleasant walk. Not strenuous but there are elevations. If you zoom I'm on photos you'll see the family of seals. Pretty cool !!

Tawnie van den Born

One of the prettiest and easily accessible trails in the Comox Valley

Colin Cowan

Very large Park with very good pathways. We walked around for about 45 minutes and were quite surprised with the lack of wildlife. Apart from the sound of a couple of birds it was deathly quiet. It was a really hot day so the coolness of the forest went down well.

Edith Gray

Its so beautiful!!!

Lisa Chaplin

Love going in here favor place

tori richards

This is a beautiful place! I really recommend hiking the trail.

Harriet Cunningham

Great walk. Great park. Needs a sign on the highway and also on the entrance to the park

Shaya Murphy

Awesome place, can see the seals in the water and on the rocks in the water from far away. They are cute and make noises. Wish we could get closer to them someday

Oliver H

Love coming here with my dog to scour the beach for all kind of interesting things, never a dull moment. The seals are always yelling back and forth which is very interesting. Definitely check it out when you are in Comox!

LeeAnna Springer

Nice easy hike, through rainforest environment, to the beach. Seals are out on the rocks. Be careful of deep sands and slippery rocks. Dogs are welcome.

Ceesandmarta van de Mond

Beautiful quiet beach. The only "noise" that one can hear is seagulls and seals.

James Wiens

I went to this trail with my family and had a very good time! The walk is not long and tedious! It was very refreshing! My mom told me tis place looks different in different seasons and I'm looking forward to going back again. The only problem is that the public washroom isn't the best.

Jessica Giebelhaus

Loved it, open but private, definitely for social people who dont mind neighbors. Beautiful scenery and landscaping aswell as clean.

Carly Overman

Big network of trails going through the park to explore, lots of parking options but the parking on Bates Rd is closed for construction so we used the parking on Hardy road. A great place for running or walking, not very muddy just nice well maintained paths.

Tanmay Shaha

Pleasant walk towards the beach

Andrew Chernenkoff

One of the best and most beautiful places to visit on the east coast of Vancouver Island BC.

Amy Sciezer

Beautiful place, with a minor hike to see the beach and a few seals.

Jessica Stein

Beautiful! Well marked, well maintained trails in gorgeous island rainforest. There are a variety of loops of different lengths and levels of difficulty.

Shelby Smith

Beautiful and easy hike, both through the forest and along the ocean! I'm not sure how you make the loop fully though if the tide is in?

Ken Seabloom

Always enjoy walking the trails and the beach.

curtis wood

We went at around 10am on a monday morning in September, really calm, and peaceful. The access to the water wasn't as steep as noted, being as we saw a 2 year up walking up it on our way down. Very nice spot.

Jay Vantol

Beautiful, rocky beach, saw one seal. Built a log hut.

Joe “Sparky” Cork

Just a serene place to lose yourself from the hustle and bustle

Sé Paterson

I seriously love this park. Every time I step into the woods here, I breathe a big sigh of contentment. There are leash-optional trails for you to take your pups, but they can be a little muddy so make sure you're wearing appropriate footwear. Lots of different options for different fitness levels too.

Tanya Tang

Amazing walk down to the beach, very lush, green and that water sound flowing down to the bay - breathtaking

Kevin Jühlke

Great Place! Love the combination for the beach, going through lush rain forest, into a Marsh and forest - lots of variety on great maintained trails!

Yagyaseni

A great place for mini walks! I took a walk here with my husband and we quite enjoyed the scenery! It's very peaceful and felt very comfortable walking here! It's a great place for walking your dog! There is a washroom at the beginning of the trial (not the cleanest, though). So if you want to enjoy a brisk walk, this is a place you can check out!

Ryan Galloway

Beautiful trails, very relaxing. Highly recommended.

Dawn Hutton

This place was awesome, so many trails to get to the water. Very pretty

Susan South

Short walk, great views, well maintained trails.

