The Longest Free Ferry Ride in BC Is on Kootenay Lake

BC runs 14 inland ferries, and every one of them is free. The Kootenay Lake crossing between Balfour and Kootenay Bay takes the longest. It sails nearly nine kilometres and takes 35 minutes. The next-longest on the Province’s list, Upper Arrow Lake, takes 20. Regional tourism boards go a step further and bill it as the longest free ferry ride in Canada.

This guide covers the ferry itself, then the stops on both shores that make the drive worth it. On the west side that means Balfour, Kokanee Creek, a second free ferry at Harrop, the hot springs at Ainsworth, and Kaslo’s sternwheeler. On the East Shore it means the Crawford Bay studios and the Pilot Bay lighthouse. Nelson sits at the end of the West Arm as your base.

One timely note. From Oct 19 to Nov 3, 2026, the big boat, the MV Osprey 2000, is out for semi-annual maintenance. The 1954 MV Balfour is covering with room for 19 vehicles, and DriveBC warns of sailing waits. Plan around it.

10. SS Moyie National Historic Site (Kaslo)

Before highway ferries, sternwheelers carried people across this lake. The SS Moyie worked Kootenay Lake for 59 years. The Kootenay Lake Historical Society calls it the oldest intact passenger sternwheeler in the world, and it’s a National Historic Site.

It sits in Kaslo, 15 minutes north of Ainsworth. Put it on a trip between May 1 and Thanksgiving. Right now it’s closed for the season.

9. Cody Caves Provincial Park (above Ainsworth)

Above Ainsworth, an underground stream runs for more than a kilometre through ancient limestone. About 800 m of passage can be explored. It’s the same water system that feeds the hot springs below.

This is a summer-only trip. The caves are gated and locked. The access road is about 10 km of narrow forest road leaving Highway 31 near Ainsworth. BC Parks says it’s passable only in July and August, for two-wheel-drive vehicles with moderate to high clearance. Leave the motorhome, the trailer and the low car behind.

From the parking area it’s 0.8 km, about 20 minutes, up the trail. Don’t bring clothing or gear you’ve used in caves east of the Rockies; BC Parks asks that it stay out of BC caves.

8. Nelson (West Arm)

Nelson is the nearest city, 35 km west of the Balfour terminal on Highway 3A, and the usual place to spend the night. From Vancouver, the tourism board puts it at 658 km, about eight hours.

The Big Orange Bridge, known as BOB, opened in 1957 and links Nelson to the North Shore of the lake. Before it, sternwheelers were the only way across, according to the tourism board. The Nelson Museum, Archives & Gallery covers that ferry and sternwheeler history if you want the backstory to your crossing.

A sensible plan: base yourself in Nelson and make loops. One day goes Kokanee Creek, the Balfour ferry and Crawford Bay. Another goes Harrop, Ainsworth and Kaslo.

7. Kokanee Creek Provincial Park (West Arm)

If you’re driving from Nelson to the ferry, you pass the entrance. BC Parks calls it the number one choice for visitors to the West Kootenays. It has more than a kilometre of sandy beach, four campgrounds and 9.5 km of easy trails.

The draw in late summer is the spawning channel and viewing platform. The redfish, or kokanee, run from mid-August to mid-September. The Canyon trail leads to a terraced viewpoint over Kokanee Creek’s canyon, and loops take 30 to 60 minutes depending on your route. In winter you can cross-country ski and snowshoe on the campground roads and trails.

Dogs get their own beach beside the boat launch at the northeast end. The beach is unsupervised, and BC Parks asks parents to keep a close hand on kids around the canyon and its viewpoint.

6. Balfour and the West Terminal (Balfour)

Balfour is the west-side landing, between Nelson and Kaslo where Highways 3A and 31 meet. The Province rebuilt the terminal in 2022. That work added a new washroom, much more room for the vehicle lineup, and sidewalks and lighting linking the terminal to a new transit stop and the highway.

The landing has the basics for a wait. The regional tourism board lists a gift shop with fishing tackle, coffee and tea, a gas station, a bakery and restaurants. Kootenay Lake holds kokanee, rainbow trout and burbot, and the area has marinas and public boat launches. The 18-hole Balfour Golf Course finishes with a view across the lake.

Get your coffee first, then look at the Busk Road parking cam on the ferry page. It shows how far back the line goes.

