Ferry to Vancouver Island

[slofoks]

Looking to pull the AS to Vancouver Island late July - early August. Any suggestions on which ferries are best or any to stay away from?. Possible routes from Olympic peninsula, Seattle area or Vancouver area.

Any campgrounds/RV Parks to recommend?

Thanks for your input.

[slofoks]

For campgound info, we plan to stay near the Victoria area for the most part.

Thx!

[Camano20]

If you are on the Olympic peninsula you might want to check this site,
www.cohoferry.com
direct sailing from P.A. to Victoria on the Black Ball ferry Coho

[jcl]

I would come up the I5 from the Seattle area to the border crossing, then to the Tsawwassen ferry terminal (BC Ferries), take the ferry to Schwartz Bay, and you are in the suburbs of Victoria. https://www.bcferries.com/

The Coho ferry terminal in Victoria has always looked tight to me with the side loading door and small loading/unloading space.

If you are staying in Victoria, you can return on the same route. If you are headed up the island, you can cross from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay, or use the Duke Point crossing back to Tsawwassen. For camping, we like Victoria, and the Parksville area (good for kids, lots of sandy beaches), but our favourite is Long Beach near Tofino.

BC Ferries takes reservations (and reservations are a good idea in the summer). Reservations add $10 each way if you book a week ahead. You can just show up and wait for space, and that works fairly well mid week, but sitting in ferry lineups is no fun IMO. When you book on line you can see which ferry is assigned that run. We look for the Coastal Class vessels (newest in the fleet), but will also book the Spirit Class vessels. We try and not book the older vessels that are often used for additional runs in the summer months when traffic is heavier, but they get you there just as well.

[gnijman]

Check out this superb RV place right on Victoria harbour! Just stayed there. You can walk to downtown in 20 mins on seashore walkway or cycle in 10 minutes on dedicated bike paths.

https://www.salishseasidervhaven.com/

Very popular so check right away.

[geo]

The Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay route is your best bet, and runs frequently. It’s a popular route in the summer, so reservations are recommended, especially if you’re towing a trailer.

One thing to note is that there’s a pretty big tide differential in the Strait of Georgia. If you have a long trailer or low clearance, especially around the hitch, you may want to consult a tide chart and avoid sailings when loading or unloading would take place near high or low tide. BC Ferries is a pretty efficient operation, so it typically takes 15 minutes to load or unload.

[rucos]

I take the Coho from Port Angeles with the airstream twice a year with no hassles loading . We just returned to Victoria on that route 3 weeks ago and they were unloading 3 large tour buses as well as a couple of travel trailers so don't worry about your trailer length being an issue at all.
Coho is an old (1950's??) ferry and not a particularly interesting ferry ride.... in Can$ it costs more than BC ferries out of Tsawwassen but you get to miss the big border crossing at Peace Arch and dont have to drive thru Seattle. You can reserve online as there is only 2-3 crossings a day. The drive up the Olympic Peninsula from I-5 is a beautiful winding road with several spots to stay (Washington).
As a first time visitor though I would highly recommend taking the Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay route (Vancouver- Victoria) ....it is a stunningly beautiful ride thru the islands and is a must see ride!! You will also be on a huge Ferry that has restaurants etc....almost like a cruise liner.... You have ferries in the summer ever hour on the hour from 7am-9pm ..... Both options are about 1hr 35min crossing. Definitely reserve as its a cheap guarantee and if you miss it you only pay for the reserve fee (this applies to Coho and BC ferries)

As far as tides go??? I have been riding the ferries all my life and have never paid any attention to Tide tables for the ferries ..... they use power ramps that raise and lower and have huge trucks and buses loading on every boat. I've seen it be a small issue on the small Inter Island Ferries, but they still loaded the trailer fine.
If you want to stay downtown area make sure you try and book asap as there isn't much(try Fort Victoria just outside of the city). The site mentioned above is great but make sure you reserve now!!
Just outside the city is Goldstream Provincial Park ...beautiful spot in the forest....it is about a 15-30 min drive into town depending on traffic. Typical of most Provincial Parks there are no services at the sites but they do have a dump station.....reserve online.
Note;/ Victoria and the outside area has lots of great bike trails ..... you can ride almost from Goldstream park to downtown without hardly riding any roads using the old railway (Galloping Goose or E&N) lines.
If you are going Up Island I would recommend going to Tofino for an amazing west coast stay/experience.... Use Crystal Cove for a great private full service spot ....excellent site but very popular. You also could look at the National Park sites which are similar to Provincial sites.
Both places need reservations asap.
Dont worry though you'll find lots and lots of great places to stay on the Island. Enjoy your visit.

[slofoks]

Thank you all very much for all the great information!

[aswell]

Depending on your travel plans, you can also do the Horseshoe Bay <-> Nanaimo, either to or from. Leaving from Tsawwassen probably makes more sense as it's an easy drive from the border, but if you do plan to head to Whistler or possibly up the Sunshine Coast after Vancouver Island, leaving from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay will get you around Vancouver traffic.

Have spent several seasons on Gabriola Island, made many trips to the mainland, and in our experience BC Ferries is great accommodating summer travelers with all kinds of RV's. We stayed in a vacation home, didn't have our Airstream back then, but you couldn't pick a better place to spend some time. It's amazing this time of year...

[PatLee]

Website indicates big rigs only. Can AS trailers reserve there I.e. 25 footers?

[gandttimes]

One more thing before you book.
BC ferries has an " extra length vehicle promotion" that runs from May 16 till September 4th which will save you an additional 3.25 per foot over 20 ft.
Makes it worth the cost of a reservation.
Just look at bcferries.com/promotions/bring-it-all and come and enjoy our beautiful island.

