How to best get to the north shore from downtown?

Hey there

I'm planning to spend a couple of weeks in Vancouver next summer. And since I love mountainbiking I'm considering bringing my Bike with me.

It's very likely that I will be staying somewhere in Vancouver downtown.

Now my question is: Whats the easiest way to get to the north shore trails (I guess mt fromme is closest one) from downtown if I do not have an own car?

Is the distance rideable by bike (I guess it's somewhere about 15-20km, which is pretty far for a warmup)? Or is there a easy way by public transportation? (And how long would it take approx.)

Thanks for your answers in advance

Transit to Fromme and Seymour is pretty good. The time to get to either is similar, with Fromme being a bit quicker to get back downtown at the end. Busses have bike racks on the front, and you can bring your bike on the Seabus (passenger ferry).

Fromme: 

- Take 210 bus to Mountain Highway and Coleman to get there 

- Finish with a trail that pops out on Braemar (e.g. Lower Expresso / Pennzoi) and ride down the hill to the Seabus to get back downtown

Seymour:

- Take 211 bus to and from Old Buck trailhead or 214 bus to and from Hyannis trailhead

- Optionally, finish with Bottletop and ride down Riverside Drive to Phibbs Exchange (big bus loop) and catch any bus going downtown

https://tripplanning.translink.ca

And if you want to make the best of your time...

https://www.endlessbiking.com/rides/

Or rent a ride...

OP are you Canadian? If so sign up for the Evo car share (www.evo.ca) it's pay per minute/hour use of a Prius that has bike racks on the roof. It is $15/hour... more expensive than the bus but very convenient and cheaper than owning a car even if you did 1-2 rides a week.

You can find the cars spread around downtown pretty easily and can leave them in any non-meter parking area.

Posted by: grambo

OP are you Canadian? If so sign up for the Evo car share (www.evo.ca) it's pay per minute/hour use of a Prius that has bike racks on the roof. It is $15/hour... more expensive than the bus but very convenient and cheaper than owning a car even if you did 1-2 rides a week.

You can find the cars spread around downtown pretty easily and can leave them in any non-meter parking area.

EVO will not get him to the North Shore trailheads as they are outside the 'home' zone.  They could get him closer than DT, but he'd still likely need transit to make it close enough to avoid a long pedal.

Posted by: shoreboy

Posted by: grambo

OP are you Canadian? If so sign up for the Evo car share (www.evo.ca) it's pay per minute/hour use of a Prius that has bike racks on the roof. It is $15/hour... more expensive than the bus but very convenient and cheaper than owning a car even if you did 1-2 rides a week.

You can find the cars spread around downtown pretty easily and can leave them in any non-meter parking area.

EVO will not get him to the North Shore trailheads as they are outside the 'home' zone.  They could get him closer than DT, but he'd still likely need transit to make it close enough to avoid a long pedal.

You can keep the Evo while you ride, but that also means you're paying for it. In my experience, it is often cheaper to rent a car than book an Evo for longer periods. They're really priced for short trips.

Catch the Seabus at Waterfront Station, then get on the 230 from Lonsdale Quay. It takes you right to the Braemar trailhead in 25 mins. From there you can climb all the way up the Fromme Ascent route (link below) or connect to Baden Powell via Dempsey trail, which will put you at the top of Mountain Highway just below the parking lot and the climb up the road. Come back down on Expresso/Lower Expresso/Pennzoil right back to Braemar. Ride Braemar Rd. west to Lonsdale, then go straight down back to the Seabus. Enjoy, and eat your Wheaties!

https://www.trailforks.com/route/no-quarter-fromme-climbing-route/

Posted by: D_C_

Posted by: shoreboy

Posted by: grambo

OP are you Canadian? If so sign up for the Evo car share (www.evo.ca) it's pay per minute/hour use of a Prius that has bike racks on the roof. It is $15/hour... more expensive than the bus but very convenient and cheaper than owning a car even if you did 1-2 rides a week.

You can find the cars spread around downtown pretty easily and can leave them in any non-meter parking area.

EVO will not get him to the North Shore trailheads as they are outside the 'home' zone.  They could get him closer than DT, but he'd still likely need transit to make it close enough to avoid a long pedal.

You can keep the Evo while you ride, but that also means you're paying for it. In my experience, it is often cheaper to rent a car than book an Evo for longer periods. They're really priced for short trips.

This. I've done it once or twice when desperate for a quick ride and our car is in the shop or wife is using it.. yeah kinda sucks paying $30-45 for a 2-3 hour bike ride but the convenience is undeniable. I use Evo daily for commuting downtown from east van, it's barely more expensive than bus fare for the wife and I and much faster/more pleasant than public transit at 7:30am.

Thank you for all your answers!

I guess I'll give public transportation a try (seabus, Bus) and see how it works out.

@grambo: No, I'm not canadian. But I read that you can also Register for evo with a foreign driving license (but you still have to submit a 2 year driving record to evo - as a "certified" translation..). This could probably be useful to get around irrespective of mountainbiking.