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HOME > About Us > Getting to Bamfield

Getting to Bamfield

BMSC is located in the village of Bamfield, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Need a ride? Got an empty seat? Check out our RIDES calendar!

Student Van to Bamfield:
For the rest of this summer, BMSC will run a 15 passenger bus between BMSC and Port Alberni on those weekends of summer courses change-over. Preference for seats on this bus will be given to students taking summer courses or arriving for the Fall Program.

Seats may be reserved by contacting Beth Rogers, .

Schedule:

Leave BMSC Saturday July 24, Saturday Aug. 14, Saturday Sept. 4, at 8:45 AM
Arrive Port Alberni Bus Depot about 9:45 AM. (This will allow students to connect with Tofino Express service to Nanaimo, Vancouver and Victoria.)

Leave Port Alberni Bus Depot Sunday July 25, Sunday Aug. 15 at 12:15 arriving at BMSC by about 3:00 PM.

Leave Port Alberni Bus Depot Monday Sept. 6th at 12:15 arriving at BMSC by about 3:00 PM.

click on map for larger image

Recreation and Logging Map of Bamfield area (2mb PDF)

Ferries to Vancouver Island

From Washington, USA: Washington State Ferry service from Anacortes to Sidney (Victoria). Crossing time is 3 hours.

From Port Angeles, USA: Black Ball Transport (M/V Coho) ferry service from Port Angeles to Victoria.

From Vancouver to Victoria: BC Ferry service from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. Crossing time is 1 hour and 35 minutes.

From Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay) to Nanaimo: BC Ferry service from Horseshoe Bay (West Vancouver) to Departure Bay. Crossing time is 1 hour and 35 minutes.

From Vancouver (Tsawassen) to Nanaimo: BC Ferry service from Tsawwassen to Duke Point. Crossing time is 2 hours.

Ferries on Vancouver Island

From Port Alberni to Bamfield: The M/V Lady Rose provides ferry and freight service to Bamfield three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Additional sailings during the summer months. Passenger service only. Phone: 250-723-8313, or 1-800-663-7192.

Driving to Bamfield

Click here for the latest Bamfield road condition report.

From Victoria: There are two options for driving to Bamfield.

Via Duncan: Travel north on the #1 Island Highway to Duncan (1 hour). Just north of Duncan turn left on Hwy. 18, travelling west to Lake Cowichan. Passing through Lake Cowichan, you will enter a network of gravel logging roads. Follow the signs for Bamfield. The logging route approximately 120kms. Total travel time is ~ 4 hours depending on road conditions. This road is very rough and NOT well maintained.

Via Nanaimo: From Departure Bay, turn right on the #1 Island Highway travelling north. Follow the directions to Port Alberni.

Once you arrive in Port Alberni, follow the signs for Bamfield. You will enter a gravel logging road that is approximately 76 kms. Follow the signs, or alternatively, follow the powerlines to Bamfield. The Bamfield road is marked with red and white kilometer signs numbered from 1 to 76.Total travel time between Nanaimo and Port Alberni is ~ 1.5 hours, and from Port Alberni to Bamfield is ~ 1.5 - 2 hours depending on road conditions, at an (average speed 50 km/hr). DO NOT drive the speed limit (70 k/hr) unless you want to die. You can drive 70 k/hr for short stretches, but road conditions change quickly so be careful. This road is USUALLY well maintained.

IMPORTANT TIPS: Regardless of your start point, you will eventually be driving on a semi-public, logging road. The road between Port Alberni and Bamfield is usally well maintained and well travelled, however, it is important for you to know the following:

SLOW DOWN when driving onto and off bridges (all one lane). There are often large potholes on either end of bridges and hitting them at speed can pop your tires. Also, your vehicle will tend to slide as you mount the bridge surface if you are going too fast.

As a general rule, if you are in doubt about which way to go, follow the power lines and they will lead you to Bamfield. There is one important exception, and the directional sign is often down or bent at this location making it easy to go the wrong way. This occurs between KM 34 and KM 35. When you get to the intersection, DO NOT turn left. Go straight, up a slight hill, onto a smaller road that does not have power lines. The power lines rejoin this road in a very short distance.

You have gone the wrong way if the kilometer signs change from red to blue, if the kilometer numbers go out of sequence, if you loose the power lines or if you hit pavement before reaching the Pacific Rim National Park (~km 75). If any of these things happen, turn back and try again.

There is cell phone reception in Port Alberni and in Bamfield, but there is no cell phone reception in between.

Check your spare tire before you leave and make sure you know how to change a tire before driving this road.

The road is narrow and winding which reduces visibility. It is recommended that you drive with your headlights on and reduce speeds accordingly. Pull over whenever possible to let others pass you.

You will likely encounter logging trucks on the road as current logging activity is 7 days per week. They have the right of way, so please be considerate and yield to them. The truck drivers will generally pull over to let you pass once they are in an area where it is safe to do so.

There are no gas stations en route so ensure that your gas tank is filled before you embark on the logging road. It is always a good idea to carry some bottled water and snacks with you.

Ensure that your fluids are topped up and the spare tire is in good working order.

By Bus

The West Coast Trail Express leaves Victoria and stops in Honeymoon Bay (by pre-paid reservation only), daily en-route to Bamfield (May-September). This service no longer stops in Port Alberni, and service from Nanaimo is available June - August only. Contact them for reservations and travel details.

This company also has charter services. Toll free 1-888-999-2288.

The Pachena Bay Express operates between Port Alberni, Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays from May to October. Call (250) 728-1290.

The Alberni Island Shuttle charter service. Call 250-735-1466, or toll free 1-800-474-3303

By Air

A number of companies offer float plane charter service to Bamfield including:

Westcoast Wild Adventures: Phone: (250) 726-7715 or email wcwild@island.net.

Harbour Air: Departure from Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo. Toll free 1-800-665-0212.

Seair: Departure from Vancouver. Toll free 1-800-447-3247.

West Coast Air: Departure from Vancouver Downtown and Airport, Victoria and Nanaimo. Toll free 1-800-347-2222.

Tofino Air: Toll free 1-866-486-3247. E-Mail: Tofino Air

KD Air: Toll Free 1-800-665-4244

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Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre
100 Pachena Rd, Bamfield, BC
Canada, V0R 1B0
Phone: (250) 728-3301
Fax: (250) 728-3452

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