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 Fort St. John to Shearwater.
For scale
As the crow flies655 km
Biking whole wayWe can't compute the bike route from the ferry dock but it may be rideable: please consult other sources.
By car1,270 km · 20 h 32 m
We found three ways to get you there, ferries doing the heavy lifting.
🎒 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📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Grab a window seat, the scenery's included.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌BC Bus North (Tahltan NST Busing Ltd.)Prince George – Fort St. John (Hwy 97 North)Fort St. John →Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)422 kmLuggage bay on the Prince Rupert routeOther routes: bagged or boxed — checked as luggage
Twice a week: Monday and Thursday north, Tuesday and Friday back to Prince George.
🚌BC Bus North (Tahltan NST Busing Ltd.)Prince George – Prince Rupert (Hwy 16 West)Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George) →Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St)619 kmLuggage bay on the Prince Rupert routeOther routes: bagged or boxed — checked as luggage
Twice a week: Monday and Thursday westbound, Tuesday and Friday eastbound.
⛴️BC FerriesPort Hardy – Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) →Bear Cove (Port Hardy)445 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3–4 sailings a week each way in summer.
⛴️BC FerriesPort Hardy – Bella CoolaBear Cove (Port Hardy) →Shearwater (Denny Island)168 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop — check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
🚲You arrive at Shearwater (Denny Island).
Option two · four legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a train instead of the coach bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌BC Bus North (Tahltan NST Busing Ltd.)Prince George – Fort St. John (Hwy 97 North)Fort St. John →Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)422 kmLuggage bay on the Prince Rupert routeOther routes: bagged or boxed — checked as luggage
Twice a week: Monday and Thursday north, Tuesday and Friday back to Prince George.
🚆VIA RailSkeena (Prince Rupert – Prince George – Jasper)Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George) →Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St)591 kmChecked baggage — staffed stations only, including Vancouver BC and Jasper AB$25 per directionE-bikes OK — battery disconnected at check-in
Three departures a week; the trip includes an overnight stop in Prince George (book your own hotel).
⛴️BC FerriesPort Hardy – Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) →Bear Cove (Port Hardy)445 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3–4 sailings a week each way in summer.
⛴️BC FerriesPort Hardy – Bella CoolaBear Cove (Port Hardy) →Shearwater (Denny Island)168 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop — check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
🚲You arrive at Shearwater (Denny Island).
Option three · three legs✈ the splurge📅 seasonal
The splurge: hop a flight.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚲First, get from Central Fort St. John to YXJ (Fort St. John), about 6.7 km. Ride it, or take a local bus or taxi. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Energetic Taxi Cab, Super Cabs might help.
✈️Air CanadaVancouver (YVR) – Fort St. John (YXJ)YXJ (Fort St. John) →Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)802 kmBox or sturdy bag requiredBook ahead for your bikeAbout $50 per directionNo e-bikes
✈️Pacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver – Bella BellaVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) →ZEL (Bella Bella)480 kmRides in the hold — small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
🚲Travel the short hop from ZEL (Bella Bella) to McLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella), about 0.9 km.
⛴️BC FerriesPort Hardy – Bella CoolaMcLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella) →Shearwater (Denny Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop — check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
🚲You arrive at Shearwater (Denny Island).
Route facts last checked October 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 Fort St. John (best: ferry + bus)
Connections from Fort St. John: Dawson Creek (best: bus) · Enderby (best: bus) · North Vancouver (best: bus + SkyTrain + SeaBus) · Seattle, WA (best: bus + train)
Connections from Shearwater: Ocean Falls (best: ferry) · Squamish (best: ferry + rental car + bus) · Saanich (best: ferry + rental car + bus) · Whitehorse, YT (best: ferry + rental car + SkyTrain)
Check out BC Bike Stops in Fort St. John