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2.6 miles
Distance
564 ft
Climb
-569 ft
Descent
00:32:52
Avg time
-7 ft
Altitude change
482 ft
Altitude min
833 ft
Altitude max
489 ft
Altitude start
482 ft
Altitude end
-0%
Grade
-26.6%
Grade max
27%
Grade min
1 mile
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
2,411 ft
Distance flat
00:32:52
Avg time
The Abyss Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaThe Abyss / Extension Ridge
Nanaimo, British Columbia -
AKAExtension Ridge
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Difficulty Rating
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Local Popularity80 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 60 in E-Biking
- 75 in Trail Running
- 80 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
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Provincial Ranking#1,348 in Mountain Biking · British Columbia [+]
- #1,928 in E-Biking
- #5,349 in Trail Running
- #4,258 in Hiking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC
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Climb DifficultyBlue
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Physical RatingModerate
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Dogs AllowedYes
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eBike AllowedYes up to Class 1
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TTFs on TrailDrop, Rock Face
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Ride in RainYes
The Abyss is a Nanaimo classic that is part of the TransCanada Trail. It's mostly a cross country trail with some natural rock features. The challenging stuff comes mainly in the form of steep descents down rock faces.
Local Trail Association
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Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 1 rides
- 8 miles average
6 Months
- 74 rides
- 11 miles avg distance
All
- 718 rides
- Last: Nov 8, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
The Abyss Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
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The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
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- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
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- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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- popular
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Activity Recordings
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Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
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BC Backroad Status
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Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
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Directions to abyss trailhead
(49.132720, -123.966590)
Photos
80 more »
Videos
11 more »
mtb
10:34 |
164 |
Aug 9, 2026 , Nanaimo
mtb
4:20 |
205 |
Jun 24, 2026 , Nanaimo
mtb
4:29 |
309 |
Apr 11, 2026 , Nanaimo
Trail Lists
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Mon parcours
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Routes with this trail
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Loaves and Fishes - Hurt Ride Archived
123 miles • 18,870 ft • 510 • Loop • Race •
This event route is a fundraiser for Nanaimo Loaves and Fishes. Robin Dutton and Peter Sinclair will see...
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13 Reviews & Comments
darklord
definitely south to north is the more fun route..lots of rock rolls all over this area.
A real Blue with Black options
A real Blue with Black options
NAncyBxnA6M
I am visiting here, so I only did it once. I pushed my bike more than I rode it; to me, it seemed more like a black-diamond trail beaucause there are steep slopes and several technical obstacles. Afterwards, I found it difficult to rejoin the rest of the network to continue the ride, I also pushed my bike into spicy vegetation. So nice views but difficult for an intermediate level like me!
wa90
Rare trail that’s excellent either way. Technical climbing and steep then some loose flow (N to S), or steady climb then steep down (S to N): choose your own adventure … or just do both.
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Nearby Trails
- The Drop 443 ft
- Social Distancing Climber 456 ft
- Enigma Ii 561 ft
- Trans Canada Trail - Water District Segment 574 ft
- Hmr19 587 ft
The Abyss / Extension Ridge
- By canadaka
Trailforks & contributors - #1355 - 22,207 views
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