BC Cycle Tourism Society

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, rental cars and flights can carry you and your bike from Shearwater to Coquitlam.

For scale
As the crow flies490 km
Biking whole way693 km ยท 37 h
By car806 km ยท 16 h 21 m

We found five ways to get you there, ferries doing the heavy lifting.

๐ŸŽ’ 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📅 seasonal
A one-way rental fills in the missing piece.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaShearwater (Denny Island) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)168 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop โ€” check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Waivin Flags Taxi might help.
๐Ÿš™BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimoor National Car & Truck Rental (One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches โ€” bookable onlineBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, A.C. Taxi, Yellow Cab Nanaimo might help.
โ›ด๏ธHulloHullo (Nanaimo โ€“ Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) โ†’CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead โ€” 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way โ€” $25 in personNo e-bikes โ€” no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km. If pedalling it doesn't appeal, Black Top Cabs, Maclure'S Cabs might help.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Coquitlam CentralRoll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Coquitlam Central.
Option two · four legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a train instead of the SkyTrain.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaShearwater (Denny Island) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)168 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop โ€” check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km.
๐Ÿš™BudgetOne-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimoor National Car & Truck Rental (One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo298 kmOne-way between BC Budget branches โ€” bookable onlineBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way), about 1.5 km.
โ›ด๏ธHulloHullo (Nanaimo โ€“ Vancouver)Hullo Nanaimo Terminal (Port Way) โ†’CXH (Vancouver)61 kmBook online ahead โ€” 6 bike spots per sailing, 1 per guest$19.99 one way โ€” $25 in personNo e-bikes โ€” no trailers, 80 in / 50 lb max
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from CXH (Vancouver) to Vancouver Canada Place, about 0.8 km.
๐Ÿš†West Coast ExpressTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Coquitlam Central23 kmRoll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carWeekdays only โ€” peak direction only
Weekdays only, peak direction only: five trains toward Vancouver in the morning, five back in the evening.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Coquitlam Central.
Option three · five legs📅 seasonal
Four ways to travel, one destination.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaShearwater (Denny Island) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)168 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop โ€” check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km.
๐Ÿš™National Car & Truck Rental (Vancouver Island)One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimoor Budget (One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo295 kmOne-way between Island branches โ€” no drop chargeBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Departure Bay (Nanaimo), about 1.3 km.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Departure BayDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) โ†’Horseshoe Bay53 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŒSquamish ConnectorSquamish โ€“ VancouverHorseshoe Bay โ†’Vancouver Canada Place16 kmBook aheadMax 2 bikes per tripSome buses have an outside rack โ€” otherwise carried in the luggage hold$15 each wayNo e-bikes
Bikes welcome May to September; check schedule outside that window.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Coquitlam CentralRoll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Coquitlam Central.
Option four · seven legs📅 seasonal
Every leg of this works, there are just a lot of them.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Bella CoolaShearwater (Denny Island) โ†’Bear Cove (Port Hardy)168 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Doesn't sail every day, and not every sailing calls at every stop โ€” check the BC Ferries schedule for your date.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Bear Cove (Port Hardy) to YZT (Port Hardy), about 8 km.
๐Ÿš™National Car & Truck Rental (Vancouver Island)One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimoor Budget (One-way rental: Port Hardy โ€“ Nanaimo) (counter a short ride away on the 20/20A Hammond Bay / Dover)YZT (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Nanaimo295 kmOne-way between Island branches โ€” no drop chargeBike rides inside โ€” SUV or minivan, seats folded, wheels offConfirm one-way and vehicle when booking
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from Downtown Nanaimo to Departure Bay (Nanaimo), about 1.3 km.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesHorseshoe Bay โ€“ Departure BayDeparture Bay (Nanaimo) โ†’Horseshoe Bay53 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
๐ŸšŽTransLink257 Horseshoe Bay ExpressHorseshoe Bay โ†’Park Royal (West Vancouver)11 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes โ€” first come, first servedE-bikes OK
๐ŸšŽTransLinkR2 Marine Dr RapidBusPark Royal (West Vancouver) โ†’Lonsdale Quay (North Vancouver)4.5 kmRack on the bus, free2 bikes โ€” first come, first servedE-bikes OK
โ›ด๏ธSeaBusTransLinkLonsdale Quay (North Vancouver) โ†’Vancouver Canada Place3.5 kmRoll on, free โ€” bikes ride inside the cabin6 bikes per sailing at rush hour โ€” weekdays 7โ€“9:30 am and 3โ€“6:30 pm; no limit other timesE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on boardNo trailers โ€” 185 cm max bike length
Bikes ride inside the cabin; during weekday rush hours there's room for six bikes a sailing.
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Canada Place โ†’Coquitlam CentralRoll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Coquitlam Central.
Option five · three legs✈ the splurge⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
One long leg does most of the travelling.
CarrierRideYour bike
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesCentral Coast ConnectorShearwater (Denny Island) โ†’McLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella)3.7 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
About one run a week: Wednesday out from Bella Coola, Thursday or Friday back from Shearwater.
๐ŸšฒTravel the short hop from McLoughlin Bay (Bella Bella) to ZEL (Bella Bella), about 0.9 km.
โœˆ๏ธPacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver โ€“ Bella BellaZEL (Bella Bella) โ†’Vancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond)480 kmRides in the hold โ€” small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
๐ŸšSkyTrainTransLinkVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) โ†’Coquitlam CentralRoll on, free โ€” 2 bikes per carAvoid rush hourE-bikes OK
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Coquitlam Central.
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: Coquitlam to Shearwater (best: SkyTrain + ferry + rental car)

Connections from Shearwater: Ocean Falls (best: ferry) · Ucluelet (best: ferry + rental car + carpool) · Port Coquitlam (best: ferry + rental car + train) · Calgary, AB (best: ferry + rental car + bus)

Connections from Coquitlam: Mission (best: bus) · Port Renfrew (best: SkyTrain + ferry + bus) · Clearwater (best: SkyTrain + bus) · Haida Gwaii (best: SkyTrain + train + ferry)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Coquitlam