Gregg Ferrie

This park is a gem. Extensive well groomed trails for walkers on the ocean side, and walkers, bikers and horses on the other. There is a very spacious new parking area off Hardy Road. We come here at least once a week and it is truly beautiful. The extensive ferns makes it feel like you are in Jurassic Park. The only thing missing is a herd of tiny Compy's running out of the undergrowth!

K S

Beautiful campground. Facilities are too drawer, rv sites are big and fairly private. Plus they have a huge state of the art bbq and smoker you can use + massive commerical gas stove. Minutes from a beautiful nature park and the ocean.

Tanis Abuda

A fantastic little hike down to the beach. There is more park across the street that I didn't check out but will certainly come back again in the future to explore this park again.

Jeremy Pearson

Awesome views.

Melo Momentz

So beautiful. The views, the wildlife, the ocean ecosystems are all stunning.

Mike Berkley

Much larger than it seems, with kms of trails.

Micah Brush

One of the best hiking spots around. Tons of trails, and the walk down to the water is very pretty.

michael abrosimoff-penner

Great place to walk, run and, bike well maintained for public lot of deer are wondering in the woods and it is a beautiful sight

Gee

Beautiful park with lovely loop trails and a gorgeous beach

Sebastien Braconnier

Well marked trails

Kevin Cho

Very good trail to beach but there is bears appearing occassionally. You need to be prepared with bear spray and or gather a small group to start the trails. Beach is beautiful but there are so many rocks... be careful..

Jon Spade (JonSpade)

Stunning, serene, breathtaking...I could go on and on but you should see for yourself.

Sharlene Mcdonald

A beautiful park !

Christine Paquette

Another great gravel biking spot

Jennifer Nowell

Lovely flat trail to run and walk on. Great for small kids.

Braydon

Not enough seals. No wolves.

stevesmith

Great dog walk. Top part is off leash

Richard Hamelin

Hidden West Coast gem! Beautiful trails down to beach, up by swamp among old growth. And free!!

Tiffany Beemer

Our favourite adventure! A beautiful well kept trail and amazing views! Unfortunately we didn’t see a deal we still enjoyed the adventure!

Korina Rushton

Grab a map cause you might need it. Only thing... The map is marked with the entrance and exits but the trails are not. The trails are pretty we marked tho, just make yourself aware of surrounding roads. We recommend the 10k bike loop for families that aren't looking for something too hard core!

William Manky

Very nice walk, the incline down to the beach is quite steep. However you are rewarded with a beautiful spot to sit and relax afterwards.

Melissa McDonald

Beautiful park. Must see

Beverley Derby

Trails for any fitness level. Heavily wooded good shelter from sun or rain. Peaceful & well maintained.

Kris Thompson

Stunning!!!

Richard Neveaux

Very nice trail system. Lots of wild life. Fresh air

John Curran

A great place to either view and explore the seashore or cross the highway and head into an old growth forest and marsh/pond walk.

Trevor Keown

Lots of well maintained trails with three good access points to the shoreline.

Fran Kwiecien

Easy to get lost but mostly easy walking trails; just watch your footing. Other dog walkers & cyclists encountered so be aware of your surroundings.

Trevor Dubinsky

Beautiful quiet beach. Great for watching nature like seals and herons. Plus the walk through the woods was serene.

Jeff's Opinions/Reviews

Really loved the walk here, nice trails.

Kari L

Always feels like a mystical and magical place.

Scott R

Wide and well maintained paths. Lots of paths and loops through tall trees with ravens echoing through the woods Other than the ravens, not a lot of birds if you're a birder, though. A wonderful place to decompress in these stressful times.

Steve Cebuliak

Nice park. Trails well maintained. Interesting vegetation.

Nadine Szordykowski

I go here all the time for any reason. I go with my horse for a nice trail ride, my bike for a very enjoyable and easy going bike ride. I take my kid here to explore and sometimes I just come to have some me time and take in the nature! There is never a bad time to come here, honestly.

Jonathan C.

Amazing trails and views. Currently construction to expand the parking lot. Great spot for walk with kids and/or dogs.

S A

Great view, trail and many benches

Jamie Smith

Perfect place for a peaceful walk! This park is beautiful.

