But you don’t need follow the AllTrails 10.5km out and back route.
It’s a network of mountain biking / walking trails on the west side of the Englishman River. You can’t really get lost so long as you parallel the water.
I spend a lot of time here as I have family in Parksville.
This is temperate rain forest. It can be wet. It can be muddy.
Most people park at the Top Bridge trailhead (green dot) close to highway 19 at Parksville. Head inland along the river for as far as they wish. Then backtrack.
I started on the far left of the map below at Middlegate Road trailhead. Walked to Top Bridge Park close to the highway. About 5km one way plus many side trips.
I often, as well, head the other direction, under the highway towards Parksville on the 5km Top Bridge Regional Trail.
In good weather, the bridge near the parking areas is a popular swimming spot.
The NU 25’s main limitations are its short battery life (in our testing, the NU’s burn time was much shorter than listed) and the fact that it’s hard to keep the light from shining in your camping partner’s eyes due to its wide beam pattern.
Though I’m now bikepacking with solar, to be SURE I’ve got enough juice to get my devices through a weekend hike I’ve also purchased the Anker PowerCore+ 26800 PD with 30W.
This is the largest portable battery currently allowed for airline carry-on baggage.
26800mAh of power charges most phones over 7 times, tablets at least 2 times or notebooks at least once.
There are two parts: battery and USB-C wall charger.
Charging devices from a wall socket (including the battery) is claimed to be up to 3x faster.
On longer cycling trips when I’m carrying a laptop, this unit IS powerful enough to recharge a MacBook Pro. That will help me keep up-to-date with photos, video and trip reports.
On July 1, 2020 I cycle toured Gabriola Island, the first time I’d been back to the island since I was a kid on family summer vacation.
Gabriola is about 14 kilometres (9 mi) long by 4.2 kilometres (2.6 mi) wide, about the same land mass as Bermuda.
I caught the ferry over from Nanaimo in the early evening.
Next morning, while celebrating Canada Day, I was reminded that descendants of the original inhabitants are still there — the Snuneymuxw, a First Nation of the Coast Salish People.
Sobering.
First stop was the Malaspina Galleries, a sandstone cliff carved by wind and waves. Lovely shoreline, as well.
I’m just back from Nepal, my first trip since 2014 where I hiked Langtang.
Around 9,000 people diedduring the Nepalearthquake of 25 April 2015.
One tiny village in the Langtang Valley accounted for 243 of them: 175 villagers, 27 local tourism staff (guides and porters), and 41 foreign trekkers.
Yet in the 2018-19 fiscal year, a record 21,945 tourists (16,386 foreigners and 5,559 Nepalis) visited Langtang National Park.
So far as I could see, Nepal trails are busier than ever. And easier than ever as you could connect to the internet almost everywhere with a Nepal Telecom (Namaste) SIM card in my mobile phone. I didn’t once have to pay for electricity in the mountains.
The big 3 trekking areas for those who want to hike independently are
The 2-3 week adventure in green connecting those 3 hikes would be far more enjoyable than the Annapurna Circuit.
You can do all on the same permit.
Best independent hikes – Langtang Region
Our recommended route. Perhaps 14-16 days.
Drive to Syabrubesi, trekking Langtang first (top of the map). Then backtracking to the Gosainkund & Helambu trek, walking most of the way back to Kathmandu.
map via NepalSanctuaryTreks.com
Our group atop Kyanjin Ri (4773m) Langtang
Laurebina Pass (4600m) on the Gosainkund & Helambu
This will be far less crowded than either Everest or Annapurna regions.
You can easily and inexpensively hire a guide and/or porters on any hike in Nepal for your whole trip … or short sections. But we’d recommend you do those listed above independently.
If we were to do a guided hike we’d choose areas of Nepal where guides are mandatory. For example:
There are two parts: 
