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 can carry you and your bike from Lake Cowichan to Parksville.

For scale
As the crow flies60 km
Biking whole way125 km · 7 h 40 m
By car113 km · 1 h 19 m

We found one way to get you there.

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
The patient version: local transit the whole way.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚎BC Transit7 Cowichan LakeSouth Shore Rd & King George (Lake Cowichan) →Duncan27 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressDuncan →Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch46 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚲Travel the short hop from Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch to Downtown Nanaimo Exchange, about 0.5 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.
🚎BC Transit1 Nanaimo Rapid LineDowntown Nanaimo Exchange →Bay B at Woodgrove Exch (Nanaimo)12 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚎BC Transit9 IntercityBay B at Woodgrove Exch (Nanaimo) →Island Hwy W at Wembley Centre (Parksville)24 kmRack on the bus, free — 2 bikes · first come, first servedE-bikes OK
🚲You arrive at Island Hwy W at Wembley Centre (Parksville).
Route facts last checked July 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 Something wrong or out of date?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: Parksville to Lake Cowichan (best: bus)

Connections from Lake Cowichan: Thetis Island (best: bus + ferry) · Burnaby (best: bus + ferry + SkyTrain) · Princeton (best: bus + ferry + SkyTrain) · Calgary, AB (best: bus + ferry + SkyTrain)

Connections from Parksville: Nanaimo (best: bus) · Ucluelet (best: bus + carpool) · Port Hardy (best: bus + rental car) · Calgary, AB (best: bus + ferry + SkyTrain)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Lake Cowichan and Parksville