The Abyss Crack trail is also known as the Extension Trail, the Trail runs from the Abyss Crack for 9+ km and ends at the suspension bridge that crosses Haslam Creek. This is a pretty cool trail. The Abyss is a long, narrow crack that happened thousands of years ago during an earthquake. The crack is up to 16 inches wide and quite deep.
This is not the only cave here, we have found others that you are able to get inside and even found bats in a couple of them. To reach these other caves, just follow the trail for a short distance and then climb down over the edge. With some exploration, you should be able to find them. Hiking around the cliffs here is pretty awesome even if you do not find the caves. There are Petroglyphs in the park, although they are there, we could not find them.
The trail is part of the Trans-Canada-Trail, this trail crosses Canada and is about 22,000 km long. Wouldn’t this be an awesome hike to complete? The Trans-Canada-Trail took more than 25 years to complete and it is the longest trail in the world. The trail from the Abyss Crack to the Haslam Creek Suspension Bridge is a great walk or mountain bike ride, and it’s part of the big trail.
The area around the Abyss Crack has much to offer, the cliff side is fun to explore, lots of wildlife can be seen here, black bears, deer, raccoons, pine martens, and an amazing assortment of birdlife here can keep most birders on a happy high.
To reach the Abyss Crack, take the Harewood Mines Road and follow the signs to reach the crack. Here is a great map put out by the city of Nanaimo BC. Map