Cumberland sits in the Comox Valley, an hour north of the Departure Bay ferry in Nanaimo via Highway 19. A former coal company town built on extraction and fierce labour strikes, it is now known for premier singletrack mountain biking in the community forest and an independent strip along Dunsmuir Avenue. Cumberland is worth visiting if you want to ride technical forest trails and drink fresh beer with locals who built them. Look elsewhere if you want polished luxury resorts, seaside promenade strolls, or quiet nightlife after nine.
Last updated 3 Oct 2026
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Cumberland runs along a compact grid dominated by wooden false-front buildings on Dunsmuir Avenue. Days begin with black coffee and tyre pressure checks before dispersing into the dense second-growth Douglas firs above town. It suits self-reliant outdoors people, cyclists, and anyone who prefers an honest pint of bitter and timber heritage over manicured coastal resort amenities.
Grab an apple fritter at Cumberland Bakery, then rent a trail bike to tackle the Community Forest network before noon. Have a pint and pork belly taco at Cumberland Brewing on Dunsmuir, spend an hour at the museum, and finish with a show or a cider at The Waverley Hotel. Select 1 Day above to see it.
Devote your morning to Coal Creek Historic Park to see the old Chinatown site, then drive five minutes to Comox Lake for a cold swim off the gravel beach. Spend the late afternoon browsing used books and salvage shops, followed by wood-fired pies at Riders Pizza. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.
A third day lets you branch into the Comox Valley. Drive twenty minutes to the Royston Shipwrecks to watch herons roost on sunken steamships, followed by fresh oysters in Fanny Bay and a quiet evening walk along the Perseverance Creek trail.
Ride over two hundred kilometres of hand-built singletrack like Vanilla and Bear Bait right from the village trailhead into the Cumberland Forest.
Explore the Cumberland Museum on Dunsmuir Avenue to understand the 1912 coal strikes, union leader Ginger Goodwin, and early immigrant miners.
Stop at Cumberland Brewing for cask ales and tacos on the patio, then try small-batch pours across the street at The Waverley Hotel.
Walk the damp boardwalks and shaded paths through Coal Creek Historic Park to the remnants of the No. 1 Japanese and Chinese settlements.
Queue in the morning at Cumberland Bakery for oversized cream horns and glazed doughnuts fried fresh since the mid-twentieth century.
Head two kilometres west to Comox Lake Park for brisk freshwater swimming, kayak launches, and sandstone cliff views beneath the Beaufort Range.
Order smoked brisket and buttermilk biscuits at Cooks, or wood-fired sourdough pizza topped with local chanterelles at Riders Pizza.
Catch touring folk and indie acts at The Waverley Hotel, a storied wooden roadhouse hosting live bands on Dunsmuir Avenue since 1896.
Inspect preserved pit ponies gear and original underground coal-cart exhibits, then visit the cemetery containing Ginger Goodwin's grave.
Browse mid-century furniture, salvaged hardware, and wool knitwear along the brief but dense heritage storefronts of Dunsmuir Avenue.
Drive fifteen minutes to Courtenay for estuary walks, or head south to Royston to view the half-submerged historic lumber breakwater hulks.
Locate the quiet clearing in the woods where Chinatown once stood, marked now by Jumbo's cabin and a solitary pavilion among the ferns.