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 Salmo to Merritt.
For scale
As the crow flies272 km
Biking whole way496 km · 33 h 36 m
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
Mountain Man Mike's will get you there.
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) →Hope374 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops) or Ebus (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)) or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Hope →Merritt94 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.
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Option two · three legs⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The long way round, but it works.
CarrierRideYour bike
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – CalgarySalmo →Cranbrook129 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
🚎BC Transit36 Golden – Cranbrook Connector (Health Connections)Cranbrook →Golden223 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.
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Golden →Merritt336 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.
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
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
🚌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) →Hope374 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week; hop-on hop-off along the way.
🚌EbusVancouver – Kelownaor Ebus (Vancouver – Kamloops)Hope →Merritt94 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
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
🚌Mountain Man Mike'sKaslo – CalgarySalmo →9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie)179 kmBikes acceptedCall for a quote — fee and packaging arranged with the booking agent
Runs once a week, continuing east into Alberta.
🚌Tunnel49Fernie – Calgary Airport9th Ave at 19th St (Fernie) →Calgary AB185 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.
🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1))Calgary AB →Merritt551 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.
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
Show two moreShow fewer
Not an option · three legs🚫 not possible with a bike⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
City bus to 1680 Hwy 3A/6, coach bus to Kelowna, then a coach bus into Merritt.
🚫 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
🚎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.
🚌Silver City StagelinesTrail – Kelowna (Hwy 3/33)1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Kelowna (Orchard Park Mall)244 kmDoes not carry bikes
🚌EbusVancouver – KelownaKelowna (Orchard Park Mall) →Merritt100 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
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
🚌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.
🚌Silver City StagelinesTrail – Kelowna (Hwy 3/33)1680 Hwy 3A/6 (Nelson) →Kelowna (Orchard Park Mall)244 kmDoes not carry bikes
🚌EbusVancouver – KelownaKelowna (Orchard Park Mall) →Merritt100 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
🚲You arrive at Merritt.
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: Merritt to Salmo (best: bus)
Connections from Salmo: Castlegar (best: bus) · Hope (best: bus) · Galiano Island (best: bus + SkyTrain + ferry) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + SkyTrain + plane)
Connections from Merritt: Logan Lake (best: bus) · White Rock (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Seattle, WA (best: bus + train) · Whitehorse, YT (best: bus + SkyTrain + plane)