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 Bowen Island to Quesnel.

For scale
As the crow flies404 km
Biking whole way595 km ยท 47 h 45 m
By car623 km ยท 7 h 51 m

We found four 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 · four legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Halfway across the province, no car required.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Snug Cove (Bowen)Snug Cove (Bowen Island) โ†’Horseshoe Bay3.7 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†’Kamloops301 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike โ€” non-refundable
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeKamloops โ†’Nazko Band Office (Quesnel)350 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.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Nazko Band Office (Quesnel).
Option two · five legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Beautiful BC from a coach window.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Snug Cove (Bowen)Snug Cove (Bowen Island) โ†’Horseshoe Bay3.7 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŒSquamish ConnectorSquamish โ€“ VancouverHorseshoe Bay โ†’Vancouver Canada Place16 kmBook aheadMax 2 bikes per tripSome buses have an outside rack โ€” otherwise carried in the luggage hold$15 each wayNo e-bikes
Bikes welcome May to September; check schedule outside that window.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)Roll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kamloopsor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary)Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) โ†’Kamloops301 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeKamloops โ†’Nazko Band Office (Quesnel)350 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.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Nazko Band Office (Quesnel).
Option three · seven legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
A transport smorgasbord: ferry, city buses, SeaBus, SkyTrain, and coach buses.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Snug Cove (Bowen)Snug Cove (Bowen Island) โ†’Horseshoe Bay3.7 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŽTransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressHorseshoe Bay โ†’Park Royal (West Vancouver)11 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes โ€” first come, first servedE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŽTransLinkR2 Marine Dr RapidBusPark Royal (West Vancouver) โ†’Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver)4.5 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes โ€” first come, first servedE-bikes OK
โ›ด๏ธSeaBusTransLinkLonsdale Quay (North Vancouver) โ†’Vancouver Canada Place3.5 kmRoll on, free โ€” bikes ride inside the cabin6 bikes per sailing at rush hour โ€” weekdays 7โ€“9:30 am and 3โ€“6:30 pm; no limit other timesE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on boardNo trailers โ€” 185 cm max bike length
Bikes ride inside the cabin; during weekday rush hours there's room for six bikes a sailing.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)Roll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŒEbusVancouver โ€“ Kamloopsor Ebus (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver โ€“ Calgary)Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) โ†’Kamloops301 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeKamloops โ†’Nazko Band Office (Quesnel)350 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.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Nazko Band Office (Quesnel).
Option four · six legs✈ the splurge
Every leg of this works, there are just a lot of them.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Snug Cove (Bowen)Snug Cove (Bowen Island) โ†’Horseshoe Bay3.7 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Departure BayHorseshoe Bay โ†’Departure Bay (Nanaimo)53 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŽBC Transit20/20A Hammond Bay / DoverDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo Exchange3.3 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 Nanaimo Exchange to Nanaimo Harbour, about 0.6 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.
๐Ÿ›ฉ๏ธHarbour AirVancouver Harbour โ€“ Nanaimo HarbourNanaimo Harbour โ†’CXH (Vancouver)60 kmFront wheel must come off$20 handling fee โ€” bike weight counts toward your baggage allowanceNot on the Twin Otter โ€” other floatplanes are fine; confirm when booking
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†’Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)Roll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
โœˆ๏ธPacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver โ€“ QuesnelVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) โ†’YQZ (Quesnel)429 kmRides in the hold โ€” small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
๐ŸšฒAt the far end, Central Quesnel is about 5.3 km from YQZ (Quesnel). Ride it, or take a local bus or taxi. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Quesnel Taxi Ltd. might help.
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: Quesnel to Bowen Island (best: bus + ferry)

Connections from Bowen Island: Sechelt (best: ferry + bus) · Victoria (best: ferry + bus) · Salmon Arm (best: ferry + bus) · Haida Gwaii (best: ferry + rental car)

Connections from Quesnel: Barkerville (best: bus) · Alert Bay (best: bus + train + ferry) · Penticton (best: bus) · Fernie (best: bus)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Bowen Island and Quesnel