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, ferries, trains and flights can carry you and your bike from Salmo to Bowen Island.
For scale
As the crow flies439 km
Biking whole way659 km · 46 h 42 m
By car680 km · 7 h 48 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⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Halfway across the province, no car required.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚎BC Transit72 Salmo-Nelson via YmirSalmo →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)33 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.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Vancouver1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →New Westminster495 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkNew Westminster →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Horseshoe Bay17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Snug Cove (Bowen)Horseshoe Bay →Snug Cove (Bowen Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚲You arrive at Snug Cove (Bowen Island).
Option two · five legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the city bus.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Calgaryor Mountain Man Mike's (Kaslo – Cranbrook – Calgary (weekly)) (doesn't run every day)Salmo →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)33 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.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Vancouver1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →New Westminster495 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkNew Westminster →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Horseshoe Bay17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Snug Cove (Bowen)Horseshoe Bay →Snug Cove (Bowen Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚲You arrive at Snug Cove (Bowen Island).
Option three · five 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
🚎BC Transit72 Salmo-Nelson via YmirSalmo →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)33 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.
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Vancouver1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →New Westminster495 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkNew Westminster →Waterfront (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚌Squamish ConnectorSquamish – VancouverVancouver Canada Place →Horseshoe Bay16 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.
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Snug Cove (Bowen)Horseshoe Bay →Snug Cove (Bowen Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚲You arrive at Snug Cove (Bowen Island).
Option four · five legs⚠ 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
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – Cranbrook – Calgary (weekly)Salmo →Calgary AB482 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
The only ground service between Cranbrook and Calgary; weekly, eastbound Monday and westbound Tuesday.
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Calgary AB →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)784 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.
🚲Travel the short hop from Pacific Central Station (Vancouver) to Main Street-Science World (Vancouver), about 0.2 km.
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkMain Street-Science World (Vancouver) →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Horseshoe Bay17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Snug Cove (Bowen)Horseshoe Bay →Snug Cove (Bowen Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚲You arrive at Snug Cove (Bowen Island).
Option five · six legs✈ the splurge⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The splurge: hop a flight.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚎BC Transit72 Salmo-Nelson via YmirSalmo →1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson)33 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.
🚎BC Transit99 Kootenay Connector1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Hwy 3A at Ootischenia Rd (Brilliant)31 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 Hwy 3A at Ootischenia Rd (Brilliant) to Castlegar, about 2.8 km.
✈️Air CanadaVancouver (YVR) – Castlegar (YCG)Castlegar →Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)402 kmBox or sturdy bag requiredBook ahead for your bikeAbout $50 per directionNo e-bikes
🚝SkyTrainTransLinkYVR-Airport (Richmond) →Stadium-Chinatown (Vancouver)Roll on, free — 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
🚎TransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressStadium-Chinatown (Vancouver) →Horseshoe Bay17 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes — first come, first servedE-bikes OK
⛴️BC FerriesHorseshoe Bay – Snug Cove (Bowen)Horseshoe Bay →Snug Cove (Bowen Island)3.7 kmRoll on, free — no reservation neededE-bikes OK — no charging on board
🚲You arrive at Snug Cove (Bowen 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: Bowen Island to Salmo (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain)
Connections from Salmo: Castlegar (best: bus) · Logan Lake (best: bus) · Galiano Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + SkyTrain + plane)
Connections from Bowen Island: Sechelt (best: ferry + bus) · Harrison Hot Springs (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain) · Salmon Arm (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain) · Whitehorse, YT (best: ferry + bus + SkyTrain)
Check out BC Bike Stops in Salmo and Bowen Island