Mathew

Beautiful trails and scenery. Opens up right onto the beach at the end with great signage to guide you throughout.

Chris Bruneau

Great walk/hike. Well kept trails.

Chris K

Great Forest. Great running..Mind your stets (roots).

Mark Twain

Well maintained trails throught the cool old cedars takes out onto the beach! Across the road features biking trails that are a smokin blast in January (if you like getting covered in 1/2 an inch of mud)????

Oliver Bailey

Easy to walk trails with a lot of different options. The maps are also places conveniently throughout incase you need some directional help.

Lori Ball

Beautiful park but the trail maps are so confusing and just wrong. Some trails were not even where they were reported to be. Time for an upgraded map system.Got lost and took over two hours to find the way back to our vehicle.

natalie macdonald

Love walking in the trails here

Donald W S

Rugged vast peaceful.

Jane Coleman

Great place to walk. Would be 5 star if Walkers kept their dogs leashed.

Marc

Really nice park, well maintained. Did not see any seals.

matthew pitcher

Dope trails and sick water

Marie Kalawa

Lots of easy trails, whether you're on foot or bike. Leash optional for dogs during non fawning season. A favourite.

Jordan Foxall

Great place to go for a walk!

Amy Greene

Good for walking and melow biking... The side of the road that the parking lot is on those trails lead to the beach, and if you cross the road from the parking lot those trails are forest trails. If its wet out that side will have mud forsure. But the beach side has some nice gravel groomed trails that are nice.

Kimrona M

Nice trails, get oriented before heading into the forest as it is easy to get lost in the tangle of trails

Paul Ives

Great place to walk, run or bike - beautiful spot!

Joe Gard

Great trails for walking, hiking and best of all gravel bike riding

Michael Gruber

Easy walking trails. Many kilometers that are diverse in flora, and well marked with "You are here" maps. However, parking at the Seal Bay side is/can be difficult to get into and/or out of. Hardy Road parking lot is way better.

Adam Biggs

Fantastic trail network. Beware wildlife (of course!), but such a therapeutic walk through the forest

Raelene Spenst

Absolutely beautiful park. Wonderfully maintained, clean, and a great place to bring the whole family for a walk in the forest. Accessible all year long, and each season has its own surprises. If you are able to get down to the water and have small children there is a wonderful rope swing the kids will enjoy.

Thomas Grundy

One of my favourite places. The trails are awesome and fairly easy (which means less complaining from the kids). It's hard to put the beauty of this place in words. Just check it out and see for yourself.

Lars Hildebrandt

You know, there's nothing overly unique or special to write about this park and trails that serpentine around the forest as it makes it's way to the Rocky shores, but it's amazing. It's hard to explain. Pristinely groomed, not too treacherous but always breathtaking. One of our favorite walks when we're visiting.

chrystal ellis

Beautiful walk. There was hardly anyone when I went. Very peaceful.

Janet Walker

Love this little bit of paradise

Boris Lefno

Very nice walk around and down the water also

Joanna Whincup

One of my favorite places to pick huckleberries

Nathan Walters

Nice wide, well-groomed trails and beach access.

Will L

A lovely spot for a walk

Ed Stirling

Very nice park and trails, well maintained. Great access.

S. L.

Beautiful and a variety of types of trails from easy and flat to moderately challenging if you're a casual hiker. Lots of parking.

dan gillespy

A very nice with nice walking trails and nice forest .

James Langridge

Nice peaceful walking trails that are not too strenuous. Share some trails with bikes and horses.

Larry Forseth

Lots of trails. Very pleasant to walk around.

Michel Pothier

Lovely hike down to Seal Bay.

Kathy MerMercier

Great place. Awesome folks

Matthew Denbury

Lovely trail to the ocean front, a great place to watch for seals.

Francisco Asensio Nieto

Nice walk

Jordana Dodek

Great trails that lead to water where you can see the seals

Bill Rudy

Beautiful place. Quite, scenic.

Glen Mollett

Amazing place to bring the dog,and family, so many cool trails, and across Bates road there are even more trails, saw seals floating down in the water last time, I guess that's why they call it Seal Bay