5. Pilot Bay Provincial Park and Lighthouse (Pilot Peninsula)

Most visitors to Pilot Bay come by boat, but you can drive in. It’s a 10-minute drive south of the Kootenay Bay ferry terminal, and Crawford Bay is the closest community.

The reason to go is the historic Pilot Bay lighthouse, an easy walk in and restored by area volunteer groups. A trail network runs through the park, and BC Parks rates the hiking as moderate and year-round. Pets must stay leashed.

It makes a good leg-stretch if you’ve come off the ferry and have time before the return sailing. Check BC Parks’ Kootenay Lake area trail conditions before you head out.

4. Crawford Bay Artisans (East Shore)

Drive off the ferry at Kootenay Bay and a few minutes later you’re in Crawford Bay. Working studios sit in a walkable cluster of odd buildings: log, strawbale, a former bootlegger’s and a former gas station. You watch the work, then buy from the person who made it.

North Woven Broom makes brooms in a wood cabin. Barefoot Handweaving runs large looms. Dog Patch Pottery sells ceramics, and the tourism board calls it dog-friendly. FireWorks Copper Enamel and La Gala Jewelry round it out, and Black Salt Cafe handles food. Kootenay Forge, the blacksmith shop, is listed as closed on the artisans’ hours page.

Posted hours: North Woven Broom every day 10 to 5 at least; Barefoot Handweaving every day 9 to 5; Dog Patch Pottery every day 10:30 to 4:30; La Gala Jewelry every day 10 to 5; FireWorks Thursday to Monday 11 to 4; Black Salt Cafe Monday 10 to 4 and Wednesday to Sunday 10 to 8. Hours are seasonal, so call ahead in late fall and winter.

For a winter-schedule day trip, take the 9:50 am from Balfour and catch the 12:20 pm back from Kootenay Bay. Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism has a self-guided walking tour of the studios.

3. Ainsworth Hot Springs Resort (Ainsworth)

The signature here is a horseshoe-shaped cave you wade through in hot mineral water. There’s also a main pool and a cold plunge, and all of it looks out over Kootenay Lake. The water arrives at 47°C. It’s cooled to an average 42°C in the caves and about 35°C in the main pool. It starts up the mountain around Cody Caves.

The Ktunaxa have used these waters since time immemorial and call them nupika wu’u, spirit water. The Lower Kootenay Band (Yaqan Nukiy) bought the resort in 2015. By the 1930s the pool was open 24 hours a day and a swim cost 10 cents. The price list still has a local flavour: seniors are spawners, teens are smolt, kids are fry.

Public pools are first come, first served with no reservations. Lockers come free with entry. Towels are $5 plus a $5 deposit, and there are no suit rentals, so bring your own. A private, family or special-needs change room and washroom is available. The Ktunaxa Grill serves lunch and dinner, and evening reservations are required. Full details are on the resort’s pools page.

Balfour is 15 minutes away, so the ferry and a soak fit easily in one day. The tourism board says spring and fall are the times to beat the crowds.

2. Harrop Cable Ferry (Harrop and Procter)

Eight kilometres west of the Balfour terminal, a second free ferry crosses the Kootenay River to Harrop and Procter on the south bank. It’s a cable ferry. The crossing takes five minutes and it runs on demand, 24 hours a day, with room for 24 vehicles and 48 passengers.

Here’s the twist. By the Province’s own count, Harrop is BC’s busiest inland ferry. It carried 421,905 passengers and 302,549 vehicles in 2025 on 69,734 one-way trips. That’s more people and more cars than the big lake crossing, done five minutes at a time.

On the far side, the tourism board points you to the Procter Village Bakery. Ride both free ferries in one day and you’ve seen the two ends of BC’s inland ferry system.

1. The Kootenay Lake Ferry (Balfour to Kootenay Bay)

The crossing runs from Balfour on the west side to Kootenay Bay on the east, on Highway 3A, 35 km east of Nelson. It takes 35 minutes and covers nearly nine kilometres of open lake. You can stay in your car. Most people get out and stand at the rail.

Two boats work the route. The MV Osprey 2000, built in 2000, runs year-round and carries 80 vehicles and 144 passengers. The MV Balfour, built in 1954, adds midday sailings in summer and fills in when the Osprey is down. It carries 145 passengers but only 19 vehicles. The Balfour terminal has been in use since 1947. The service runs under private contract with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit, and the operator is Western Pacific Marine.

