This is not a how-to; rather, it is a record of my own practices–often unsuitable for most people.

To go car-free, between Vancouver and Squamish, the Squamish Connector has been my main option. There is also Whistler Rides which stops at Squamish as well. Both allow bikes, AFAIK; certainly, the Connector does, year-round.

Unlike what the following, old post says, Connector’s service is year-round, though there certainly are more shuttles in summer than IIRC from October til Spring; and weekends more than weekdays.

The best deal is the Connector Pass, which is five return trips for $120 (ie $24 each day), including my bike.

Once in Squamish, my main activity is single-track mountain biking, on SORCA‘s trails. Mainly in the Diamond Head area, though there are others as well.

There is also lots of hiking, kite-surfing, paddling, etc. I’ve rented sit-on-top kayaks, but I’ve not yet done/learned kite-surfing. The latter might be feasible, as the gear is not so large that’d necessitate a car.

Right before Squamish, there is the Sea to Sky Gondola, and Shannon Falls area. In addition to hiking, there is supposed to be ski touring available in winters; you could hike up to the snow-line, or take the gondola.

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This is an October 2018 post on BCMC for going car-free from Vancouver to Squamish:

This is one way of going to Squamish, from Vancouver, for downhill cycling, sans car.

This past summer, the Squamish Connector shuttle offered a Vancouver-Squamish service for Vancouverites, including bicycles. As that is a summer service, it ceased at the end of September. Consequently, my options for going to Squamish for some downhill biking were poparide.com, car-rental, and Translink. If one finds a ride that handles bikes, then poparide may be suitable. _I_ chose the Translink option:

1. I took the 257 express bus to Horseshoe Bay, from downtown Vancouver. This was at something like 6 am.

2. I took the 262 bus, from Horseshoe Bay to Lions Bay. This runs only during weekdays. … Uh, well, even if it does run during weekends, its timetable was highly unsuitable. On weekdays, I can take a very early bus, and arrive at Lions Bay at 6:50 am.

3. I biked from Lions Bay to Squamish, a distance of about 30 km. Not fun on a downhill bike! I locked-out both suspenstions, and raised the saddle to a comfortable pedalling-height. The sun hadn’t risen, so, lights and reflectors were called for. I really dislike this route, even on a _road_ bike in _summer_ daylight! It simply is not safe enough for my tolerance. Despite its popularity with road cyclists, and having ridden it a number of times, I avoid it as much as I can.

There are two long inclines in the second half of the trip, perhaps as long as 1 km each. After Brittania Beach, there is a long, winding stretch without a shoulder! I’ve ridden this twice on a downhill bike, and stayed on the sand-covered side as much as possible; this is an unsafe stretch of road!

Once in Squamish, I rode up the Garibaldi Park Road to the second parking lot, then took the Ring Creek Road (or whatever it is called) to the start of the Half Nelson trail. Did it three times. It was godly! Thanks to SORCA and their trail builders.

As Squamish Connector primarily serves the residents of _Squamish_, its last Vancouver-bound bus is at 2:30 pm, on weekdays. I took that back, after feasting on local foods.

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An old trip report, for biking up to near the Paul Ridge area of Garibaldi Park.