Merritt to Gabriola 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 Merritt to Gabriola Island.

For scale

As the crow flies244 km

Biking whole wayWe can't compute the bike route from the ferry dock but it may be rideable: please consult other sources.

By car370 km · 5 h 33 m

We found four 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

SkyTrain helps connect the dots.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary)Merritt →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)230 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkPacific Central Station (Vancouver) →Vancouver Canada PlaceRoll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

🚲Travel the short hop from Vancouver Canada Place to CXH (Vancouver), about 0.8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Black Top Cabs, Maclure'S Cabs might help.

⛴️HulloHullo (Nanaimo – Vancouver)CXH (Vancouver) →Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way)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 Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) to Nanaimo Harbour, about 0.9 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Nanaimo Harbour →Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island)5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island).

Option two · five legs

The coach takes care of the long stretch.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Merritt →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)231 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike — non-refundable

🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressDowntown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie) →Horseshoe Bay19 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK

⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Departure BayHorseshoe Bay →Departure Bay (Nanaimo)53 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚎BC Transit20/20A Hammond Bay / Doveror the 25 Ferry ShuttleDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) →Downtown Nanaimo Exchange3.3 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

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

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Nanaimo Harbour →Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island)5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island).

Option three · five legs

A little bit of everything.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Merritt →Chilliwack139 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike — non-refundable

🚲Travel the short hop from Chilliwack to Downtown Chilliwack Bay B, about 1.3 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Chilliwack Taxi might help.

🚎BC Transit66 Fraser Valley ExpressDowntown Chilliwack Bay B →Lougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby)76 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

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkLougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby) →Vancouver Canada PlaceRoll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

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

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

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Nanaimo Harbour →Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island)5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island).

Option four · five legs

The same idea as Option three, on different routes.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Merritt →Abbotsford166 kmRides in the hold — bagged, wrapped, or boxed$50 per bike — non-refundable

🚎BC Transit66 Fraser Valley Express (FVX)Abbotsford →Lougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby)50 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

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkLougheed Stn Bay 5 (Burnaby) →Vancouver Canada PlaceRoll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK

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

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

⛴️BC FerriesNanaimo Harbour – Descanso Bay (Gabriola)Nanaimo Harbour →Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island)5.4 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board

🚲You arrive at Descanso Bay (Gabriola Island).

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

Connections from Merritt: Kamloops (best: bus) · West Vancouver (best: bus) · Cortes Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

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

Check out BC Bike Stops in Merritt and Gabriola Island

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia