Gabriola Island to Nelson with a bike

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 Gabriola Island to Nelson.

For scale

As the crow flies477 km

Biking whole way770 km · 50 h 17 m

By car746 km · 9 h 44 m

We found five 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⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule

Beautiful BC from a coach window.

CarrierRideYour bike

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island) →Nanaimo Harbour5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲Travel the short hop from Nanaimo Harbour to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 0.9 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.

⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) →CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead — 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way — $25 in personNo e-bikes — no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max

🚲Travel 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.

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →New WestminsterRoll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – VancouverNew Westminster →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)495 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent

Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.

🚲You arrive at 1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson).

Option two · five legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule

Mountain Man Mike's will get you there.

CarrierRideYour bike

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island) →Nanaimo Harbour5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲Travel the short hop from Nanaimo Harbour to Downtown Nanaimo Exchange, about 0.6 km.

🚎BC Transit20/20A Hammond Bay / Doveror the 25 Ferry ShuttleDowntown Nanaimo Exchange →Departure Bay (Nanaimo)3.3 kmFront rack, no fee — 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only — lithium battery off the bike and carried on board

⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Departure BayDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) →Horseshoe Bay53 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressHorseshoe Bay →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)19 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – VancouverDowntown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie) →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)511 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent

Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.

🚲You arrive at 1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson).

Option three · six legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule

Halfway across the province, no car required.

CarrierRideYour bike

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island) →Nanaimo Harbour5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲Travel the short hop from Nanaimo Harbour to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 0.9 km.

🚲Travel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.

⛴️SeaBusTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver)3.5 kmRoll on, free — bikes ride inside the cabin6 bikes per sailing at rush hour — weekdays 7–9:30 am and 3–6:30 pm; no limit other timesE-bikes OK — no charging on boardNo trailers — 185 cm max bike length

Bikes ride inside the cabin; during weekday rush hours there's room for six bikes a sailing.

🚎TransLinkR2 Marine Dr RapidBusLonsdale Quay (North Vancouver) →Park Royal (West Vancouver)4.5 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressPark Royal (West Vancouver) →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)7.5 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.

🚲You arrive at 1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson).

Option four · five legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule

Two ferries, two coach buses, and a city bus.

CarrierRideYour bike

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island) →Nanaimo Harbour5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲Travel the short hop from Nanaimo Harbour to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 0.9 km.

🚲Travel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.

🚌Squamish ConnectorSquamish – VancouverVancouver Canada Place →Park Royal (West Vancouver)5 kmBook aheadMax 2 bikes per tripSome buses have an outside rack — otherwise carried in the luggage hold$15 each wayNo e-bikes

Bikes welcome May to September; check schedule outside that window.

🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressPark Royal (West Vancouver) →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)7.5 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.

🚲You arrive at 1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson).

Option five · five legs✈ the splurge⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule

A ferry, two flights, a SkyTrain, and a city bus.

CarrierRideYour bike

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island) →Nanaimo Harbour5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🛩️Harbour AirVancouver Harbour – Nanaimo HarbourNanaimo Harbour →CXH (Vancouver)60 kmFront wheel must come off$20 handling fee — bike weight counts toward your baggage allowanceNot on the Twin Otter — other floatplanes are fine; confirm when booking

🚲Travel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

✈️Air CanadaVancouver (YVR) – Castlegar (YCG)Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) →Castlegar402 kmBox or sturdy bag requiredBook ahead for your bikeAbout $50 per directionNo e-bikes

🚲Travel the short hop from Castlegar to Hwy 3A at Ootischenia Rd (Brilliant), about 2.8 km.

🚎BC Transit99 Kootenay ConnectorHwy 3A at Ootischenia Rd (Brilliant) →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)31 kmFront rack, no fee — 2 bikes, first come; space not guaranteedE-bikes under 25 kg only — lithium battery off the bike and carried on board

🚲You arrive at 1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson).

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: Nelson to Gabriola Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry)

Connections from Gabriola Island: North Cowichan (Chemainus & Crofton) (best: ferry + bus) · Langley (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus) · Osoyoos (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus) · Calgary, AB (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus)

Connections from Nelson: Castlegar (best: bus) · Abbotsford (best: bus) · Duncan (Cowichan Valley) (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Gabriola Island and Nelson

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia