Gibsons and the Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast is on the British Columbia mainland but has no road connection to Vancouver at all, so every arrival is a BC Ferries sailing, a seaplane or a water taxi, and reaching Powell River means a second ferry on top of the first.
- Researched
- 28 September 2026
- Reviewed
- not yet
- Ways of moving
- 10, 21 sources
- Not confirmed
- 6
- Fares seen
- 2026
10 ways of moving, each with its rule
We confirmed eight ways of moving to, from or around Gibsons: four by water, two by road, one by air and one hired or on demand, from 21 sources. Two entries are not a service at all but a rule that decides whether travel happens: a permit, a closure, a border, a season or an authority's say-so. One of them runs only on demand or when the seats are full, so there is no timetable to show; the rule is written where the timetable would be. Two need a phone call or a message before you turn up.
The fares were seen in 2026; a fare from an older year is a floor, not a price. Two fares carry no year, because they could not be confirmed and the field says so. We rate 8 of the 10 high confidence, our own judgement of the sources. The entry was checked on 28 September 2026, and ends with six things we could not confirm.
Rules, permits and closures
No road connects the Sunshine Coast to Vancouver
Highway 101 from Langdale through Gibsons, Sechelt and Pender Harbour to Earls Cove, then again from Saltery Bay to Powell River and Lund
There is no road to drive. Highway 101 starts at the Langdale ferry ramp, runs 80 km to Earls Cove and stops at the water. It restarts at Saltery Bay on the far side of Jervis Inlet and runs to Lund. Mountains and fjords, not distance, are the reason: Gibsons is 40 minutes by sea from West Vancouver and unreachable by land.
- When
- permanent, there is no seasonal or tidal workaround
- Takes
- Vancouver to Powell River by road and ferry is two crossings and roughly five hours end to end
Seasonyear-round. BookingPlan every trip around sailing times, not driving times. A missed sailing is one to two hours, not ten minutes. Run bynot applicable.
Winter storms, mechanical days and a one-vessel route
Horseshoe Bay to Langdale, and the Earls Cove crossing
Route 3 normally runs on a single ship, so one fault takes out the whole link rather than half of it. Check Current Conditions on the BC Ferries site or app before you leave; it lists each sailing with a cancellation reason. The third-party mirror at bcferriesapi.ca returns the same sailings as JSON with car, oversize and passenger fill percentages, which is the quickest way to see whether the deck is already full.
- When
- Southeast gales and winter storms cause the weather cancellations; mechanical stoppages are unpredictable and Langdale berth works have caused loading restrictions
- Takes
- A cancelled sailing costs one to two hours; an all-day suspension means the next morning
SeasonWorst from late autumn through winter. BookingA booking does not survive a cancellation on its own terms, so leave slack on either side of a flight or a connection, and do not plan the last sailing of the day as your only option. Run byBC Ferries decides, and publishes the reason per sailing.
By water
BC Ferries route 3, Horseshoe Bay to Langdale
West Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Sunshine Coast (Langdale), across Howe Sound
Horseshoe Bay terminal is at the west end of the Trans-Canada Highway, 25 minutes from downtown Vancouver, and TransLink routes 250, 257 and 262 run to it. Drivers join the holding lanes and pay at the toll booth; foot passengers use the ticket booth and the overhead walkway. At Langdale the terminal is 10 minutes by road from Gibsons.
- When
- Ten sailings each way daily, roughly every two hours, first out of Langdale 06:20 and first out of Horseshoe Bay 07:30; last departures 22:30 from Langdale and 23:30 from Horseshoe Bay
- Takes
- 40 minutes
- Fare 2026
- Westbound only, three tiers. At terminal, no booking: C$16.45 adult, C$58.40 for a standard vehicle up to 20 feet, C$6.95 per extra foot, C$29.20 a motorcycle. Prepaid with a booking: C$11.50 adult, C$63.35 vehicle. Saver, booked and paid in advance: C$9.00 to C$11.50 adult, C$30.00 to C$47.50 vehicle. Add a 5% fuel surcharge. Langdale to Horseshoe Bay is C$0.00 for everyone, so you pay one way and ride back free. BC Seniors travel free Monday to Thursday. An Experience Card cuts C$3.35 off the adult and C$12.85 off the vehicle at-terminal fare.
