Canada Ferries: BC Ferries, Vancouver Island & Newfoundland

BC Ferries’ busiest route, linking the Vancouver area with Victoria and Vancouver Island through the Southern Gulf Islands and scenic Active Pass. Orcas and eagles are sometimes seen from the deck.

The ferry from West Vancouver to Nanaimo, the best route to central and northern Vancouver Island: Tofino, Ucluelet, Parksville and Campbell River. It is also the closest terminal to Whistler and the Sea-to-Sky Highway.

The year-round constitutional ferry link between mainland Canada and Newfoundland across the Cabot Strait. It is the main way to drive onto “The Rock” and the start of the Trans-Canada Highway through Newfoundland.

The seasonal ferry between Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia across the Northumberland Strait, an alternative to the Confederation Bridge for travellers heading east to Cape Breton or Halifax.

BC Ferries’ second Vancouver–Nanaimo route, running from Tsawwassen south of Vancouver to the Duke Point terminal south of Nanaimo. It suits drivers and trucks heading up-island who want to avoid Horseshoe Bay and downtown Vancouver traffic.

The only car ferry to Haida Gwaii, crossing the open Hecate Strait from Prince Rupert to Skidegate on Graham Island. It is the gateway to the Haida Heritage Centre and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve.

The direct ferry from the Vancouver mainland to Salt Spring, the largest and busiest of the Southern Gulf Islands, famous for the Saturday market in Ganges. Some sailings run non-stop; others hop through Galiano, Mayne and Pender.

The shortest mainland crossing into the Southern Gulf Islands, from Tsawwassen to Sturdies Bay on Galiano Island. Galiano is known for Montague Harbour Marine Provincial Park and the Bodega Ridge trails.

The quickest way from Victoria to Salt Spring Island, sailing from Swartz Bay at the end of Highway 17 to the village of Fulford Harbour on the island’s south-east side. From Fulford it is a short drive north to Ganges.

The mid-island link to Salt Spring, crossing Stuart Channel from Crofton near Duncan to Vesuvius Bay on the island’s north-west shore. It is the handiest route for Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo-area traffic.

A 20-minute ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Snug Cove on Bowen Island, a car-light island community in Howe Sound that makes an easy day trip from Vancouver for Crippen Regional Park and Killarney Lake.

The commuter ferry from downtown Nanaimo to Descanso Bay on Gabriola Island, the northernmost of the Southern Gulf Islands, known for the Malaspina Galleries sandstone formations.

A 10-minute crossing of Baynes Sound from Buckley Bay, south of Courtenay, to Denman Island, and the first leg of the journey to Hornby Island. The route is worked by the Baynes Sound Connector cable ferry.

The 10-minute hop across Discovery Passage from downtown Campbell River to Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island, the stepping stone to Cortes Island and the Discovery Islands.

The ferry from Port McNeill on northern Vancouver Island to Alert Bay on Cormorant Island, home of the ’Namgis First Nation and the U’mista Cultural Centre with its potlatch collection. The same ferry also serves Sointula on Malcolm Island.

The 40-minute ferry from Powell River’s Westview terminal to Blubber Bay on Texada Island, the largest island in the Strait of Georgia, with the historic mining village of Van Anda.

Marine Atlantic’s seasonal long crossing from Cape Breton to Argentia on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, about 90 minutes’ drive from St. John’s. It saves the long drive across Newfoundland from Port aux Basques.

The year-round ferry across the Bay of Fundy to Grand Manan Island, landing at North Head. Whales and porpoises are regularly seen from the ferries during the summer migration.

The ferry from Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rive in Charlevoix to L’Isle-aux-Coudres, a rural St. Lawrence island popular with cyclists.

A tide-dependent ferry from Montmagny to L’Isle-aux-Grues, the inhabited island of the Isle-aux-Grues archipelago in the St. Lawrence.

The MS Chi-Cheemaun links the tip of the Bruce Peninsula at Tobermory with South Baymouth on Manitoulin Island, the world’s largest freshwater island, short-cutting the long drive around Georgian Bay.

The ferry to Pelee Island, Canada’s southernmost inhabited point, in the middle of Lake Erie. Sailings leave from Leamington or Kingsville depending on the season, and some continue to Sandusky, Ohio.

CTMA’s car ferry to Quebec’s Îles de la Madeleine (Magdalen Islands), crossing the Gulf of St Lawrence from Souris at the eastern tip of Prince Edward Island to Cap-aux-Meules.

The small ferry Ivan-Quinn links Cap-aux-Meules with Île d’Entrée (Entry Island), a small island isolated from the rest of the Magdalen archipelago.

The weekly supply-and-passenger ship Bella Desgagnés leaves Rimouski on Monday night, calls at Sept-Îles and reaches Port-Menier on Anticosti Island, a wild island of cliffs, caves and waterfalls in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, on Tuesday evening.

The Bella Desgagnés is the lifeline for the roadless Lower North Shore of Quebec, sailing weekly from Rimouski via Sept-Îles, Anticosti and a string of Innu and fishing villages such as Natashquan, Harrington Harbour and Saint-Augustin to Blanc-Sablon, next to the Labrador border.