In 2025 the ferry carried 322,085 passengers and 181,988 vehicles on 6,997 one-way trips, according to Provincial traffic data. It is not BC’s busiest inland ferry, though. The five-minute Harrop cable ferry just up the road moved more people and more cars.

There are no reservations. Vehicles load first come, first served, and the posted height limit is 15 ft 2 in. Peak sailings are shown in bold on the official schedule page, which also links live cams of the Balfour approach, ramp and Busk Road parking, and the Kootenay Bay landing. Check them before you join the lineup, especially until Nov 3.

BC’s 14 free inland ferries (official)

Ferry	Type	Where	Crossing time	Capacity (vehicles / passengers)	Hours
Kootenay Lake (Balfour-Kootenay Bay)	Free-running	Hwy 3A, 35 km E of Nelson	35 min	80 / 144 (Osprey 2000); 19 / 145 (Balfour)	Scheduled, 6:30 am-10:20 pm
Upper Arrow Lake (Shelter Bay-Galena Bay)	Free-running	Hwy 23, 49 km S of Revelstoke	20 min	80 / 250	Scheduled, 5 am-12:30 am
Francois Lake	Free-running	Hwy 35, 26 km S of Burns Lake	15 min	52 / 145	Scheduled, 5:30 am-11 pm
Big Bar	Reaction	Fraser River, 72 km W of Clinton	10 min	2 vehicles / 12	On demand, daytime with breaks
Adams Lake	Cable	20 km N of Hwy 1 (Chase-Sorrento)	6 min	10 / 48	On demand, 5 am-3 am
Usk	Reaction	Skeena River, 16 km NE of Terrace	5-7 min	2 vehicles / 12	On demand, with breaks
Arrow Park	Cable	Hwy 6, 22 km S of Nakusp	5 min	24 / 48	On demand, with midday break
Barnston Island	Free-running	Port Kells, Surrey	5 min	5 / 50	On demand, from 6:15 am
Harrop	Cable	Hwy 3A, 8 km W of Balfour	5 min	24 / 48	On demand, 24 hrs
Needles	Cable	Hwy 6, 59 km S of Nakusp	5 min	40 / 135	Every 30 min 5 am-10 pm; on demand overnight
Little Fort	Reaction	N Thompson River, 93 km N of Kamloops	5 min	2 vehicles / 12	On demand, 7 am-6:20 pm
Lytton	Reaction	Fraser River, 2.4 km N of Lytton	5 min	2 vehicles / 18	On demand, with breaks
McLure	Reaction	N Thompson River, 43 km N of Kamloops	5 min	2 vehicles / 12	On demand, 7 am-6:20 pm; no service high water/freeze-up
Glade	Cable	Kootenay River, 22.5 km W of Nelson	3 min	10 / 48	On demand, 5 am-2:20 am

Winter 2026-27 sailing times (Osprey 2000)

Leaves Balfour	Leaves Kootenay Bay
6:30 am	7:10 am
8:10 am	9:00 am
9:50 am	10:40 am
11:30 am	12:20 pm
1:10 pm	2:00 pm
2:50 pm	3:40 pm
4:30 pm	5:20 pm
6:10 pm	7:00 pm
7:50 pm	8:40 pm
9:40 pm	10:20 pm

Right now (late October 2026)

• Oct 19 to Nov 3: the Osprey 2000 is out for semi-annual maintenance. The MV Balfour is running with reduced deck capacity, and DriveBC warns of sailing waits.
• Oct 26 to 30, weekdays 8:30 am to 3:30 pm: tree pruning on Highway 3A from Balfour Wharf Road to Keiran Road, with single-lane alternating traffic.
• The SS Moyie is closed until May 1. Cody Caves road access is July and August only.
• Winter tire and chain signs apply on BC highways from October 1 to April 30. See the Province’s winter driving page.

Schedule basics

• Winter schedule runs Sept 14, 2026 to the third week of June 2027, with 10 Osprey 2000 departures each way. The full timetable is shown above.
• Summer keeps the same Osprey times and adds five midday MV Balfour sailings each way, for 15 departures each way.
• All times are Pacific. Bold sailings on the official page are peak, so expect delays on those.
• Schedule information from Western Pacific Marine: 250-229-4215.

