Morden Colliery Historic Provincial Park is one of the few places left near the river that links to the region's coal mining history.

[3] In 1974, an additional dam and reservoir were built farther upstream on a tributary of the South Nanaimo River to increase the water supply for the city.

On the east side of Cassidy, just of the south bank of a major tributary of the river, Haslam Creek, is the Nanaimo Airport[4] All along the river, and throughout its watershed, there are plenty of lakes and recreational opportunities, including boating, camping, hiking, bungee jumping, and rock climbing.

There are still pockets of old growth forest left within easy access to the public, such as at the Nanaimo River Regional Park.

[7] Mount Hooper is on the drainage divide that separates rivers flowing eastward towards the Strait of Georgia and westwards into the open Pacific Ocean.

Other small communities, such as Cassidy (which straddles Haslam Creek), South Wellington, and Extension are found nearby in the river's lower watershed.

Almost the entirety of the South Fork watershed is restricted to public access as that's the source of Nanaimo's water.

Jump Lake Dam was built in 1974 to create a stable source of drinking water for Nanaimo and area.

In 1999 and 2000, The Land Conservancy of British Columbia (TLC) purchased the last two remaining intact riparian zones on the lower Nanaimo River.

The site contains two parcels totalling about 56 ha (140 acres) of old growth Douglas fir with undisturbed river bank.

TLC applied for creditor protection in 2013 and on 30 September 2015, 26 properties, including the two on the Nanaimo River, were transferred to the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

Besides conservation, Nanaimo River Regional Park offers walking / cycling trails, swimming, and wildlife viewing.

[20] Upstream, and to the west of WildPlay Element Park, is a rock-climbing area with several rock climbs of varying difficulty.

From the Nanaimo River Fish Hatchery's[27] inception in 1979 until 2004, it was operated by Community Futures Central Island.

[28] In 2004, the non-profit Nanaimo River Stewardship Society was formed and currently operates the facility relying heavily on volunteers and donations.

The annual hatchery production is as follows: The Nanaimo River watershed supports pockets of old growth Douglas fir forest.

The Douglas fir forests are part of the Georgia-Puget Basin Ecoregion and were recently classified as the 65th of 77 most significant and threatened places in Canada.

[30] A variety of animals, such as Vancouver Island marmots, cougars, wolves, golden eagles, and various species of deer call the mountains of the watershed home.