BC Ferries schedule 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 (Monday, Wednesday and Thursday shown; Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday differ)
Map – Quadra Island Ferry (Campbell River)
| 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 | $3.00 |
| Motorcycle, return trip, rider extra | $12.40 |
| Bus (16+ seats), per foot | $2.70 |
| Commercial vehicle over 5,500 kg GVW, per foot | $3.05 |
| Bicycle (with a paid passenger fare) | Free |
Fares from BC Ferries' fare guide effective 16 June 2026 (version 26-05, route 23). They are return fares: BC Ferries lists Campbell River - Quadra Island among the routes whose fares include return-trip travel, and no proof of payment is required for the trip back. BC Ferries does not say at which terminal the return fare is collected. The guide says fares include applicable taxes, and a 5% fuel surcharge is added at payment to all net fares except the stowage fare, so the amounts below are before that surcharge. Vehicle fares exclude the driver and passengers. Vehicles over 20 ft pay $3.00 per extra foot. A stowage fare of $2.00 is also listed. BC Ferries Experience Card holders save $4.35 on the adult fare, $2.15 on the child fare and $8.70 on a standard vehicle. Bicycles travel free. Cash, debit, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Experience Cards are accepted at terminals. All fares in Canadian dollars (CAD).
BC Ferries route 23 joins downtown Campbell River, on the east central coast of Vancouver Island, to Quathiaski Cove on the west side of Quadra Island. The Campbell River terminal sits on the waterfront at 1001 Island Highway and has no parking of its own; BC Ferries lists BC Transit and three taxi and shuttle firms for getting there instead. At the island end, cyclists are warned about cars turning into the pay parking lot beside the terminal, and no local transit is listed.
The crossing is scheduled at 10 minutes, about 2.7 km along the mapped ferry line, with 28 sailings each way on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday. The schedule valid from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027 is a single year-long pattern, with no separate fall or winter version. On 29 September 2026 the departures board showed Island K’ulut’a and Island Kwigwis sharing the day. Nothing can be reserved: vehicles and foot passengers board in order of arrival, and check-in and ticket sales close three minutes before each sailing.
Tuesdays need a second look. The 9:30 am from Campbell River and the 4:30 pm from Quathiaski Cove are dangerous goods sailings that carry no other passengers, so they are removed from the Tuesday lists on this page. Friday and Saturday nights gain a late round trip, Sunday mornings start more slowly, and Christmas Day and New Year's Day, both Fridays this time round, keep 15 sailings in each direction. The published schedule shows nothing special for Thanksgiving Monday.
Many Cortes Island travellers use this route too. The Cortes ferry leaves from Heriot Bay, which BC Ferries puts a 15-minute drive across Quadra. Campbell River offers a courtesy lane for Cortes-bound vehicles so they roll off first, and the 9:00 am from Quathiaski Cove on Mondays and Thursdays gives Assured Loading to Cortes traffic. Drivers of buses, RVs and low-bed vehicles should watch the tide table: below 4 feet or above 12 feet the ramp angle changes, and crew may hold such vehicles for a later sailing. BC school students aged 18 and under ride free between home and school on this corridor.
- 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.