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 and flights can carry you and your bike from Shearwater to Williams Lake.

For scale
As the crow flies406 km
Biking whole way609 km ยท 40 h 02 m
By car594 km ยท 13 h 07 m

We found three 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⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The long way round, but it works.
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.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Bear Cove (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St)445 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3โ€“4 sailings a week each way in summer.
๐Ÿš†VIA RailSkeena (Prince Rupert โ€“ Prince George โ€“ Jasper)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)591 kmChecked baggage โ€” staffed stations only, including Vancouver BC and Jasper AB$25 per directionE-bikes OK โ€” battery disconnected at check-in
Three departures a week; the trip includes an overnight stop in Prince George (book your own hotel).
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeDowntown Exch Bay B (Prince George) โ†’Williams Lake204 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Williams Lake.
Option two · four legs📅 seasonal⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
Same as Option one, but a coach bus instead of the train.
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.
โ›ด๏ธBC FerriesPort Hardy โ€“ Prince Rupert (Inside Passage)Bear Cove (Port Hardy) โ†’Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St)445 kmRoll on, free โ€” no reservation neededE-bikes OK โ€” no charging on board
Sails alternate days, roughly 3โ€“4 sailings a week each way in summer.
๐ŸšŒBC Bus North (Tahltan NST Busing Ltd.)Prince George โ€“ Prince Rupert (Hwy 16 West)Downtown Prince Rupert (2nd Ave at 3rd St) โ†’Downtown Exch Bay B (Prince George)619 kmLuggage bay on the Prince Rupert routeOther routes: bagged or boxed โ€” checked as luggage
Twice a week: Monday and Thursday westbound, Tuesday and Friday eastbound.
๐ŸšŒEbusKamloops โ€“ Prince GeorgeDowntown Exch Bay B (Prince George) โ†’Williams Lake204 kmRides in the hold โ€” bagged or cloth-wrapped (no plastic), or boxed$30 per bike
Runs Wed/Fri/Sun toward Prince George and Mon/Thu/Sat toward Kamloops; no service on Tuesdays.
๐ŸšฒYou arrive at Williams Lake.
Option three · three legs✈ the splurge⚠ doesn't run every day — check the schedule
The scenic splurge: hop a flight.
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
โœˆ๏ธPacific Coastal AirlinesVancouver โ€“ Williams LakeVancouver Airport (YVR) (Richmond) โ†’YWL (Williams Lake)342 kmRides in the hold โ€” small aircraft, limited spaceAbout $105 per directionNo e-bikes
๐ŸšฒAt the far end, Central Williams Lake is about 8.4 km from YWL (Williams Lake). Ride it, or take a local bus or taxi.
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: Williams Lake to Shearwater (best: bus + train + ferry)

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 Williams Lake: Quesnel (best: bus) · Port Moody (best: bus + SkyTrain) · Ocean Falls (best: bus + train + ferry) · Haida Gwaii (best: bus + train + ferry)

Check out BC Bike Stops in Williams Lake