Horseshoe Bay, West Vancouver

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Horseshoe Bay is one of the largest ferry terminals in the Vancouver region and also offers a large marina for personal watercraft.

Horseshoe Bay is a small town in a sheltered bay on the edge of West Vancouver, encompassing a large ferry terminal which services Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Bowen Island. Teeming with travelers waiting for ferries, or exploring the quaint bay, this little town encompasses parks, restaurants and a variety of small shops, but the scenic mountain views and the thrill of seeing the ferries dock at the terminal and listening for the blast of the horn makes Horseshoe Bay an interesting place to visit.

One of the smaller towns found in West Vancouver, Horseshoe Bay's identity focuses on being a port community as home to one of two main ferry terminals in the Greater Vancouver region (the other being the Tsawwassen terminal in Delta).

The Ferry terminal has helped little businesses flourish, creating a solid line of restaurants, novelty and art shops for people to explore while waiting for ferries to those passing time until their family and friends arrive.

The Horseshoe Bay Ferry Terminal services two exclusive routes, the Sunshine Coast (to Langdale) and Bowen Island (to Snug Cove) as well as the Vancouver Island route to Nanaimo.

Also housing a small marina in its sheltered bay, this little town makes good use of its beautiful surroundings with low buildings and a large outdoor children's park, benches, a dock with ecological information and native artwork.

Whether just hopping on a ferry, grabbing an ice cream, watching the gigantic ferries docking and departing, or taking a look around this cozy and small town, Horseshoe Bay is a great place just to be an observer. This little town also marks the end of TransCanada Highway One's stretch on the mainland which is continued on Vancouver Island.

It is home to one thousand permanent residents, most of which can commute easily to downtown Vancouver due to its proximity to the city and Horseshoe Bay's vital role as a transportation hub. Depending on the journey, one might find themselves in this small town and with the amenities and the interesting finds such as the unique sun stars (sixteen tentacle starfish relatives) which migrate underneath the docks in the summer time; it is well worth a stop.