Marine Drive to Horseshoe Bay
49°20′ N 123°09′ W30.3 km · 384 m upModerateRoad bike, E-bike
Marine Drive to Horseshoe Bay is West Vancouver's shoreline road ride, out from Ambleside through Dundarave and past Lighthouse Park to the ferry village and back, and it suits road riders who want a coastal ride close to the city; the catch is traffic, since cars and TransLink's 250 bus share the road with you.
Photo Christine Rondeau from Vancouver, Canada · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Field card · Route · No. 002 · checked 16 Oct 2026
ModerateOut and backRoad bike, E-bike
ShopsDrinking waterToiletsBike shopsTop of chart 100 m
Routed over OpenStreetMap with OSRM bike (FOSSGIS) and measured against Mapterhorn z15 on 2026-10-17. 0.4 km crosses bridges or water, where the elevation is drawn straight across. BRouter was not available for this build, so the surface and traffic mixes wait for the next one.
On the road
- Traffic
- Marine Drive is West Vancouver's main road along the shore, and you share it with cars and with TransLink's 250 bus, which runs it from Park Royal to 25th Street in Dundarave. Some 250 trips carry on to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal by Marine Drive, Nelson Avenue, Chatham Street and Royal Avenue, and this route enters the village the same way.
- Start
- Marine Drive at 13th Street, Ambleside. Ambleside's shops line Marine Drive here, and the waterfront is a block south. TransLink's R2 RapidBus stops at Park Royal a short ride east, and its front rack takes two bikes.
- Getting there
- R2 Marine–Willingdon RapidBus, BC Ferries Horseshoe Bay to Bowen Island (Snug Cove), BC Ferries Horseshoe Bay to Langdale (Sunshine Coast)
- In winter
- TransLink's 250 runs along Marine Drive on its timetable effective 7 September 2026, so a wet afternoon is easy to cut short at a stop with the bike on the front rack. Light goes early in December, and front and rear lights belong on the bike for the ride home.
Ride safely
- Cars and TransLink buses use Marine Drive for the whole ride, so run front and rear lights on grey winter days.
- An e-bike rides a TransLink bus rack only if it weighs under 25 kg and you take the battery aboard with you.
Where to stop
Stops along the way
AmblesideCoffee
The ride starts on Ambleside's stretch of Marine Drive.
Temper Chocolate & PastryCoffee
Temper is at 2409 Marine Drive in Dundarave, right on the route.
DundaraveSight
Dundarave's beach sits at the foot of 25th Street, a block below Marine Drive.
Lighthouse ParkSight
Turn left off Marine Drive onto Beacon Lane for the park, and carry a lock if you want to walk down to the Point Atkinson light.
Horseshoe BayLunch
The turnaround is Horseshoe Bay's waterfront by Bay Street and the ferry terminal.
Troll's RestaurantLunch
Troll's has served fish and chips in Horseshoe Bay since 1946.
Whytecliff ParkSight
Whytecliff Park sits a little further west at the end of Marine Drive if you want more road.
Every stop OpenStreetMap lists along the line (28): cafés, shops, drinking water
- TSA Bitcoin ShopCaféskm 0.1
- ABURI MarketShopskm 0.1
- ThierryCaféskm 0.1
- Cafe C'est si bonCaféskm 0.3
- Bubble Tree CafeCaféskm 0.3
- The Anchor EateryCaféskm 0.4
- Crema Cafe & BarCaféskm 0.4
- EssoShopskm 0.5
- Chevron Convenience StoreShopskm 0.6
- StarbucksCaféskm 0.7
- Delany's Coffee HouseCaféskm 2.3
- Drinking waterDrinking waterkm 13.7
- Seaside VillageCaféskm 15.2
- Bayview ConvenienceShopskm 15.2
- BlenzCaféskm 15.2
- The Lookout CaféCaféskm 15.2
- Drinking waterDrinking waterkm 16.6
- Delany's Coffee HouseCaféskm 28
- StarbucksCaféskm 29.6
- Chevron Convenience StoreShopskm 29.7
- The Anchor EateryCaféskm 29.8
- EssoShopskm 29.8
- Bubble Tree CafeCaféskm 29.9
- Crema Cafe & BarCaféskm 29.9
- Cafe C'est si bonCaféskm 30
- TSA Bitcoin ShopCaféskm 30.1
- ABURI MarketShopskm 30.1
- ThierryCaféskm 30.2
From OpenStreetMap, within each kind’s reach of the line. Opening hours change; check before you rely on one.
Ways off the route
TransLink 250Bus
The 250 runs from downtown Vancouver over the Lions Gate Bridge and along Marine Drive to 25th Street, and some trips continue to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal on the timetable effective 7 September 2026. Its front rack takes two bikes.
Marine Drive leaves Ambleside's shopfronts heading west and runs into Dundarave, where the beach lies at the foot of 25th Street and Temper's pastry counter faces the road. Past Dundarave the road starts to wind with the shoreline through Altamont and Caulfeild. Lighthouse Park comes up on your left at Beacon Lane, and its old-growth forest and the Point Atkinson light make a good reason to lock the bike for half an hour. After that Marine Drive curls into Horseshoe Bay by way of Nelson Avenue and Royal Avenue.
Horseshoe Bay is the turnaround. Troll's serves fish and chips by the water, and the ferries for Bowen Island and the Sunshine Coast load next door. Ride the same road home. Only the 250 trips signed Horseshoe Bay come out this far, and they follow Marine Drive back to Park Royal and on into downtown Vancouver. Each bus takes two bikes on its front rack if your legs or the weather give out.
Worth knowing
- Check that the 250's sign reads Horseshoe Bay before you rack the bike, because trips signed Dundarave turn back at 25th Street.
- Take the ferry to Bowen Island from Horseshoe Bay if you want a longer day, since BC Ferries carries bikes on that run.
Quick answers about Marine Drive to Horseshoe Bay
Can you cycle from Ambleside to Horseshoe Bay?
Yes. Marine Drive runs from Ambleside through Dundarave and past Lighthouse Park to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, and this route rides it out and back on the road with the traffic.
Can you take a bike on the bus back from Horseshoe Bay?
Yes. TransLink buses carry up to two bikes on the front rack, and the 250 trips signed Horseshoe Bay run between the ferry terminal and downtown Vancouver along Marine Drive. An e-bike goes on the rack only if it weighs under 25 kg and the battery rides inside with you.
Within 8 km
Places to stay nearby
Within 8 km
Places to eat and drink nearby
Within 8 km
Sights nearby
In the journal
