Ferries from Campbell River

Ten minutes. Campbell River to Quathiaski Cove on Quadra Island is one of the shortest crossings BC Ferries runs, and with 29 sailings it works less like a ferry than like a bridge that leaves every half hour.

The crossing

Campbell River to Quadra Island takes about 10 minutes, with 29 sailings and 58 across the terminal in both directions. Operated by BC Ferries.

⚠ No parking at the terminal

There is no parking available at Campbell River terminal. For a ten-minute crossing that carries commuters both ways, that is a deliberate design — the expectation is that you drive on, not that you leave a car behind.

If you need to leave one, arrange it in town rather than at the ramp.

Where this sits

Campbell River is on the east coast of Vancouver Island, roughly halfway up, and it is the jumping-off point for the Discovery Islands. Quadra is the first of them; from Quadra's other side, Heriot Bay connects onward to Cortes Island.

That two-ferry chain — Campbell River to Quadra to Cortes — is the standard route into the Discovery Islands, and the second leg is far thinner than the first.

What the crossing carries

Commuters, tradespeople, school traffic and, in summer, kayakers heading for the Discovery Passage. The tidal rapids at Seymour Narrows are a few kilometres north — the same water that made this coast dangerous before the reef was blasted in 1958.

Timing

Frequent enough through the day to turn up for. The first and last sailings are the ones worth checking, particularly if you are continuing to Cortes.