SeasonYear-round, with seasonal timetables; the busiest direction is toward the Sunshine Coast on Friday afternoons and back on Sunday evenings. BookingBookable, and worth it in summer. Booking check-in opens 60 minutes and closes 30 minutes before departure, after which you lose the guarantee and are treated as a drive-up. Without a booking it is strictly order of arrival, and ticket sales close 10 minutes before the sailing. A reservation without prepayment costs a separate C$20. Assured Loading cards are not accepted on this route. Sailings marked 'Reservations sold out' online often still have drive-up space. Run byBC Ferries, usually the Queen of Surrey.
BC Ferries route 7, Earls Cove to Saltery Bay
Sechelt Peninsula (Earls Cove) to Powell River (Saltery Bay), across Jervis Inlet
Earls Cove is the end of Highway 101 on the lower Coast, 27 km north of Madeira Park and about an hour and a half of winding driving from Langdale. No booking desk, no reservation lane, just the holding lanes and the toll booth. This is the second hop that the Sunshine Coast forces on anyone heading to Powell River.
- When
- Eight sailings each way daily, first out of Earls Cove at 06:30 and last at 22:00
- Takes
- 50 minutes
- Fare 2026
- Return fare, charged once. C$16.00 adult, C$8.00 child 5 to 11, C$53.80 for a standard vehicle up to 20 feet, C$6.85 per extra foot, C$26.90 motorcycle, plus the 5% fuel surcharge. Experience Card saves C$3.35 on the adult and C$11.95 on the vehicle. BC Seniors free Monday to Thursday.
SeasonYear-round; seasonal timetable changes. BookingNone possible. BC Ferries lists it as a non-bookable route, so a long weekend queue at Earls Cove can cost you a sailing. Run byBC Ferries.
BC Ferries route 13, Langdale to Gambier and Keats islands
Langdale to Gambier Island (New Brighton) and Keats Island (Keats Landing, with some trips to Eastbourne)
Same terminal as the big ferry but a separate small passenger vessel and a separate ramp. Ask at the Langdale administration office. The boat shuttles back and forth all day in short legs, Langdale to New Brighton and back, then Langdale to Keats and back, so read the timetable as a series of loops, not a line.
- When
- Roughly hourly through the day from about 07:25, more frequent in the morning and late afternoon; Eastbourne is served on only a few trips
- Takes
- 10 minutes to New Brighton, 15 minutes to Keats Landing
- Fare 2026
- C$7.85 adult one way, C$3.95 child 5 to 11, or C$5.40 and C$2.75 on prepaid tickets. BC Seniors free Monday to Thursday. Students resident on Gambier or Keats travel free. Baggage stowage free.
SeasonYear-round, with a busier summer timetable. BookingNone. Bring cash: only cash and prepaid paper tickets are accepted on board, no cards and no Experience Card. Ticket books are sold at the Horseshoe Bay foot passenger booth, the Langdale administration office and the Passages shop on some larger ferries. Run byBC Ferries.
Cormorant Water Taxi, Howe Sound and the Gambier docks
Horseshoe Bay and Sunset Marina to Bowyer Island, Halkett Bay, Long Bay, Sea Ranch, Centre Bay, West Bay and Gambier Harbour, with Keats Island, Anvil Island, Pasley Island and the Sunshine Coast on request
This is how you reach the Gambier and Keats docks that the BC Ferries passenger boat does not serve. Scheduled Gambier runs can be booked online; everything else, including Keats and Sunshine Coast drops, goes through dispatch on +1 604-250-2630. Pickup is on the Vancouver side, at Horseshoe Bay or Sunset Marina, not at Gibsons.
- When
- Scheduled Gambier sailings year-round, more in summer; everything else on demand
- Takes
- 15 to 40 minutes depending on the dock
- Fare
- Per-trip fares and 10-trip or 20-trip eCards are sold online; a fuel surcharge is applied on top and is under ongoing review. Rates were not confirmed for this entry.
