I'm picking up a car in Whistler on a Saturday, and driving to Toffino - is the Horshoe Bay to Departure Bay the best route? How long do you think it will take me?
2007-01-16 21:35:28 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Canada ➔ Vancouver
Horseshoe Bay is your best bet. That is the closest terminal to you and saves you driving all across Vancouver. Plus the other route is a slightly longer ferry ride, has slightly fewer daily scheduled departures to Nanaimo, and the terminal on the other side is slightly further away from your destination. The drive to Tofino is North from Nanaimo. Departure Bay is in the middle of Nanaimo just slightly north of Downtown while the other ferry docks South of town leaving you to drive all the way through Nanaimo.
Saturday is usually not bad ferries, but Sunday night and Friday night ferries are usually busy. Summers are also busy!!! You can pay for reservations, otherwise once a ferry is full you wait for the next one.
So I would leave Whistler 2 or 3 hours before your ferry (if you are talking a Saturday in the off season - before mid spring.) The ferry ride is 95 minutes and 15 minutes to unload. Nanaimo to Tofino is 210km. But lots of it is lower speed limits, windy mountainous roads and some pretty stops, so closer to a 3 hour drive than it is to a 2 hour drive. So I would say around a 7 hour trip.
Here is a site that estimates 7 hours starting from Vancouver - not Whistler. So maybe I am off a bit.
2007-01-16 22:09:19 · answer #1 · answered by JuanB 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Drive from Whistler to Horseshoe Bay ferry....to Naminio then its another two three hours to Toffino.
Very slow and windy road
Have fun!!
2007-01-17 03:21:51 · answer #2 · answered by darcy m 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