No departure list exists. KYTC says the ferry runs regular river crossings during daylight hours and gives only the last departure from each bank, which changes by season. The latest KYTC bulletins read for this page are from December 2025 and January 2026 (winter schedule); the summer schedule was reported in mid-2026 and has no direct KYTC bulletin read for this page. · Departures shown by frequency — exact times from the operator. · Representative sailings only — check the operator for today's full schedule
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Operator
Mississippi County Port Authority (Dorena-Hickman Ferry)
Map – Dorena-Hickman Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Vehicle up to 8 ft wide and 30 ft long, per trip | $20.00 |
| Pedestrian, per trip | $5.00 |
| Bicycle or horse, per trip | $5.00 |
| Motorcycle or ATV, per trip | $10.00 |
| Horse-drawn wagon, per trip | $5.00 |
| Vehicle up to 8 ft wide, 31 ft to 55 ft long, per trip | $40.00 |
| Vehicle up to 8 ft wide, 56 ft to 75 ft long, per trip | $60.00 |
| Wide load, over 8 ft up to 12 ft wide, up to 30 ft long, per trip | $30.00 |
| Wide load, over 8 ft up to 12 ft wide, 31 ft to 55 ft long, per trip | $60.00 |
| Wide load, over 8 ft up to 12 ft wide, 56 ft to 75 ft long, per trip | $90.00 |
| Wide load, over 12 ft wide, up to 30 ft long, per trip | $40.00 |
| Wide load, over 12 ft wide, 31 ft to 55 ft long, per trip | $80.00 |
| Wide load, over 12 ft wide, 56 ft to 75 ft long, per trip | $120.00 |
| Sheet of ten basic fare vouchers | $114.00 |
| School group, per person, return trip included | $1.00 |
The toll schedule on the operator's site was approved by the Mississippi County Port Authority and is stamped effective August 1, 2022; the page file dates from May 2023. The $20 base fare for a passenger vehicle is repeated in KYTC's 2025 bulletins, and KYTC's January 2026 bulletin adds that the ferry takes cash only. Tolls are per trip, but a vehicle that comes back the other way and shows its original ticket pays half price for the return, and the operator says that offer does not expire. The schedule does not say whether passengers in a vehicle pay extra; pedestrians have their own $5.00 fare. A sheet of ten basic vouchers costs $114.00, which is $11.40 each. All fares in US dollars (USD).
The Dorena-Hickman Ferry is the only crossing of the Mississippi River that joins Missouri to Kentucky. Kentucky's transportation cabinet says the two states are the only border states not linked directly by a road or a bridge, which makes this boat the sole direct route between them. It connects KY 1354 at Hickman, in Fulton County, with Missouri Route A and Route 77 near Dorena, in Mississippi County, at Mississippi River navigation mile 922.0.
The operator's own site says the ferry is owned and operated by the Mississippi County Port Authority, and its toll schedule carries that authority's approval. The same page sets out a toll scale by length and width: $20.00 for a vehicle up to 8 feet wide and 30 feet long, rising to $120.00 for a load over 12 feet wide and 56 to 75 feet long. Motorcycles and ATVs pay $10.00, and pedestrians, bicycles and horses pay $5.00. The return half of a round trip costs half the fare when the same vehicle shows its first ticket. Payment is in cash only, according to KYTC bulletins.
There is no printed timetable. The boat runs in daylight, and what the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet publishes is the last departure: 4:15 p.m. from Kentucky and 4:30 p.m. from Missouri in winter, 5:15 and 5:30 p.m. in spring, and 6:15 and 6:30 p.m. in summer. The dates when those schedules change are not published, and nobody posts the first run of the morning.
What shapes the day more than the schedule is the river. KYTC bulletins in 2025 and early 2026 describe closures for low water in December and January, for high water in February and April, for wind and fog, for a dry-dock inspection between December 17, 2024 and January 5, 2025, and for dredging in the harbor in August 2025. In early September 2026 a news report quoting KYTC described three closures for low water within several days. For that reason the cabinet and the operator point drivers to the ferry's Facebook page and to 731-693-0210.
The operator limits a single vehicle to 75 feet long, 18 feet wide and 80,000 pounds. It does not carry unattended minors, vehicles or cargo, or any vehicle displaying a DOT placard for hazardous materials.
- Arrive at the terminal several minutes before departure; vehicle lanes close earlier than the foot-passenger gate.
- Check the operator's service alerts before you set out — weather, tides and vessel maintenance change sailings.
- Confirm accepted payment methods: some crossings are card-only and some take cash only.
Frequently asked questions
No schedule can answer that, because the ferry stops for low water, high water, wind and fog. KYTC posts closures and reopenings, and the operator posts on Facebook; the direct number is 731-693-0210. The most recent report found for this page, dated September 10, 2026, described a low-water pause.
A vehicle up to 8 feet wide and 30 feet long pays $20.00 per trip. Motorcycles and ATVs pay $10.00 and pedestrians, bicycles and horses $5.00. A same-vehicle return with the first ticket is half price. The schedule on the operator's site is stamped effective August 1, 2022.
No. KYTC's January 2026 bulletin states the ferry accepts cash only. Vouchers are sold in sheets of ten for $114.00.
The ferry runs in daylight with no first-run time published. The last run from Kentucky is at 4:15 p.m. in winter, 5:15 p.m. in spring and 6:15 p.m. in summer, and the last from Missouri leaves 15 minutes later in each case.
Mostly the river. KYTC bulletins list low-water closures lasting a week or longer in December 2025 and January 2026, a high-water closure in spring 2025, plus wind, fog, mechanical problems, dredging and a dry-dock inspection. There is no fixed closing season.
Yes. KYTC calls the Dorena-Hickman Ferry the only direct route between the two states, which are the only border states without a connecting road or bridge.
One vehicle can be up to 75 feet long, 18 feet wide and 80,000 pounds, with higher tolls for lengths over 30 feet and widths over 8 feet. Vehicles with DOT hazardous-material placards are not carried.
On the Kentucky side the ferry meets KY 1354 at Hickman. On the Missouri side it meets Route A and Route 77 near Dorena. KYTC says the ferry operates from the Hickman landing.