SeasonYear-round. Watch their advisory board: Sunset Marina was closed for pickup for part of September 2026 and the BC Parks dock at Halkett Bay is closed. BookingOnline for Gambier, by phone for everything else. Rebook or cancel online up to 12 hours before; no show means no refund, and refunds carry an 8% non-refundable booking fee. If you can carry your luggage in one go, so can they, otherwise it is freight and must be cleared with dispatch. Run byCormorant Marine.
By road
Sunshine Coast Transit routes 1 and 90, Langdale to Gibsons and Sechelt
Langdale ferry terminal to Gibsons and Sechelt; route 1 is the local, route 90 the express
The bus waits in the terminal lot at Langdale and leaves 15 to 25 minutes after each ferry docks, so walking on is a real option. Read the headsign carefully: route 90 trips marked 'via Marine Dr' drop you in Lower Gibsons at Marine Dr and Jacks Lane, seven minutes from the terminal, while 'via North Rd' trips bypass the harbour entirely and only serve Upper Gibsons on Gibsons Way. Route 1 always runs down Marine Drive.
- When
- Route 90 about 13 departures a day from Langdale, roughly 07:12 to 21:25; route 1 about nine, 06:05 to 00:30, including one that meets the last boat
- Takes
- Langdale to Lower Gibsons 7 minutes on the 90 and 12 on the 1; Langdale to Sechelt 43 minutes on the 90, about 66 on the 1
- Fare 2026
- C$2 single ride, C$4 DayPASS, C$60 for a 30-day adult pass, C$30 for a 30-day senior pass. Children 12 and under ride free, and Sunshine Coast youth 13 to 18 ride free on the S-PASS. Pay cash on board or with the Umo app or card.
SeasonYear-round, same timetable seven days a week; reduced on statutory holidays. Run byBC Transit, Sunshine Coast Regional Transit System.
Sunshine Coast Connector, Sechelt to Earls Cove
Sechelt (Trail Bay Mall) to Secret Cove, Madeira Park, Garden Bay, Ruby Lake, Egmont and Earls Cove ferry terminal
A 14-seat shuttle, not a coach. It picks up at the BC Transit stop by the Sechelt visitor centre and drops at the Earls Cove terminal car park. Several stops are flag stops on Highway 101 and Secret Cove, Madeira Park and Egmont must be booked online in advance or the driver will not stop. The bus deliberately waits for particular ferry sailings, so it runs late when the ferry does.
- When
- One northbound departure from Sechelt at 11:35 and one southbound from Earls Cove at 12:40, on the 9 September to 20 December 2026 timetable
- Takes
- About an hour Sechelt to Earls Cove
- Fare 2026
- C$40.00 plus 5% GST, C$42.00 total, Sechelt to Earls Cove. C$20.00 plus GST Sechelt to Madeira Park, C$25.00 plus GST Earls Cove to Madeira Park. Prepaid driver gratuity of C$10.00 is offered as an option. C$25 change fee.
SeasonTimetables run in blocks of about three months and change with the season; it also runs on statutory holidays. BookingBook online at least a day ahead. Tickets cannot be bought online on the day of travel, but the driver takes cash on the day. Online buyers get priority seating and everyone else is first come first served. Fares under C$10 are not bookable online at all. Bicycles need prior booking and e-bikes are refused. Run bySunshine Coast Connector Ltd, 1-844-613-8222.
By air
Sunshine Coast Air, Sechelt to Vancouver airport
Sechelt (YHS) to Vancouver International south terminal (YVR) and back, over the Strait of Georgia
The Sechelt base is on Porpoise Bay; from Gibsons it is a 30 to 45 minute drive or the route 90 bus to Sechelt. The same operator also flies Sechelt to Nanaimo Harbour and Sechelt to Victoria airport. Call +1 604-740-8889 or 1-888-436-7776.
- When
- Twice daily each way. Depart Sechelt 09:15 and 16:30 weekdays, 10:00 and 16:30 weekends; depart YVR 10:10 and 17:25 weekdays, 10:55 and 17:25 weekends.