[gandttimes]

Originally Posted by PatLee

Website indicates big rigs only. Can AS trailers reserve there I.e. 25 footers?

Yes. I do it all the time. Look on the promotions that I mentioned above.

[Smartstream]

The BC Ferries are very nice and the ride through the islands is great but the drive through Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle, and customs at the Peace Arch is not fun. A pleasant drive up the Olympic Peninsula and a ride on the vintage MV Coho is a more relaxed option.

If you want a nice island ferry ride leave the trailer at the camp site and take a day trip to Salt Spring Island.

[whitelight]

Another alternative is taking the WA state ferry from Anacortes to Sydney, BC, which is near where the Tsawwassen to Schwartz Bay ferry lands north of Victoria. There's two sailings daily, with one of the sailings making a stop-over at Friday Harbor. It's a beautiful, scenic ride through the San Juan Islands.
The WA state ferries are basic and short on amenities compared to the BC ferries. We have taken our pick-up truck & 31' Airstream on the WA ferries without issue. If you do a stop-over at any of the islands, you do have to be aware of the tides & ramp angles for loading a big rig.
The down side is that you need to drive I5 through Seattle to get to Anacortes. The up side is that you don't have to cross over at Peace Arch or the Truck Crossing. Reservations are recommended.

[suncoasteng]

Cross border and spend a day near Vancouver and visit the City, then head north to Horseshoe Bay. Wait there for a sunny day, the ferry trip is a voyage in itself. Ferry will take you to mid-point of Vancouver Island, find an RV park on the north or west coast and spend a few days there, then make the easy drive without the AS to Victoria and stay overnight in a hotel - enjoy the city by foot

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by whitelight

Another alternative is taking the WA state ferry from Anacortes to Sydney, BC, which is near where the Tsawwassen to Schwartz Bay ferry lands north of Victoria. There's two sailings daily, with one of the sailings making a stop-over at Friday Harbor. It's a beautiful, scenic ride through the San Juan Islands.
The WA state ferries are basic and short on amenities compared to the BC ferries. We have taken our pick-up truck & 31' Airstream on the WA ferries without issue. If you do a stop-over at any of the islands, you do have to be aware of the tides & ramp angles for loading a big rig.
The down side is that you need to drive I5 through Seattle to get to Anacortes. The up side is that you don't have to cross over at Peace Arch or the Truck Crossing. Reservations are recommended.

I agree with your assessment of Washington State ferries - we've done the reverse trip leaving Sydney twice in the late autumn. While basic in comparison to the B.C. ferries, they were noticeably less expensive.

[geo]

Originally Posted by rucos

As far as tides go??? I have been riding the ferries all my life and have never paid any attention to Tide tables for the ferries ..... they use power ramps that raise and lower and have huge trucks and buses loading on every boat. I've seen it be a small issue on the small Inter Island Ferries, but they still loaded the trailer fine.

I experienced this problem when I was taking my trailer to Salt Spring Island last fall. The tide was high when loading, and the sway bars on my Blue Ox grounded against the vertex joining the loading ramp with the deck. This was on the Salish class ships, which are indeed smaller than the Coastal and Sprit class ships used for the Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay route, but we are talking about the same tides. I recall it happened at the Long Harbor terminal, which might have a shorter ramp than at other terminals. There may also have been a spring tide at the time.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by geo

I experienced this problem when I was taking my trailer to Salt Spring Island last fall. The tide was high when loading, and the sway bars on my Blue Ox grounded against the vertex joining the loading ramp with the deck. This was on the Salish class ships, which are indeed smaller than the Coastal and Sprit class ships used for the Tsawwassen - Swartz Bay route, but we are talking about the same tides. I recall it happened at the Long Harbor terminal, which might have a shorter ramp than at other terminals. There may also have been a spring tide at the time.

I have seen the same at the smaller terminals on some islands. I used to live on an island near Vancouver serviced by BC Ferries, and the smaller terminals have shorter main ramps that can end up with steeper slopes. If there is a problem transitioning from the deck to the deck ramp, or the deck ramp to the main ramp, the deck crew can often stop the loading or unloading process, adjust the main ramp, and so reduce the impact. It wasn't affected by tides so much as the deck crew figuring that there were only a few more vehicles to load or unload, so the ramp was OK where it was, when in fact the smaller ferries had settled lower in the water or were riding higher by that point, and a ramp adjustment was called for.

[Crystallady1]

We have taken our 19’ Bambi and our 25’ AS on multiple ferries to and from the island. We’ve never had a problem on any of them. The ferry system in BC is one of the best around. Just make sure you know the schedule for the different locations as they may run only one way once daily. Since the ferries can carry large tractor trailers you’ll be fine.
As for camping, I use my RVParky app throughout the US and Canada. We’ve never had a problem and it’s easy to use. We prefer the provincial parks on the island and then mainland. They’re inexpensive, plentiful, with clean, spread out sites.
Good luck, Crystallady1

[bhayden]

When we used to trailer horsed across we always used Tsawwassen-Swartz Bay. Coming up I-5 that's probably your best bet. That said, If you turn off on Hwy 16, Tacoma Narrows Bridge you can go to Port Townsend instead. The Port Townsend area is worth a day at least poking around. Making a loop would give you the most scenic enjoyment. I don't know what the customs/boarder crossing drill is with the Port Townsend ferry but I do know that the main crossing into Canada at Blaine can be a BIG bottleneck. Often worth diverting to the truck crossing at Sumas. Port Townsend ferry avoids all that.


One other thing to check is the various regulations on Propane and flammable liquids. And yes, get reservations!