BC Ferries fall schedule 8 September to 12 October 2026, then fall/winter schedule 13 October 2026 to 31 March 2027 (Monday to Wednesday and Saturday shown; Thursday, Friday and Sunday differ)
Map – Denman Island Ferry (Buckley Bay)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (12 and over), return trip | $10.55 |
| Child (5-11), return trip | $5.30 |
| Child under 5 | Free |
| BC senior (65+, BC resident), Monday to Thursday except BC Ferries' listed holidays, passenger fare | Free |
| Accessible fare or personal attendant (12 and over), return trip | $5.30 |
| Accessible fare or personal attendant (5-11), return trip | $2.65 |
| Standard vehicle up to 20 ft (6.1 m), return trip, driver and passengers extra | $24.75 |
| Standard vehicle, each extra foot over 20 ft | $2.25 |
| Motorcycle, return trip, rider extra | $12.40 |
| Bus (16+ seats), per foot | $2.30 |
| Commercial vehicle over 5,500 kg GVW, per foot | $2.25 |
| Bicycle (with a paid passenger fare) | Free |
Fares from BC Ferries' fare guide effective 16 June 2026 (version 26-05, route 21, Buckley Bay - Denman Island (Denman West)). BC Ferries lists this route among those whose fares include return-trip travel, with no proof of payment required for the return. At Buckley Bay its boarding instructions send foot passengers and cyclists to the foot passenger window of the main booth; BC Ferries does not say at which terminal the return fare is collected. Fares include applicable taxes; a 5% fuel surcharge is added at payment to every net fare except stowage, so the figures below are before it. Vehicle fares do not include the driver or passengers; vehicles longer than 20 ft pay $2.25 for each extra foot. A $2.00 stowage fare also appears in the guide. Experience Card holders save $4.35 per adult, $2.15 per child and $9.60 per standard vehicle. Bikes ride free with a passenger fare. The Hornby Island ferry from Gravelly Bay is charged separately. All fares in Canadian dollars (CAD).
BC Ferries route 21 is worked by the Baynes Sound Connector, which the operator describes as its only cable ferry, with a cable more than 2 km long. The Vancouver Island landing is Buckley Bay, at 6866 Island Highway in Fanny Bay, which BC Ferries places about 20 minutes' drive south of Courtenay by Highway 19 or 19A. The boat lands on Denman at Denman Island West, 3661 Denman Road, after a crossing timed at 10 minutes.
Two schedules are published. The one in force runs from 8 September to 12 October 2026, and its successor, covering 13 October 2026 to 31 March 2027, is already out; this page switches over by itself. On Friday nights the 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm from Buckley Bay (9:40 pm and 10:40 pm from Denman) give way to a single 9:30 pm (9:10 pm from Denman), as on other days, and the winter schedule also drops the first two sailings each way on 25 December and 1 January. On Thursdays the 8:20 am from Buckley Bay and the 3:40 pm from Denman carry dangerous goods only, with no passengers, and on Sundays there is no 8:20 am or 8:40 am run. When line-ups build, crews may drop the posted times and shuttle continuously until the backlog clears, with a service notice and the terminal screens announcing it.
Plan the parking before you leave. Since March 2026 the lot on BC Ferries property at Buckley Bay has been reserved for authorized staff; walk-on travellers are pointed to transit, a taxi, a drop-off or the public pay parking at Gas & Go. BC Transit and the Island Link Bus are listed for Buckley Bay. On the island side there are nine free spaces with a 48-hour limit, no public transport, and a restaurant, coffee shop and snack kiosk that open only in summer.
Hornby Island is a second hop. From Denman West, drivers cross Denman to Denman Island East at Gravelly Bay, roughly 15 minutes by road, for a separate ferry to Shingle Spit with its own schedule. BC Ferries flags on each day's list which Buckley Bay departure is the last to connect with Hornby. On weekdays the first 15 vehicles that turn up at Shingle Spit for the 7:30 am get a priority loading pass for the 8:00 am from Denman West, so expect some Hornby traffic to board ahead of the queue on that sailing.
- Arrive at the terminal before the posted departure; vehicle lanes and ticket booths close earlier than the foot-passenger gate.
- Check the operator's current conditions or service notices on the day — wind, ice, vessel refits and dangerous-cargo sailings change the schedule.
- Find out how you can pay before you queue: some crossings are free, some sell tickets only at one end, and some take cards only.