Gabriola Island to Pemberton 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 Pemberton.

For scale

As the crow flies148 km

Biking whole way207 km · 11 h 15 m

By car201 km · 4 h 07 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 · five legs📅 seasonal

Four ways to travel, one destination.

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 →Downtown Vancouver (Burrard Station)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

🚌Epic RidesVancouver – Whistleror YVR Skylynx (Vancouver – Whistler) (seasonal) or Whistler Shuttle (Vancouver – Whistler)Downtown Vancouver (Burrard Station) →Gateway Loop / Village (Whistler)93 kmBikes ride free — outside rack, or boxed under the busBox to avoid scratches — outside-rack bikes ride at your own risk

Epic Rides: The only direct, non-stop run between Vancouver and Whistler. Bikes ride free and can go boxed or unboxed, spring through fall only (no bikes November to April).

YVR Skylynx: Summer service April 18 to November 21; Squamish is a reservation-only stop.

Whistler Shuttle: Door-to-door shuttle; the downtown Vancouver pickup is suspended for summer 2026.

🚎BC Transit99 Pemberton CommuterGateway Loop / Village (Whistler) →Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton)26 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 Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton).

Option two · seven legs📅 seasonal

A long haul, but it all connects.

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 →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Downtown Vancouver (Burrard Station)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

🚌Epic RidesVancouver – Whistleror Whistler Shuttle (Vancouver – Whistler)Downtown Vancouver (Burrard Station) →Gateway Loop / Village (Whistler)93 kmBikes ride free — outside rack, or boxed under the busBox to avoid scratches — outside-rack bikes ride at your own risk

Epic Rides: The only direct, non-stop run between Vancouver and Whistler. Bikes ride free and can go boxed or unboxed, spring through fall only (no bikes November to April).

Whistler Shuttle: Door-to-door shuttle; the downtown Vancouver pickup is suspended for summer 2026.

🚲You arrive at Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton).

Option three · five legs📱 schedule erratic — check the Poparide app

Same as Option one, but a carpool instead of the coach 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.

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place →Broadway-City Hall (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

🚲Travel the short hop from Broadway-City Hall (Vancouver) to Vancouver, about 0.2 km.

🚗PoparideSea-to-Sky rideshare (Vancouver - Squamish - Whistler)Vancouver →Gateway Loop / Village (Whistler)96 kmOnly some rides take bikes — look for the bicycle icon on the listingSchedule is variable — check Poparide for driver-listed dates and times

Only book rides that say they permit bicycles (bike icon on the listing).

🚲You arrive at Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton).

Option four · five legs📅 seasonal

Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the SkyTrain.

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 →Adventure Centre (Squamish)63 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.

🚌YVR SkylynxVancouver – WhistlerAdventure Centre (Squamish) →Gateway Loop / Village (Whistler)48 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxedFirst bike freeReserve ahead — Squamish is reservation-only

Summer service April 18 to November 21; Squamish is a reservation-only stop.

🚲You arrive at Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton).

Option five · four legs✈ the splurge

Fly most of the way, then let transit finish the trip.

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

🛩️Harbour AirVancouver Harbour – WhistlerCXH (Vancouver) →Green Lake (Whistler)96 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 Green Lake (Whistler) to Meadow Park Sports Centre (Whistler), about 0.8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Resort Cabs, Whistler Taxi might help.

🚎BC Transit99 Pemberton CommuterMeadow Park Sports Centre (Whistler) →Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton)22 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 Frontier at Aster (NB) (Pemberton).

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

Connections from Gabriola Island: Chemainus (best: ferry + bus) · Victoria (best: ferry + bus) · Vernon (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus) · Whitehorse, YT (best: ferry + SkyTrain + plane)

Connections from Pemberton: Squamish (best: bus) · Mayne Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Enderby (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + plane)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Gabriola Island and Pemberton

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia