Best times to travel on ferries
Find the best time to travel by selecting your route.
Vehicle reservations are available and recommended on the Anacortes/San Juan Islands and Port Townsend/Coupeville routes.
Fall 2026 (Sept. 20 to Dec. 26)
- Anacortes/San Juan Islands (PDF 224KB)
- Edmonds/Kingston (PDF 210KB)
- Fauntleroy/Southworth (PDF 228KB)
- Fauntleroy/Southworth 2-boat schedule (PDF 215KB)
- Fauntleroy/Vashon (PDF 247KB)
- Fauntleroy/Vashon 2-boat schedule (PDF 219KB)
- Mukilteo/Clinton (PDF 216KB)
- Point Defiance/Tahlequah (PDF 210KB)
- Port Townsend/Coupeville early fall (PDF 215KB)
- Port Townsend/Coupeville late fall (PDF 208KB)
- Seattle/Bainbridge (PDF 216KB)
- Seattle/Bremerton (PDF 209KB)
- Southworth/Vashon (PDF 215KB)
- Southworth/Vashon 2-boat schedule (PDF 217KB)
Note: These guides are for vehicle traffic only. In almost all cases there is room for walk-on passengers and bicyclists. Vehicle traffic levels represent sailings from the busier portion of the season and may vary during slower times or for special events and holidays.
Source: Washington State Ferries' best times to travel guides are a generalized forecast of expected vehicular travel patterns. They are based on vehicle ridership (ticket sales) from a past year, which is adjusted to reflect the capacity of planned vessel assignments.
Slow down – lives are on the line.
Drive the posted speeds, they’re there for your safety.
Phone down, eyes up.
Pay attention – both to workers directing you and to surrounding traffic.
Stay calm
Expect delays, leave early or take an alternate route if possible; no appointment is worth risking someone’s life.