Salmon Arm 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, trains and flights can carry you and your bike from Salmon Arm to Gabriola Island.

For scale

As the crow flies370 km

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

By car562 km · 7 h 27 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 · four legs

SkyTrain helps connect the dots.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌EbusVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)or Rider Express (Vancouver – Calgary)Hudson Ave NE & 6 St NE (Salmon Arm) →Pacific Central Station (Vancouver)393 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.

🚝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

Beautiful BC from a coach window.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Hudson Ave NE & 6 St NE (Salmon Arm) →Downtown Vancouver (Dunsmuir at Cambie)391 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

Four ways to travel, one destination.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌Rider ExpressVancouver – Calgary (Hwy 1)Hudson Ave NE & 6 St NE (Salmon Arm) →Chilliwack299 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)Hudson Ave NE & 6 St NE (Salmon Arm) →Abbotsford326 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).

Option five · five legs✈ the splurge

A coach bus, two flights, a SkyTrain, and a ferry.

CarrierRideYour bike

🚌EbusKamloops – Kelowna (via Salmon Arm)Hudson Ave NE & 6 St NE (Salmon Arm) →Kelowna Airport87 kmRides in the hold — bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike

✈️Air CanadaVancouver (YVR) – Kelowna (YLW)Kelowna Airport →Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)288 kmBox or sturdy bag requiredBook ahead for your bikeAbout $50 per directionNo e-bikes

🚝SkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) →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.

🛩️Harbour AirVancouver Harbour – Nanaimo HarbourCXH (Vancouver) →Nanaimo Harbour60 kmFront wheel must come off$20 handling fee — bike weight counts toward your baggage allowanceNot on the Twin Otter — other floatplanes are fine; confirm when booking

⛴️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 Salmon Arm (best: ferry + SkyTrain + bus)

Connections from Salmon Arm: Chase (best: bus) · Squamish (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Powell River (best: bus + ferry) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

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

Check out BC Bike Stops in Salmon Arm and Gabriola Island

To and Fro: moving your bike around British Columbia