Getting there from Vancouver

Nelson Kootenay Lake Tourism puts Nelson at 658 km and about 8 hours from Vancouver, Balfour at 691 km and about 8.5 hours, and Kaslo at 754 km and about 9 hours. No official transit route to the ferry was verified, so driving is the practical way in.

The ferry also makes a loop possible. Come in one way via Nelson and Balfour, and leave the other via the East Shore and Creston, which is 70 km from Kootenay Bay on Highway 3A.

Foot passengers, cyclists and accessibility

• Foot passengers ride free. Both boats carry 144 to 145 passengers.
• The Balfour terminal has had sidewalks, lighting and a transit stop since the 2022 upgrade.
• At Kootenay Bay, the washroom was made more accessible and EV charging stations were added.
• The tourism board points cyclists to Highways 3A and 31 and the Harrop to Procter road.

What to bring

• A swimsuit for Ainsworth. There are no rentals, and towels cost $5 plus a $5 deposit.
• Winter tires or chains from October 1 to April 30.
• A vehicle with moderate to high clearance if you’re heading up to Cody Caves in July or August.
• A leash. Pets must be leashed at Kokanee Creek and Pilot Bay.

Safety and etiquette

Kootenay Lake can turn with sudden wind and weather changes, so dress for the deck and keep kids close at the rail. Transport Canada restricts dangerous goods on inland ferries; the ferry page lists the limits along with life jacket information. Check vehicle height before you line up, since the posted limit is 15 ft 2 in. Loading is first come, first served, so hold your place and follow the deckhands.

The new ferry

A replacement for the MV Balfour is being built in Nelson. The Province awarded a $62.9-million contract to Western Pacific Marine in September 2020, with service originally planned for early 2023 and later pushed to 2024 by supply-chain delays. It will hold up to 55 vehicles, more than double the MV Balfour. The vessel is hybrid diesel-electric, with the systems in place for full electric propulsion.

The Province took direct control of the project in November 2025. Its May 2026 update says the vessel is about 85% complete, with substantial completion targeted for December 2026 and service expected in 2027. It isn’t sailing yet.

When to go

• Summer, late June to mid-September, brings extra MV Balfour sailings, the open SS Moyie and July and August access to Cody Caves. The kokanee run at Kokanee Creek is mid-August to mid-September.
• Spring and fall are the times the tourism board suggests for beating the crowds at Ainsworth.
• Winter keeps the ferry at 10 sailings each way a day. Ainsworth stays open, and Kokanee Creek has cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Which side of the lake, how far, and when

Stop	Side of the lake	Distance from nearest ferry terminal	Season
Kokanee Creek Provincial Park	West	12 km from Balfour	Year-round; kokanee run mid-Aug to mid-Sept
Harrop Cable Ferry	West	8 km west of Balfour	Year-round, 24 hours
Ainsworth Hot Springs	West	15 minutes from Balfour	Year-round; no Tuesday hours posted
Cody Caves	West	Road leaves Hwy 31, 3 km north of Ainsworth	July and August only
SS Moyie, Kaslo	West	15 minutes north of Ainsworth	May 1 to Thanksgiving
Nelson	West	35 km west of Balfour	Year-round
Crawford Bay Artisans	East	About 5 to 7 km from Kootenay Bay	Seasonal hours
Pilot Bay Provincial Park	East	10-minute drive south of Kootenay Bay	Year-round hiking

The crossing itself takes 35 minutes and costs nothing. That is the whole pitch, and it holds up. Add a soak at Ainsworth, a walk through the Crawford Bay studios and a five-minute hop on the Harrop cable ferry, and you have a full day on both shores. Until Nov 3, budget extra time at the terminal and check the cams before you go.

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Photo credits

• Kootenay Lake BC.jpg by Masterhatch, CC BY-SA 4.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Kootenay Lake Ferry.jpg by Brian A, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• North Nelson, British Columbia.jpg by Brian A, CC BY 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Ainsworh Hot Springs (4294080788).jpg by Hardo Müller from Bonn, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0 (combined into a montage, cropped). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Kootenay Lake Balfour Terminal.jpg by Masterhatch, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Pilot bay.jpg by Ikoric, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• SS Moyie (204922242).jpg by BriYYZ from Toronto, Canada, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• Cody Caves.jpg by Kevin Stanway, Public domain (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.
• The Big Orange Bridge in Nelson, British Columbia.jpg by LibertyLakeAnne, CC0 (resized). Via Wikimedia Commons.