- Takes
- 25 minutes
- Fare 2026
- C$209.00 per person each way, or C$177.65 on the Saver fare, both including port fees and taxes. Tariff period 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2027.
SeasonYear-round, with the timetable republished in short blocks; floatplanes do not fly in fog or heavy wind. BookingBook online. The Saver fare must be booked seven or more days ahead and is non-refundable with no flight credit. No age-based discounts on this route, and unaccompanied minors are not carried. Run byJDR Pacific Ventures Ltd trading as Sunshine Coast Air.
Hired, booked and on demand
Taxi, ride hailing and the Langdale parking problem
Langdale terminal to Lower Gibsons, Upper Gibsons, Roberts Creek and Sechelt
Sunshine Coast Taxi on +1 604-885-3666 and Coastal Rides on 1-855-921-2226 both meet ferries, and a limousine and shuttle operator works the terminal too. Book ahead for late sailings. If you are driving, note that Langdale long-term parking is tiny, independently run by Robbins Parking and was showing 15 spaces free when checked, so leaving the car at Horseshoe Bay and walking on is usually the better plan.
- When
- on demand, around the clock by phone; ferry arrivals are the busy moments
- Takes
- 10 minutes Langdale to Gibsons Landing, 30 to 40 minutes to Sechelt
- Fare
- Metered taxi and app-priced ride hailing; fares were not confirmed for this entry
SeasonYear-round. BookingPhone ahead if you are arriving on a late sailing. BC Ferries warns that public transport may not be running for the last boats. Run bySunshine Coast Taxi; Coastal Rides; Sunshine Coast Limousine, Shuttle & Taxi.
What we could not find out
6 things the researcher looked for and did not find, in their own words, with where to ask instead. None of this goes into the planner; it stays here until someone confirms it.
- 01
Cormorant Water Taxi's published fares could not be read; the price table sits behind their booking login. Phone dispatch on +1 604-250-2630.
- 02
The Sunshine Coast Connector's own schedule and rates pages are empty product categories on their OpenCart site, so times and fares here come from querying their live booking engine on 28 September 2026 rather than from a published timetable. The northbound category is still labelled 'Langdale to Earls Cove', but the booking engine sold no Langdale or Gibsons legs on any date tested, only Sechelt to Earls Cove. Wikivoyage still describes a Langdale to Earls Cove run at C$60 as of 2022. Confirm with the operator before relying on a Langdale pickup.
- 03
No scheduled passenger ferry or water taxi was found running directly between Gibsons Landing and downtown Vancouver. Everything goes via Langdale and Horseshoe Bay, or via Horseshoe Bay by water taxi.
- 04
Coast Reporter, the Sunshine Coast newspaper, and The Local Weekly both return 403 to any fetch, so no local reporting on specific winter ferry cancellations could be cited. The cancellation evidence here is BC Ferries' own per-sailing notices instead.
- 05
Car rental on the Sunshine Coast itself was not confirmed with a named operator. Wikivoyage says rentals exist at several locations but are cheaper in Vancouver; check before you assume you can pick up a car at Langdale.
- 06
BC Ferries lists a 'Horseshoe Bay & Langdale Infrastructure Program' service notice affecting both terminals. The full notice could not be opened, and one page carried a Langdale Berth 1 restriction dated to an earlier period, so the current state of the berth works should be checked on the day.
What the planner can route today
The options above live on the place page, not in the departure board: a boat that comes when you phone has no time to show. What the board can do for Gibsons is this.
- Y
- Scheduled flightsVancouver (YVR), 33 km
- Y
- Trains and coachesTransitous carries 26 timetable feeds for this country, 1 with real-time
- Y
- FerriesKeats Island (Keats Landing), 2 km, British Columbia Ferry Services; sailings estimated
- Y
- Driving and taxiOpenStreetMap roads; cab fare from the country band
- N
- Bike and scooter shareno share feed known
- N
- Cruisesno open itinerary source anywhere
Y routable now · F found, not yet implemented · N no source known.