Regular Whatcom Chief timetable, Monday to Friday base pattern, as published on the county schedule page (which still shows a last-modified date of October 26, 2020); passenger-only dry dock timetable substituted automatically from September 12 to October 3, 2026.
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~5 min
Operator
Whatcom County Public Works, Ferry Division
Map – Gooseberry Point - Lummi Island Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult passenger or pedestrian, round trip (paid on the mainland-to-island leg) | $10.00 |
| Passenger multi-ride ticket, 10 round trips | $82.00 |
| Passenger multi-ride ticket, 20 round trips | $164.00 |
| Needs-based passenger multi-ride (senior, disabled, income), 10 round trips | $28.00 |
| Children and youth under 19, any trip | Free |
| Bicycle with rider, round trip | $13.00 |
| Motorcycle with driver, round trip | $14.00 |
| Motorcycle with driver, 10 round trips | $114.00 |
| Vehicle with driver under 11,000 lbs, round trip | $24.00 |
| Vehicle with driver under 11,000 lbs, 10 round trips | $194.00 |
| Vehicle with driver under 11,000 lbs, 20 round trips | $388.00 |
| Needs-based vehicle with driver, 10 round trips | $52.00 |
| Vehicle with driver 11,001-20,000 lbs, round trip | $71.00 |
| Vehicle with driver 20,001-36,000 lbs, round trip | $164.00 |
| Vehicle with driver 36,001-50,000 lbs, round trip | $316.00 |
| Trailer under 16 feet, round trip | $36.00 |
| Trailer 16-30 feet, round trip | $67.00 |
| Trailer over 30 feet, round trip | $125.00 |
Whatcom County charges one price per round trip and collects it on the mainland-to-island leg only. Fares listed are the county's schedule effective August 23, 2025 and already include a $1 capital surcharge per ride. The Ferry Division does not take cash; single-ride card payments add 50 cents, and online punch card orders carry a 2.55 percent processor fee (minimum $2). Children under 19 ride free. The county has not published a separate dry dock fare, so the amounts below are the standing ones. All fares in US dollars (USD).
Whatcom County's Lummi Island ferry is a five-minute hop across Hale Passage between Gooseberry Point, on the Lummi reservation, and the island's South Nugent Road dock. It is a county-run commuter link for an island with no bridge, not a sightseeing excursion, and that explains its uneven rhythm: on weekdays boats leave every 20 to 40 minutes through the day and hourly after about 7 pm, and on weekends they leave on the hour from 7:00 am until past midnight. Nobody can reserve a space. Vehicles line up first come, first served, and the captain may add unscheduled runs to clear the dock.
Right now the regular vessel is not the one sailing. The 64-year-old Whatcom Chief left on September 12, 2026 for dry dock, and the county's stand-in is a passenger-only boat that carries foot passengers, up to 6 bicycles and pets on its stern, but no vehicles. The county's target for the vessel's return is Sunday, October 4, 2026, and it calls that date tentative. During the outage, parking stays available at both docks, and the county has cancelled its passenger shuttle van for 2026. Weekday passenger-only service has 31 sailings each way instead of the usual 36, and on Thursdays the midday sailings around 1:00 pm are cut for fueling.
The fare system is unusual: one payment covers the whole round trip and is collected only on the mainland-to-island leg. A walk-on adult pays $10.00, a vehicle and driver under 11,000 pounds pays $24.00, a bicycle $13.00 and a motorcycle $14.00, and anyone under 19 rides free. Multi-ride punch cards cut the cost, and the county does not accept cash. Very heavy trucks face an added rule: none over 40,000 pounds gross weight may sail when the tide is below zero.
Two dates matter this fall. On Wednesday, October 21 the ferry stops from 10:10 am to 3:00 pm so crews can inspect both terminals, and on alternate Thursdays (October 15 and 29 next) it skips the 1:00 pm run from the island for refueling. A $25 million federal grant was signed in September 2026 for a replacement vessel, which the county expects to be running by March 2029.
- 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
Only as a passenger-only boat. The vehicle ferry Whatcom Chief has been in dry dock since September 12, 2026, and Whatcom County expects it back on Sunday, October 4, though it calls that date tentative. No cars can cross until then.
No. The substitute boat carries foot passengers, bicycles (6 at a time, on the stern), e-bikes and leashed pets on the stern. Leave the car in the marked parking at Gooseberry Point; the county's on-island shuttle van is cancelled for all of 2026.
An adult walk-on pays $10.00 for the round trip, a car and driver under 11,000 pounds $24.00, a bicycle with rider $13.00 and a motorcycle $14.00. Children and teens under 19 ride free, and 10-ride passenger cards cost $82.00.
No. The county collects the round-trip fare on the mainland-to-island leg only, so the trip back from Lummi Island costs nothing extra. If you start on the island, you ride to the mainland first and pay on the return.
About five minutes in routine weather. On weekdays sailings leave every 20 to 40 minutes from 5:40 am (island) or 5:50 am (mainland) until about 7 pm, then hourly to midnight; Saturdays and Sundays run hourly from 7:00 am, with the last mainland boat at 12:30 am Saturday and 12:10 am Sunday.
Reservations do not exist; boarding is first come, first served, and extra runs are added only when the captain sees a need. Cash is not accepted, and single-ride credit card payments carry a 50-cent surcharge.
Yes. No truck over 40,000 pounds gross weight may board at any tide below zero, and the county publishes monthly restricted times. Trailers or vehicles with a long overhang past the rear axle should travel when the tide is 4 feet or higher.
On Wednesday, October 21, there is no service from 10:10 am to 3:00 pm for terminal inspections. On alternate Thursdays (October 15, October 29, November 12) the 1:00 pm island departure and 1:10 pm mainland departure are cancelled for fueling.