BC Cycle Tourism Society

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia

My bike and I are in and we’d like to be in .
We show what transit connections accept bikes. Check with the operator for prices, schedules, and reservations.
Same place twice. You’re already there, so enjoy the ride.

Good news: buses, ferries, trains and flights can carry you and your bike from Barkerville to Shearwater.

For scale
As the crow flies456 km
Biking whole way806 km ยท 58 h 51 m
By car798 km ยท 15 h 31 m

We found three ways to get you there, ferries doing the heavy lifting.

๐ŸŽ’ Riding a coach? Most BC coach operators want your bike bagged or boxed. Our field note walks through packing it, including an inexpensive packable bike bag we like: How to bike-and-bus in BC ›
Note: Most carriers carry only a handful of bikes, and summer weekends fill up fast. Reserve where you can. Where you can't, go early or have a backup plan.
Option one · five legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
A little bit of everything.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŽBC Transit30 WellsBarkerville Visitor Centre โ†’Nazko Band Office (Quesnel)66 kmFront rack, no fee โ€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only โ€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeNazko Band Office (Quesnel) โ†’Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)106 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐Ÿš†VIA RailSkeena (Prince Rupert โ€“ Prince George โ€“ Jasper)Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George) โ†’Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St)591 kmChecked baggage โ€” staffed stations only, including Vancouver BC and Jasper AB$25 per directionE-bikes OK โ€” battery disconnected at check-in
Three departures a week; the trip includes an overnight stop in Prince George (book your own hotel).
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)445 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3โ€“4 sailings a week each way in summer.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaBear Cove (Port Hardy) โ†’Shearwater (Denny Island)168 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop โ€” check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Shearwater (Denny Island).
Option two · five legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the train.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŽBC Transit30 WellsBarkerville Visitor Centre โ†’Nazko Band Office (Quesnel)66 kmFront rack, no fee โ€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only โ€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeNazko Band Office (Quesnel) โ†’Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)106 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐ŸšŒBC Bus North (Tahltan NST Busing Ltd.)Prince George โ€“ Prince Rupert (Hwy 16 West)Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George) โ†’Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St)619 kmLuggage bay on the Prince Rupert routeOther routes: bagged or boxed โ€” checked as luggage
Twice a week: Monday and Thursday westbound, Tuesday and Friday eastbound.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)445 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3โ€“4 sailings a week each way in summer.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaBear Cove (Port Hardy) โ†’Shearwater (Denny Island)168 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop โ€” check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Shearwater (Denny Island).
Option three · six legs✈ the splurge⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Grab a window seat, the scenery's included.
CarrierRideYour bike
๐ŸšŽBC Transit30 WellsBarkerville Visitor Centre โ†’Nazko Band Office (Quesnel)66 kmFront rack, no fee โ€” 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only โ€” lithium battery off the bike and carried on board
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeNazko Band Office (Quesnel) โ†’Kamloops350 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Kelowna (via Salmon Arm)Kamloops โ†’Kelowna Airport177 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
โœˆ๏ธAir CanadaVancouver (YVR) โ€“ Kelowna (YLW)Kelowna Airport โ†’Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)288 kmBox or sturdy bag requiredBook ahead for your bikeAbout $50 per directionNo e-bikes
โœˆ๏ธPacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver โ€“ Bella BellaVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) โ†’ZEL (Bella Bella)480 kmRides in the hold โ€” small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from ZEL (Bella Bella) to McLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella), about 0.9 km.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesCentral Coast ConnectorMcLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella) โ†’Shearwater (Denny Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
About one run a week: Wednesday out from Bella Coola, Thursday or Friday back from Shearwater.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Shearwater (Denny Island).
Route facts last checked August 2026. We check that every leg here carries bikes, but policies and seasons change. Check times and book with the operator. Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
Explore more

Heading back: Shearwater to Barkerville (best: ferry + train + bus)

Connections from Barkerville: Quesnel (best: bus) · Summerland (best: bus) · Abbotsford (best: bus) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

Connections from Shearwater: Ocean Falls (best: ferry) · Ucluelet (best: ferry + rental car + carpool) · Port Coquitlam (best: ferry + rental car + train) · Calgary, AB (best: ferry + rental car + bus)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Barkerville