Visiting Salt Spring Island Without a Car
It’s possible to have a great time on Salt Spring Island without bringing your vehicle. It may actually enhance your visit by reducing costs and waits for ferries, and removing the annoyance of traffic congestion and lack of parking on our small island.
Our road infrastructure was never built to handle the amount of traffic that we see during high season. For that reason, and to minimize pollution and carbon emissions, we strongly suggest not bringing your vehicle if at all possible.
On the other hand, depending on your plans while on island, you may decide that your vehicle will be necessary.
The purpose of this page is to give you as much information as possible to make the right decision about whether or not to bring your vehicle. We want your stay to be as enjoyable as possible!
Hint: If possible, book tours, taxis, rental cars, bikes, etc well ahead of time. Travelers arrive in waves – it’s busier in the summer, on weekends (especially Saturdays) and at ferry arrival times. This makes it difficult for the transportation providers to meet the demand at peak times. If you can, plan to come at off peak times/days/seasons.
Transportation options:
Join one of our tours! (Of course we would say that 🙂 !)
Reducing traffic (and pollution) on Salt Spring is a mission of Tour Salt Spring.
We offer:
- pickup and dropoff anywhere on Salt Spring Island (B&Bs, ferry terminals, campgrounds, etc). – just be sure to let us know you want that service
- bike rack option for cyclists (confirm with us ahead of time)
- charter service for groups, for weddings or other events
We design our tours to give you the best experience possible. Your tour guide will take you to the best places – both the popular and the lesser-known. We know the best times to visit, when to avoid certain crowded places, and of course we know the best routes. Your tour guide will give you lots of local insights of history, ecology, culture, personal stories, etc.
If you’re staying multiple days, take a tour at the start of your stay so your guide can give you advice on what to do and see during the rest of your time here. Whether you’re into adventures, hiking, arts, food, etc, we can give you the best advice!
Accommodation Shuttles
Your hotel or B&B may be able to provide pickup and dropoff service. Salt Spring Air, Harbour House Hotel and Hastings House all operate vans to shuttle their guests. If you require this service, check before you book!
Transit Bus
Salt Spring Island has an excellent transit system. Bus routes service all three ferry terminals, plus a northern island route and a seasonal Ruckle Park route. Buses are timed generally to coincide with ferry schedules, but it’s best to check their schedules first – especially for the Long Harbour ferry. Visit their website here bctransit.com/salt-spring-island/home
Hint: If you’re sailing on the Fulford or Vesuvius ferries, leave the lounge areas before the vessel docks and make your way to the front of the ship. Foot passengers disembark before vehicles, but if you miss that opportunity, you will have to wait until all the vehicles have departed – possibly causing you to miss the bus, or not getting a seat. This is one time during your Salt Spring visit when you won’t want to take your time – those in the know are aware of limited capacity on the buses, so best to walk quickly, especially on busy days. Definitely use the washroom while you’re on the ferry and don’t wait until after you disembark to find facilities.
Taxi
Silver Shadow Taxi operates sedans and minivans, and offers service to anywhere on the island.
saltspringtaxi.com info@saltspringtaxi.com 250-537-3030
Car rental
Salt Spring Car Rental offers a variety of vehicles for rent, including cars, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and scooters. Located in Ganges near Moby’s Pub.
saltspringcarrental.com rentals@saltspringmarina.com 250-537-3122
Scooter Rental
Scooters are available for rent from Salt Spring Car Rental. These scooters have very small motors, which means that you don’t need to have a motorcycle license. But be aware that this means that the scooters can’t keep up with other road traffic – ride safely and be aware of traffic around you.
saltspringcarrental.com rentals@saltspringmarina.com 250-537-3122
Bike Rental – electric or non-electric
Bikes are available for rent from Outspokin’ Bike Shop
outspokinbikeshop.com outspokinbikeshop@gmail.com 250-931-2453
Hint: Know your abilities if you choose to rent a bike. Lots of people cycle around Salt Spring every day. But be aware that, though the distances aren’t great, there are lots of steep grades, blind curves, and roads with no shoulders. Be aware of traffic and bike safely!
Country Grocer Courtesy Shuttle
Country Grocer operates a free shuttle bus to transfer customers to their grocery store/liquor store/pharmacy on Lower Ganges Road.
250-538-2398
Cycling
Island Pathways is a great resource. For their cycling tips, go to this link: islandpathways.ca/cycling-salt-spring/
Outspokin’ Bike Shop is a great local business for parts, service, and rentals.
outspokinbikeshop.com outspokinbikeshop@gmail.com 250-931-2453
Walking
Again, most of our roads are narrow, with little – if any – shoulder room. Take care when walking along roads. There are a number of ‘car stop’ locations around the island, which are designated rideshare locations where drivers can choose to offer rides to anyone waiting there. Hitch-hiking is not actually legal, so we can’t advise this as an option. Lots of locals get around this way, anyway.
Here is a link to trails in and around Ganges: https://islandpathways.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GVPN-jan2017_1-1024×784.jpg
Uber/Lyft
At this time, these rideshare services are not available on Salt Spring.
We have decided to bring our vehicle. What should we know about driving on Salt Spring Island?
Know your route before setting out. Island roads are extremely hilly, curvy, and narrow. Many roads do not have centre lines – keep well to the right when approaching oncoming traffic. DO NOT rely on GPS. If you get lost, find a safe place to pull over so that you are completely off the road, then orient yourself. The naming of roads is very mercurial (ie: confusing!) – often times a road name will change if you continue straight at a particular intersection, but a 90 degree turn will keep the same road name. Street signage, house numbers, and directional signs can be limited. Again, know where you’re going before you set out. Do not take your eyes off the road while driving. Keep a constant look-out for pedestrians, cyclists, and wildlife. Night driving requires extra caution – there are very few streetlights and increased wildlife (especially deer).
Can I charge my electric vehicle on Salt Spring Island?
Yes!
If you join one of our tours, you can use our level 2 charger for free! Contact us to arrange this (limited space).
There are numerous charging stations on Salt Spring Island – and growing every day. The Salt Spring Island EV group is very active – their website has a list of free charging stations here: http://www.ssiev.ca/free-charging-stations.html
There are also destination chargers at numerous accommodations providers.
I’m driving to the Saturday market – where can I park?
Parking in Ganges any time can be scarce – but especially so on our busy Market Days. Some people ruin their experience by driving around the centre of the village several times hoping to find parking. Don’t do it! The high volume of traffic and pedestrians crossing makes it a very frustrating experience. It’s better to walk a little farther (and it’s probably just as quick).
I’m leaving on the Fulford or Vesuvius ferry – can I make a reservation?
There is no ticket booth for the Fulford or Vesuvius departures from Salt Spring Island. That means you won’t have to pay to get on those ferries. But that also means that you can’t make a reservation – it’s first-come first-served. On very busy days, that can mean having to wait in line-up until the next sailing departure if you don’t arrive WELL in advance. (There is a road sign on the way to each of these terminals which indicates the point past which traffic is likely to have to wait until the next sailing.) If you’re approaching either of these terminals to get on the ferry and come upon a line-up along the road, pull in behind the last car – that’s the ferry line-up (there’s very little signage to indicate this).
Foot passengers will not have this problem – this is another big advantage to not bringing a vehicle.