How to get to Salt Spring Island

Major Airports - Ferries - From Washington State - Float Planes - Local Transport - To The Farm

Major Airports:

The two closest international airports to Salt Spring Island are:

Victoria International Airport (YYJ), located in Sidney on Vancouver Island, about a 30 minute drive from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia. Victoria airport is a ten minute drive from the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal and then a 35 minute ferry ride to Salt Spring Island.

Vancouver International Airport (YVR). To get to Salt Spring Island from Vancouver, you can drive 40 minutes to Tsawwassen, then take a ferry as described below. You can also take a bus (public or PCL) to Tsawwassen, or you can fly to Victoria, or you can take a small float plane to Salt Spring Island itself. More information about the ferries and air possibilities appear below.

You can, of course, rent a car at either airport.

By Ferry:

From Tsawwassen, near Vancouver, there is a direct ferry to Long Harbour on Saltspring Island. This ferry takes a meandering route making stops at three other islands and is a wonderfully pleasant and relaxing three-hour journey. There are also a number (more in summer) of non-stop sailings on this route that take only 80 minutes. Reservations are strongly recommended for the Long Harbour Route, especially in the summer. There is no extra charge, but you MUST arrive at the terminal ticket booth 40 minutes early to pick up your reservation.

More frequent ferries leave from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on Vancouver Island, where you can transfer to a ferry to Fulford Harbour on Saltspring which generally leaves every odd hour from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. (But check the ferry schedule—some days are different!) It is important to buy a "throughfare" ticket at the ticket booth in Tsawwassen on this route, as it is quite a bit cheaper than buying two separate tickets. Fulford Harbour is about 5 minutes from Alder Creek Farm.

If you are arriving from Victoria, take the ferry from Swartz Bay to Fulford Harbour.

If you arrive from elsewhere on Vancouver Island (i.e. Nanaimo, Tofino, Campbell River) you can take the Crofton ferry to Vesuvius Bay on Saltspring. The Horseshoe Bay ferry from North Vancouver takes you to Nanaimo (either to Departure Bay or to Duke’s Point) and from there it is a 40-minute drive to Crofton.

For up-to-date ferry schedules, visit the B.C. Ferries website at: http://www.bcferries.bc.ca/ or phone 1-888-223-3779 or in B.C. call 250-386-3431

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From Washington State:

There are three ferry choices from Washington State.

The Victoria Clipper http://www.victoriaclipper.com/ (1-206-448-5000 in Seattle, 250-382-8100 in Victoria) is a passenger-only high speed catamaran ferry which operates from downtown Seattle to the inner harbour of Victoria. From there the easiest thing would be to rent a car.

The Coho http://www.cohoferry.com/ (360-457-4491 in U.S. or 250-386-2202 in Canada) sails to Victoria from Port Angeles, Washington. If you are coming from the Olympic peninsula this is the most direct route.

Washington State Ferries http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/ (1-800-843-3779 in Seattle or 250-381-1551 in Sidney) sail from Anacortes and the San Juan Islands and arrive at Sidney, north of Victoria near the Swartz Bay ferry terminal.

By Float Plane:

You can fly to Salt Spring Island on a floatplane (about $70 one way) with a short scenic flight either from downtown Vancouver or from the South terminal of the Vancouver International Airport. These planes usually land in Ganges Harbour on Salt Spring, where we could pick you up.

Seair http://www.seairseaplanes.com/ 1-800-447-3247 or 604-273-8900 or Harbour Air http://www.harbour-air.com/ 1-800-0212 or 604-688-1277

Salt Spring Air, based on Salt Spring Island, can also take you to and from Vancouver. They also fly to Tofino, the outer Gulf Island and other destinations as well as offering scenic flights. http://www.saltspringair.com/ 1-250-537-9880

Transportation on Salt Spring Island:

On Salt Spring Island itself there are several transportation choices.

For car rentals call Salt Spring Marine Car and Truck Rentals at 250 537-5464

The taxi service is Silver Shadow Taxi at 250-537-3030

As of Feb 1st 2008 there is a new transit system on Salt Spring Island. A public bus travels three routes between Fulford, Ganges and Vesuvius. Fares, routes and schedules can be found at http://www.busonline.ca/regions/ssi/?p=2.list. Phone 250-537-5305 or 250-537-6758 (cell).

Gulf Islands Water Taxi 250-537-2510

There are three marinas on the island:

Fulford Marina http://www.saltspring.com/fulfordmarina/ 250-653-4467

Ganges Marina http://www.gangesmarina.com/ 250-537-5810

Salt Spring Marina http://www.saltspringmarina.com/ 250 537-5810