Gabriola Island to North Vancouver 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 North Vancouver.

For scale

As the crow flies58 km

Biking whole way90 km · 3 h 46 m

By car87 km · 2 h 37 m

We found six 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 · three legs

Mostly sailing, a little rolling.

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.

⛴️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.

🚲You arrive at Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver).

Option two · five legs

Not far, just fiddly.

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 →Park Royal (West Vancouver)11 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

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

🚲You arrive at Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver).

Option three · four legs📅 seasonal

The ferry is the main event.

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.

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

🚲You arrive at Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver).

Option four · five legs📅 seasonal

Same as Option two, but a coach bus instead of the 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 Downtown Nanaimo Exchange, about 0.6 km.

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

🚌Squamish ConnectorSquamish – VancouverHorseshoe Bay →Park Royal (West Vancouver)11 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.

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

🚲You arrive at Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver).

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

A proper expedition.

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.

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

🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – VancouverNew Westminster →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)16 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent

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

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

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

🚲You arrive at Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver).

Option six · three legs✈ the splurge

Same as Option one, but a plane instead of the ferry.

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.

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

🚲You arrive at Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver).

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: North Vancouver to Gabriola Island (best: SeaBus + ferry)

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

Connections from North Vancouver: Gibsons (best: bus + ferry) · Texada Island (best: bus + ferry) · Clearwater (best: bus) · Haida Gwaii (best: SeaBus + ferry + rental car)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Gabriola Island and North Vancouver

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia