Lake Cowichan to Pender Island 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 and trains can carry you and your bike from Lake Cowichan to Pender Island.

For scale

As the crow flies54 km

Biking whole way70 km · 4 h 25 m

By car71 km · 1 h 57 m

We found four ways to get you there, ferries doing the heavy lifting.

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 long way round, but it works.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚎BC Transit7 Cowichan LakeSouth Shore Rd & King George (Lake Cowichan) →Duncan27 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 Transit66 CVX Cowichan - Victoria ExpressDuncan →Legislature Exch (Belleville St) Bay G (Victoria)54 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

🚲Travel the short hop from Legislature Exch (Belleville St) Bay G (Victoria) to Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria), about 1.3 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Bluebird Cabs, Sidney Taxi might help.

🚎BC Transit70 Swartz Bay / Downtownor the 72 Swartz Bay / Downtown (via Saanichton)Douglas St at Pandora Ave (Victoria) →Swartz Bay (North Saanich)29 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 FerriesSwartz Bay – Southern Gulf IslandsSwartz Bay (North Saanich) →Otter Bay (Pender Island)14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Otter Bay (Pender Island).

Option two · four legs

The same idea as Option one, on different routes.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚎BC Transit75 Saanichton / Royal Oak / DowntownLegislature Exch (Belleville St) Bay G (Victoria) →Brentwood Bay20 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

🚲Travel the short hop from Brentwood Bay to Swartz Bay (North Saanich), about 13 km.

⛴️BC FerriesSwartz Bay – Southern Gulf IslandsSwartz Bay (North Saanich) →Otter Bay (Pender Island)14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Otter Bay (Pender Island).

Option three · four legs

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

CarrierRideYour bike

🚎BC Transit66 CVX Cowichan - Victoria Expressor the 8 Mill Bay via Telegraph Rd/Duncan via Shawnigan Lk or the 9 Mill Bay via Shawnigan Lk/Duncan via Telegraph RdDuncan →Deloume Park & Ride (Mill Bay)17 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 FerriesBrentwood Bay – Mill BayDeloume Park & Ride (Mill Bay) →Brentwood Bay12 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

Daily, with fewer sailings on Sundays.

🚲Travel the short hop from Brentwood Bay to Swartz Bay (North Saanich), about 13 km.

⛴️BC FerriesSwartz Bay – Southern Gulf IslandsSwartz Bay (North Saanich) →Otter Bay (Pender Island)14 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Otter Bay (Pender Island).

Option four · six legs

Not far, just fiddly.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚎BC Transit70 NCX Nanaimo - Cowichan ExpressDuncan →Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch46 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

🚲Travel the short hop from Bay D at Downtown Nanaimo Exch to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.4 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.

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkWaterfront (Vancouver) →Bridgeport (Richmond)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

🚎TransLink620 Bridgeport Station / Tsawwassen FerryBridgeport (Richmond) →Tsawwassen (Delta)22 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

The 620 is year-round, roughly hourly, timed to sailings, with two bike-rack spots. On busy summer ferry days the seasonal 900 Bike Bus can carry an extra 10 bikes.

⛴️BC FerriesTsawwassen – Southern Gulf IslandsTsawwassen (Delta) →Otter Bay (Pender Island)27 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

Sailing times vary a lot by routing: some trips are about 50 minutes, others run 2 to 3 hours via Swartz Bay. Check the specific sailing before you book.

🚲You arrive at Otter Bay (Pender 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: Pender Island to Lake Cowichan (best: ferry + bus)

Connections from Lake Cowichan: Crofton (best: bus) · North Vancouver (best: bus + ferry + SeaBus) · Port McNeill (best: bus + rental car) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + ferry + SkyTrain)

Connections from Pender Island: Chemainus (best: ferry + bus) · Port Alberni (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain) · Salmon Arm (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain) · Whitehorse, YT (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Lake Cowichan and Pender Island

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia