Bowen Island

Bowen Island is a small island and a municipality at the entrance to Howe Sound, connected to Vancouver and the rest of the Lower Mainland by a short ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver - additionally, private water taxis can be chartered but there are no regular/scheduled water taxi services available. The island has become a favourite tourist destination although amenities and activities are limited. Most activities involve wandering the shops or exploring the parks and natural areas.

Get in
See Vancouver for options to get in the Vancouver area by plane, by bus, and by train, and by boat.

By ferry
The most popular way to get to Bowen is on BC Ferries' service from Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) in West Vancouver to on the island. The ferry crossing takes 20 minutes and generally runs hourly (except early afternoon). Daily first inbound departures are normally at 5:50AM and daily first outbound departures are at 5:20AM, except on Sundays, when outbound departures normally start at 6:20AM. Last departures vary seasonally, but generally depart sometime between 10PM and 11PM. There are 15-16 trips a day with the first ferry leaving Horseshoe Bay at 6:05AM. Fare is $12.10 for an adult foot passenger, bicycles are $2 and a car is $34.20.

You can drive your car onto the Queen of Capilano in Horseshoe Bay. Be warned the during peak travel hours and during the summer there are often overloads and the ferry is often late due to high tourist traffic. Mechanical problems can cause the ferry to be cancelled and all vehicles will be stranded on Bowen Island until the ferry becomes operational again. Check the Service Notice section below the current schedule for Bowen Island on the BC Ferries webpage.

Get around
An information centre is located a minute's walk up the main street from the ferry dock (turn right just before the library). The centre is run by Bowen Island Chamber of Commerce, and provides lots of information on Bowen Island accommodation and activities.

There is also a strong culture of hitchhiking on the island.

By public transit
Passengers can pay for fares using Compass Cards ($6 refundable deposit), Compass Tickets, or tap-to-pay using contactless credit cards (only American Express, Mastercard or Visa) or mobile wallets. Passengers using Compass Cards and Compass Tickets pay discounted fares. Passengers can transfer for up to 90 minutes, except if taking West Coast Express, in which case they can transfer for up to 120 minutes. On bus and HandyDART, passengers can also pay in cash, but in that case will not receive change and are not eligible for transfers. Zone based fares apply between Monday and Friday for trips starting before 6:30PM, if travel involves SkyTrain or SeaBus. Outside of those hours or for travel on only bus or HandyDART, a single-zone rate applies. If travelling by West Coast Express, a higher-cost zone-based fare system applies regardless of time of travel. Children 12 and under can ride for free. People aged 13 to 18, and 65 and older pay discounted concession fares.

On Bowen Island, there is a bus service on several routes that will take you around to most parts of the island, however it runs infrequently. The bus routes all terminate one block away from the ferry terminal at the intersection of Bowen Island Trunk Rd and Cardena Dr.

By taxi
There are no taxis as of June 2023.

See

 * Wander around the village of.
 * Visit one of the small beaches on the island. There are a couple near Snug Cove; others are scattered around the island and require transportation to get to.

Do
The primary attraction of Bowen Island to Vancouverites has been to get away from everything and relax. However, if you want to do something, there are a few options.

One is to rent a kayak and paddle around Snug Cove or venture around the island.



There are also a number of hikes on the island. Crippen Regional Park offers a number of shorter hikes that can be done in a couple of hours. (trail begins at the end of Snug Cove beach) provides views of the harbour and the entrance to Howe Sound. The hike to (about 45 minutes each way) passes through forest and the fish ladder to the lake. There is also a 4 km hike around Killarney Lake.

Tougher, but with more rewarding views, is the hike to the top of. The trail begins 3 km from Snug Cove on Mount Gardner Road and is mostly through forest. It rises to an elevation of 719 m and on sunny days provides a very nice view. The trail is 11 km in length, so be sure to leave yourself enough time if you have to walk from Snug Cove to the trailhead.

Buy
There are a number of small craft and souvenir shops in Snug Cove, as well as many artist studios and galleries located at, a 5 minute drive or 15-minute walk from the Ferry.

Sleep
There are no hotels or campgrounds on Bowen Island so the accommodation consists mostly of bed and breakfasts scattered across the island.



Stay Safe
The nearest hospital is in North Vancouver. Medical evacuations are usually handled by water taxi (especially the Bowen Responder ambulance boat). A volunteer firefighter division exists on the island.

Go next
Bowen Island is typically a day trip from Vancouver. Bus connections at the BC Ferries terminal in Horseshoe Bay will return you to West Vancouver, and Downtown Vancouver beyond. Last ferry leaves Snug Cove at 10:05PM. Granville Island Water Taxi also runs passenger-only trips back to Granville Island in Downtown Vancouver.