"Washington State Ferries as Recreational Travel" Top 5 Page for this destination Seattle Things to Do Tip by glabah

It should not surprise anyone that the Washington State Ferry system is the most extensive in the USA. Just look at a map of the Puget Sound region! (and this doesn't even count some of the routes outside the Puget Sound area)

It is a little hard for me to know exactly how to classify the ferries. Certainly, they are useful transportation, and heavily used during commuter hours.

However, they are also a great recreational form of transportation, and the cheapest way to see Seattle and Puget Sound from the water - other than the King County Water Taxi to West Seattle.

I have put this tip in the "Things to Do" category as this is more of a general tip that includes both transportation aspects of the ferries and the recreational aspects. The transportation aspects really need to be disucced as specific transportation links to specific cities, and so there are separate tips for those transportation links under those cities.

From downtown Seattle, there are two primary routes available from the Main Ferry Terminal (Colman Dock) on the Seattle Waterfront:

Seattle - Bainbridge Island (see my Bainbridge Island Ferry tip for specific information and photos of this route). This is approximately 35 minutes (not counting waiting time - walk on passengers don't need to worry too much, but auto passengers spend a lot of time waiting in the staging area), and gives you the basic view of Seattle from the water, plus a bit of a view of parts of Bainbridge Island

Seattle - Bremerton (see my Bremerton Ferry tip for specific information and photos). This is an approximate 60 minute trip (not counting waiting time - walk on passengers don't need to worry too much, but auto passengers spend a lot of time waiting in the staging area), and in addition to seeing Seattle from the water, you get to see the Bremerton Naval Yard, and travel down Sinclair Inlet and around the far southern edge of Bainbridge Island.

There is also a passenger only ferry to Vashion Island from Pier 50, which is just south of the Main Ferry Terminal. An additional passenger only ferry route is operated between pier 55 and West Seattle as the "King County Water Taxi" and is funded by King County Transit, not the Washington State Ferries, and operated by one of the tourist boat carriers.

Food service is available at the Main Terminal and on board the larger ferries used to get to Bainbridge Island and to Bremerton. There is no on-board food service or terminal food service offered for the Vashion Island route.

For recreational travel (that is, sight-seeing only) I definitely suggest NOT taking your automobile with you. Auto space on the ferries is quite limited, and if you are traveleing on a route that allows reservations I highly suggest making them, particularly during busy commuter times and peak tourist season weekends. Bainbridge Island and Bremerton at this time to not allow automobile reservations, however. Walk-on passenger traffic is far more open, as there are hundreds of seats available on the larger ferries.

If you must take your auto with you, because of travel you would like to do at the other end of the ferry route, pay close attention to the Washington State Ferries web site instructions. There, you will find methods of making reservations for your auto space (for routes where that is an option), instructions on how far ahead you need to show up (some routes require you drive up 60 minutes beforehand) and various other vital information that can change from time to time.

If you are driving onto either the Bremerton or Bainbridge Island ferry, you must enter the ferry terminal at the intersection of Yesler Way and Alaskan Way. The toll booth for collecting the money is just after you drive into the lot. You will be told where you need to go from there. The Bremerton Ferry vehicle staging area is on the south side of the building, and Bainbridge Island is on the north side of the building.

If you are driving your car onto the ferry, and you want to see how long you have to wait, take a look at the "webcams" section of the Washington State Ferries web site. They have set up cameras to show you the extent of the crowding in the vehicle staging areas at the various ferries.

For walk-in passengers, you simply walk into the ferry terminal building, and purchase a ticket from the ticket seller at the window. The ticket has a bar code on it, and that is slipped through a turnstyle much like a subway turnstyle. The ticket is good for 90 days, so you dont' have to use it that day on that particular sailing. Walk-on passengers are advised to arrive 15 minutes before the sailing time listed.

You will want to check the timetables for the ferries on the web site, as exact times change with the weather and date and tide.

You will want to bring some warm clothes. The wind comes out of the west a lot of times, and passes over the Olympic mountains (snow capped!) before hitting the sound, and that means the wind on the open decks of the ferries may be as much as 15 to 20 degrees F (12 to 17 degrees C) colder than what you will see in downtown Seattle. Sure, you could move inside, and out of the wind, but then you won't see as much and the environment is much different inside the temperature controlled space than it is outside.

Indoors? Yes! There are several different types of spaces available: the auto space (you don't need to leave your auto if you don't want to - but most people do as it is a long trip) on the lowest deck. There is the passenger deck with restaurant space and lounge seating, tables, and a very plush interior. Above the enclosed passenger deck is an open passenger deck. This has benches around the outside that are open to the wind and weather, while nearer the center of the ship there are benches that are enclosed under glass windows, but not temperature controlled. Just keeping out of the wind makes the temperature seem much warmer.

Tickets must be purchased for trips departing from Seattle, but for walk-on passengers, the tickets are not collected for trips going to Seattle. This means that if your primary goal is a recreational trip on the water, all you have to do when you get to the other end is just turn around and get back on the same ferry that just brought you here.

This also means that the $6.70 (the current price for a passenger only trip to either Bremerton or Bainbridge Island) is one of the best deals in Seattle for seeing Seattle from the water.

There are multiple ways of walking into the main ferry terminal, but if you go up the main ramp from Alaskan Way, you will see a variety of historic photos, and a time line of the operation of the ferries on Puget Sound.

An additional feature of the Washington State Ferries web site is the detailed instructions on how to get to the ferry terminals, from all directions using all forms of transportation. Select the particular ferry terminal you are interested in from the "Find Your Terminal" list and you will see a list of all the different features of the particular terminal, as well as very detailed instructions on parking, auto routes to the staging area for cars boarding the ships, and how to get to the terminal using various forms of transportation.

A word of warning: you will find that the sidewalk out front of the main ferry building are sometimes crowded with agressively competitive taxi drivers.

Photo 1: Seattle Main Ferry Terminal on Seattle waterfront, as seen from the Columbia Center Skyview observation deck

Photo 2: Entry to the passenger only section of the Seattle Main ferry terminal. Inside these sliding doors is a fairly steep ramp leading up to the waiting room, which is where you will find a ticket booth, the food vendors, and a fair amount of seating for the walk-on passengers. There are also several restroom facilities. Most of the guys you see on the sidewalk are taxi drivers waiting to pounce on passengers coming out of the building.

Photo 3: both sides of the entrance ramp are decorated with photos and a time line of the Washington State Ferries, and the facilities such as this terminal that serve them.

Photo 4: This is the waiting room and ticket booth area of the main ferry terminal. The ticket windows are straight ahead. Food vendors of various types are to the right and left of the photo. Turn styles leading to the boarding ramps are beyond the ticket booth.

Photo 5: A view of the Seattle skyline as the Bainbridge Island ferry approaches the Bainbridge Island end of the route. Really, for $6.70 this is the way to see Seattle and Puget Sound!

For more photos, see my Bainbridge Island Ferry tip as well as Photos from May 27, 2009 on the Bainbridge Island Ferry.

Address: 801 Alaskan Way Pier 52, Seattle WA 98104
Directions: There are several parking areas along Alaskan Way, but I highly recommend getting there by using the free public transit area. See additional directions from web site, as stated above.
Website: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/