Washington · Skagit County Public Works, Ferry Division
~8 min
Skagit County Public Works, Ferry Division
From $8.50
Guemes Channel, Washington
Next departure
LIVE
--:--
Monday-Thursday timetable, the pattern that runs on most days of the week and is confirmed current for 2026 -- Friday, Saturday and Sunday run different patterns, listed as variants
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~8 min
Operator
Skagit County Public Works, Ferry Division
Map – Guemes Island Ferry
Fare type
Price
Adult passenger, round trip
$8.50
Senior (65+) or disabled passenger, round trip
$5.00
Youth 18 or under, round trip
Free
Passenger with bicycle, round trip
$10.75
Passenger with bicycle, senior/disabled, round trip
$7.25
Motorcycle and rider, round trip
$17.50
Vehicle and driver, 22 feet or less, round trip
$26.50
Vehicle and driver, 22 feet or less, senior/disabled driver, round trip
$21.50
Oversize vehicle, 22 to 30 feet with driver, round trip
$42.00
Oversize vehicle, up to 40 feet with driver, round trip
$80.50
Oversize vehicle, up to 50 feet with driver, round trip
$123.25
Oversize vehicle, up to 60 feet with driver, round trip
$168.50
All Guemes Island ferry fares are round trip, not one way, and cover one crossing to the island and one back to Anacortes. The rates below are the Peak-season fares (May 20-Sept 30, 2026) in effect on this research date; Non-Peak fares (Oct 1, 2026-May 19, 2027) are lower -- for example, the adult passenger round trip drops to $6.75 and the standard vehicle-and-driver round trip drops to $21.50. Youth 18 and under ride free, funded by Washington's Climate Commitment Act. Vehicle tickets cover the driver only; every additional passenger age 18 or older needs their own passenger ticket. These fares, adopted for all of 2026, were still current as of the research date, but Skagit County had opened a formal public-comment period (Sept. 3-22, 2026) on a proposed 2027 fare schedule, with the County Commissioners expected to vote on it Oct. 20, 2026. At the Anacortes terminal, only credit, debit and contactless payment are accepted; cash purchases must be made in advance, Monday-Friday, at the Public Works office in Mount Vernon. Boarding is first-come, first-served -- buying a ticket online or through the ferry's mobile app pre-pays the fare but does not reserve a specific sailing. All fares in US dollars (USD).
The Guemes Island ferry is a small, single-vessel car ferry that Skagit County -- not Washington State Ferries -- runs across Guemes Channel between downtown Anacortes and Guemes Island, a roughly 8-minute hop of just over a kilometer. It's easy to mix up with WSF's much larger San Juan Islands boats, which leave from a separate terminal a couple of miles away on the same peninsula, but the county-run Guemes route has its own dock, its own vessel, and its own fare and ticketing system entirely independent of the state ferry system.
Because only one boat serves the route, the county publishes a single list of Anacortes departure times and simply states that the ferry reaches, and leaves, Guemes Island about 8 minutes after each one. The Monday-Thursday timetable -- 23 round trips a day, roughly every 30 minutes from 6:30 a.m. with a scheduled midday crew break -- is the pattern that applies on most days; Friday and Saturday add extra late-evening sailings, and Sunday runs a lighter schedule that further narrows in the off-season. Skagit County splits the calendar into a Peak period (May 20-Sept 30) and a Non-Peak period (Oct 1-May 19) that changes fares and the weekend timetable, though the Monday-Friday sailing times stay the same year-round.
All fares are charged round trip rather than one way, from $8.50 for an adult passenger up to $168.50 for the largest oversize vehicles in Peak season, with lower Non-Peak rates and free rides for anyone 18 or younger. Boarding is first-come, first-served: pre-buying a ticket online or through the ferry's mobile app locks in the price but does not reserve a seat on a specific sailing, and drivers still need to line up. At the terminal, only card and contactless payment are accepted; cash buyers must visit the county's Mount Vernon office in advance.
Heading into fall 2026, riders should watch for two planned disruptions: overnight bridge-apron replacement work expected to start in early October (daytime passenger service continuing throughout), and a U.S. Coast Guard-mandated drydock set for March 2027 that will pull the car ferry from service for a period the county has not yet detailed.
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. It's operated by Skagit County's Public Works Ferry Division, an entirely separate system from WSF. WSF's San Juan Islands ferries use a different Anacortes terminal a few miles away.
Fares are round trip. In the current Peak season (May 20-Sept 30), an adult passenger pays $8.50 and a standard vehicle with driver pays $26.50. Non-Peak fares (Oct 1-May 19) are lower -- $6.75 for an adult and $21.50 for a standard vehicle. Riders 18 and under ride free.
About 8 minutes each way, per Skagit County, across roughly 1 km of Guemes Channel.
No. It runs first-come, first-served. You can pre-pay online or through the ferry's mobile app to speed up boarding, but that does not hold a spot on a particular sailing.
Not at the Anacortes terminal, which takes only credit, debit and contactless payment. Cash tickets must be bought in advance, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Skagit County Public Works office in Mount Vernon.
The Monday-Friday sailing times stay the same year-round. The Saturday and especially Sunday schedules shift between a May 20-Sept 30 Peak pattern and an Oct 1-May 19 Non-Peak pattern, and fares are lower in the Non-Peak months.
The mainland terminal is at 500 I Ave in downtown Anacortes. The island-side landing is on the south shore of Guemes Island, directly across the channel.
Skagit County has announced overnight bridge-apron replacement work expected to begin in early October 2026, with vehicle loading paused only overnight and passenger service continuing by day, plus a separate U.S. Coast Guard-required drydock planned for March 2027 that will take the car ferry out of service for a period not yet announced. As of this research date, neither had begun and the ferry was running its normal schedule.