49°23′05″N 123°18′06″W / 49.3846°N 123.3018°W
 Denoted as the route 8 in the upper-right | |
| Locale | Metro Vancouver |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Queen Charlotte Channel |
| Transit type | Passenger and automobile ferry |
| Route | 8 |
| Terminals | Horseshoe Bay Snug Cove |
| Fleet | MV Queen of Capilano |
| Operator | BC Ferries |
| Began operation | 1921 |
| System length | 3 nautical miles |
| No. of vessels | 1 |
| No. of terminals | 2 |
| Yearly ridership | 1 313 622 (2023) |
| Yearly vehicles | 575 806 (2023) |
| Connections at Horseshoe Bay | |
 | Route 2–Departure Bay Route 3–Langdale |
 |
|
 |  Highway 99 Highway 1 |
| Connections at Snug Cove | |
|  Bus connections
|
The Bowen Island ferry travels between Snug Cove on Bowen Island, and Horseshoe Bay in the District of West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, a trip of three nautical miles across Queen Charlotte Channel. A scheduled ferry has been in operation since 1921, when Bowen Island was a popular holiday destination. Prior to that year, transportation to the island was by steamship from Vancouver, with only one trip daily.[1] The Bowen Island ferry used a fleet of small passenger vessels until 1956, when a single car ferry began passenger service, and that ferry began carrying vehicles in 1958. In 2022 the route carried in excess of 1.2 million passengers plus 570 000 vehicles.[2]
The Bowen Island ferry has no official or common name, and is only numbered as route 8, though this is likely only intended for internal documentation. It is currently run with the use of a single vessel, the Queen of Capilano.
- ^ Howard, Irene (1973). Bowen Island 1872-1972. Bowen Island Historians. p. 190.
- ^ "Plans, Reports, Policies and Other Resources". BC Ferries. Retrieved 2023-08-22.