The U.S. state of Washington is home to a number of public and private ferry systems, most notably the state-run Washington State Ferries.
Due to Washington's geography which features large, deep bodies of water with many peninsulas and islands, ferries are a convenient means of connecting communities in the region. Most were operated by private companies until later acquisitions by governments, beginning with the state's takeover of the Keller Ferry on the Columbia River in 1930. [2]
Washington State Ferries, owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the largest fleet of passenger and automobile ferries in the United States and the third largest in the world.
Route name | Terminals | State route designation [3] | Annual Ridership [4] | Annual Vehicles Carried [4] | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anacortes–Sidney BC | Sidney, British Columbia | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island | Anacortes | SR 20 Spur |
123,001 | 42,589 | Route out of service due to vessel availability issues
| |
Anacortes–San Juan Islands | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island | 2,009,438 | 947,064 |
| ||||
Lopez Island | ||||||||
Shaw Island | ||||||||
Orcas Island | ||||||||
Interisland | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island | Orcas Island | Shaw Island | Lopez Island |
| |||
Port Townsend–Coupeville | Port Townsend | Coupeville, Whidbey Island | SR 20 | 819,285 | 372,130 |
| ||
Mukilteo–Clinton | Clinton, Whidbey Island | Mukilteo | SR 525 | 4,073,761 | 2,234,650 | |||
Edmonds–Kingston | Kingston | Edmonds | SR 104 | 4,114,181 | 2,127,315 | |||
Seattle–Bainbridge Island | Winslow, Bainbridge Island | Seattle ( Colman Dock) | SR 305 | 6,429,853 | 1,929,617 | |||
Seattle–Bremerton | Bremerton | Seattle (Colman Dock) | SR 304 | 2,739,926 | 673,815 | |||
Fauntleroy–Vashon | Vashon Island | West Seattle ( Fauntleroy) | SR 160 | 3,059,587 | 1,738,721 |
| ||
Fauntleroy–Southworth | Southworth | West Seattle (Fauntleroy) | ||||||
Southworth–Vashon | Southworth | Vashon Island | 200,672 | 109,548 | ||||
Point Defiance–Tahlequah | Tahlequah, Vashon Island | Tacoma ( Point Defiance) | SR 163 | 812,786 | 473,924 | |||
Keller Ferry | Clark | Colville Indian Reservation | SR 21 | ? | ~159,000 |
|
Many private ferries exist to serve residents of islands throughout Puget Sound and beyond into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For example:
The U.S. state of Washington is home to a number of public and private ferry systems, most notably the state-run Washington State Ferries.
Due to Washington's geography which features large, deep bodies of water with many peninsulas and islands, ferries are a convenient means of connecting communities in the region. Most were operated by private companies until later acquisitions by governments, beginning with the state's takeover of the Keller Ferry on the Columbia River in 1930. [2]
Washington State Ferries, owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the largest fleet of passenger and automobile ferries in the United States and the third largest in the world.
Route name | Terminals | State route designation [3] | Annual Ridership [4] | Annual Vehicles Carried [4] | Notes | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anacortes–Sidney BC | Sidney, British Columbia | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island | Anacortes | SR 20 Spur |
123,001 | 42,589 | Route out of service due to vessel availability issues
| |
Anacortes–San Juan Islands | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island | 2,009,438 | 947,064 |
| ||||
Lopez Island | ||||||||
Shaw Island | ||||||||
Orcas Island | ||||||||
Interisland | Friday Harbor, San Juan Island | Orcas Island | Shaw Island | Lopez Island |
| |||
Port Townsend–Coupeville | Port Townsend | Coupeville, Whidbey Island | SR 20 | 819,285 | 372,130 |
| ||
Mukilteo–Clinton | Clinton, Whidbey Island | Mukilteo | SR 525 | 4,073,761 | 2,234,650 | |||
Edmonds–Kingston | Kingston | Edmonds | SR 104 | 4,114,181 | 2,127,315 | |||
Seattle–Bainbridge Island | Winslow, Bainbridge Island | Seattle ( Colman Dock) | SR 305 | 6,429,853 | 1,929,617 | |||
Seattle–Bremerton | Bremerton | Seattle (Colman Dock) | SR 304 | 2,739,926 | 673,815 | |||
Fauntleroy–Vashon | Vashon Island | West Seattle ( Fauntleroy) | SR 160 | 3,059,587 | 1,738,721 |
| ||
Fauntleroy–Southworth | Southworth | West Seattle (Fauntleroy) | ||||||
Southworth–Vashon | Southworth | Vashon Island | 200,672 | 109,548 | ||||
Point Defiance–Tahlequah | Tahlequah, Vashon Island | Tacoma ( Point Defiance) | SR 163 | 812,786 | 473,924 | |||
Keller Ferry | Clark | Colville Indian Reservation | SR 21 | ? | ~159,000 |
|
Many private ferries exist to serve residents of islands throughout Puget Sound and beyond into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For example: