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, rental cars and flights can carry you and your bike from Bella Bella to Merritt.

For scale
As the crow flies561 km
Biking whole wayWe can't compute the bike route from the ferry dock but it may be rideable: please consult other sources.
By car906 km ยท 15 h 48 m

We found four ways to get you there.

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
Grab a window seat, the scenery's included.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaMcLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)164 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.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Waivin Flags Taxi might help.
๐Ÿš™National Car & Truck Rental (Vancouver Island)One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimoor Budget (One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo295 kmOne-way between Island branches โ€” no drop chargeBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Departure Bay (Nanaimo), about 1.3 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Departure BayDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) โ†’Horseshoe Bay53 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŽTransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressHorseshoe Bay โ†’Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)19 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes โ€” first come, first servedE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŒRider ExpressVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie) โ†’Merritt231 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike โ€” non-refundable
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option two · five legs📅 seasonal
Same as Option one, but a SkyTrain instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaMcLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)164 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.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km.
๐Ÿš™BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimoor National Car & Truck Rental (One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches โ€” bookable onlineBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km.
โ›ด๏ธHulloHullo (Nanaimo โ€“ Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) โ†’CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead โ€” 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way โ€” $25 in personNo e-bikes โ€” no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Black Top Cabs, Maclure'S Cabs might help.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)Roll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary)Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) โ†’Merritt230 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option three · six legs📅 seasonal
A transport smorgasbord: ferries, rental car, SkyTrain, city bus, and coach bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaMcLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)164 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.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km.
๐Ÿš™BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ NanaimoYZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches โ€” bookable onlineBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km.
โ›ด๏ธHulloHullo (Nanaimo โ€“ Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) โ†’CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead โ€” 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way โ€” $25 in personNo e-bikes โ€” no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Lougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby)Roll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŽBC Transit66 Fraser Valley ExpressLougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby) โ†’Downtown Chilliwack Bay B76 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
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Chilliwack Bay B to Chilliwack, about 1.3 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Chilliwack Taxi might help.
๐ŸšŒRider ExpressVancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)Chilliwack โ†’Merritt139 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike โ€” non-refundable
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
Option four · three legs✈ the splurge
SkyTrain helps connect the dots.
CarrierRideYour bike
โœˆ๏ธPacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver โ€“ Bella BellaZEL (Bella Bella) โ†’Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)480 kmRides in the hold โ€” small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) โ†’Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)Roll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary)Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) โ†’Merritt230 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Merritt.
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: Merritt to Bella Bella (best: bus + ferry + rental car)

Connections from Bella Bella: Ocean Falls (best: ferry) · Ucluelet (best: ferry + rental car + carpool) · Surrey (best: ferry + rental car + SkyTrain) · Calgary, AB (best: ferry + rental car + bus)

Connections from Merritt: Kamloops (best: bus) · West Vancouver (best: bus) · Lund (best: bus + ferry) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Bella Bella and Merritt