I love visiting the BC Forest Discovery Center in Duncan, BC!
Don’t miss this great attraction when you are visiting Vancouver Island!
In this article, you’ll learn all about why you should visit and how to get around the property with a wheelchair.
Driving to the BC Forest Discovery Center
It takes about an hour to drive here from Victoria, BC, or about 35 minutes from Nanaimo, BC. You can also take the Mill Bay Ferry to avoid driving over the Malahat from Victoria.
In the parking lot, check out the old steam locomotive – you can’t ride on this train, but it’s interesting to look at!
Ride The Train
Riding the real train at the museum is my favorite thing to do!
In the summer, they run the steam train locomotive on the weekends. On those days, they run the train every half hour.
The rest of the time, they run the electric locomotive, which goes every hour around the park.
You can check their website to see which train engine is running. The thing I like best about the steam train is the loud steam whistle.
You might want to cover your ears when the steam train is leaving the station, as the whistle is so loud!
Here’s a great video someone took of the full train tour around the park. I love watching this video when I can’t get up to the real train!
Here’s another video of the steam train running on the track! I love it when the engineer blows the steam train whistle.
The train has two stations – one is at the front of the park where visitors first arrive. The second is down at the picnic area.
I love riding around the whole loop, but you can also just take the train down to the picnic/field area and hop off there.
The way I get on the train is via a special lift on one of the cars.
So, that means that a person who uses a wheelchair can get on and off the train at either of the stations.
The Trails at the BC Forest Discovery Center
There is a solid, wide gravel pathway that you can take to get from the main building to picnic area.
It’s a nice walk through the beautiful forest.
However, the trail slopes downward toward the picnic area, so if you use a wheelchair, I would recommend walking down to the picnic area and then taking the train back to the main building (it’s a pretty steep walk back).
Also, keep an eye on the time, as the last train leaves the picnic area station most days at 3:30pm!
There is also a wheelchair accessible path that takes you to the old bunkhouses – however, a person who uses a wheelchair can’t go into all of the houses.
Special Events
If you want to visit the Forest Discovery Center at Christmastime or for another special event, make sure you have a reservation as it is very popular!
One time, I drove all the way up there but I couldn’t get in to the Forest Center as I didn’t have a reservation – I was so disappointed!
They do special events for Easter, Halloween, Christmas, and other special days.
Check their website to learn more about their special events.
