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 Merritt to Salmo.
For scale
As the crow flies272 km
Biking whole way489 km · 33 h
By car462 km · 5 h 11 m
We found four ways to get you there.
🎒 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⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Beautiful BC from a coach window.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Hope94 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs the same Highway 1 corridor as Rider Express, so compare schedules and fares.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – VancouverHope →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)374 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚎BC Transit72 Salmo-Nelson via Ymir1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Salmo33 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
Health Connections bus: medical patients get priority. You must call ahead to book a seat. Runs Tuesday, Thursday and Friday only.
🚲You arrive at Salmo.
Option two · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The long way round, but it works.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Golden336 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs the same Highway 1 corridor as Rider Express, so compare schedules and fares.
🚎BC Transit36 Golden – Cranbrook Connector (Health Connections)Golden →Cranbrook223 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
Health Connections bus: medical patients get priority. You must call ahead to book a seat. Runs Tuesday and Thursday only.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – CalgaryCranbrook →Salmo129 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
🚲You arrive at Salmo.
Option three · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Hope94 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs the same Highway 1 corridor as Rider Express, so compare schedules and fares.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – VancouverHope →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)374 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Calgary1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Salmo33 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
🚲You arrive at Salmo.
Option four · three legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Another way: same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Merritt →Calgary AB551 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs the same Highway 1 corridor as Rider Express, so compare schedules and fares.
🚌Tunnel49Fernie – Calgary AirportCalgary AB →9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie)185 kmRides in the hold — boxed, bagged, or wrappedBike fee — $50 + GST per bike bag on the Calgary shuttle; Cranbrook might be extra
A winter ski shuttle: Wednesdays and Saturdays, mid-December to late March. Other times need a six-passenger custom booking. Bike bags $50 plus GST.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Calgary9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie) →Salmo179 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
🚲You arrive at Salmo.
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Not an option · three legs🚫 not possible with a bike⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Coach bus to Kelowna, coach bus to 1680 Hwy 3A/6, then a city bus into Salmo.
🚫 This chain exists, but Silver City Stagelines does not carry bikes, so it cannot work with yours. We show it so you can see where the connection breaks.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – KelownaMerritt →Kelowna (Orchard Park Mall)100 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚌Silver City StagelinesTrail – Kelowna (Hwy 3/33)Kelowna (Orchard Park Mall) →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)244 kmDoes not carry bikes
🚎BC Transit72 Salmo-Nelson via Ymir1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Salmo33 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
Health Connections bus: medical patients get priority. You must call ahead to book a seat. Runs Tuesday, Thursday and Friday only.
🚲You arrive at Salmo.
Not an option · three legs🚫 not possible with a bike⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
A coach-bus relay: three buses, two changes.
🚫 This chain exists, but Silver City Stagelines does not carry bikes, so it cannot work with yours. We show it so you can see where the connection breaks.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌EbusVancouver – KelownaMerritt →Kelowna (Orchard Park Mall)100 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚌Silver City StagelinesTrail – Kelowna (Hwy 3/33)Kelowna (Orchard Park Mall) →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)244 kmDoes not carry bikes
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Calgaryor Mountain Man Mike's (Kaslo – Cranbrook – Calgary (weekly)) (doesn't run every day)1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Salmo33 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Mountain Man Mike's: Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
Mountain Man Mike's: The only ground service between Cranbrook and Calgary; weekly, eastbound Monday and westbound Tuesday.
🚲You arrive at Salmo.
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: Salmo to Merritt (best: bus)
Connections from Merritt: Logan Lake (best: bus) · White Rock (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Seattle, WA (best: bus + train) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + SkyTrain + plane)
Connections from Salmo: Castlegar (best: bus) · Hope (best: bus) · Galiano Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + SkyTrain + plane)