HCTRA's most recent published hours (April 2025 post, still the latest found on September 28, 2026): every day 4:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m., with service running to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. The ferry crosses on demand inside those hours; there are no fixed departure times, and one boat may be out of service on a given day. · 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
Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA)
Map – Lynchburg Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Car, bicycle or pedestrian, each direction | Free |
No charge for vehicles, bicycles or pedestrians; Harris County has run the crossing without a fare since 1890 and HCTRA said in 2020 it had no plans to introduce one. The Houston Landing reported in 2025 that the ferry's roughly $1.2 to $3.7 million a year in costs are covered by toll-road revenue, including a $1.75 toll on the Sam Houston Tollway. Nothing is sold on the landing, so there is no ticket to buy and no reservation to make.
The Lynchburg Ferry is a short crossing of the Houston Ship Channel at the spot where Nathaniel Lynch started a ferry in 1822. It joins Crosby-Lynchburg Road on the north bank, in the Baytown area, with Independence Parkway on the south bank in La Porte, beside the San Jacinto Battleground and its monument. Harris County took it over in 1888 and has not charged a fare since 1890. Since March 1, 2020 the Harris County Toll Road Authority (HCTRA) has run it, and the bill is paid from toll revenue.
What sets it apart is the industry around it. A North Channel Star report in 2025 put daily traffic at about 1,000 vehicles, roughly 80 percent of them workers heading to some of the 1,600 plants and businesses within five miles, and the Houston Landing counted 42,962 trips in 2024. The channel is a working shipping lane, and HCTRA has closed the ferry for pipeline work in the water.
The fleet is two diesel ferries built in 1964, the William P. Hobby and the Ross S. Sterling, with about 12 vehicles on each trip. The crossing itself takes a few minutes. HCTRA's own hours, from an April 2025 post, are 4:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. every day, with service until 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. There are no tickets, no booking, and no posted departure times: you drive up, line up and load.
Expect changes. In 2024 Hurricane Beryl put about three feet of water into the ferry's old operations site, and the county has approved a $21 million flood-proofed operations building. Closures are usually short and announced on @HCTRA on X, including a May 7, 2026 pause for pipeline work. When SH 146 was fully closed in October 2025, HCTRA extended the ferry's hours that evening. Check the operator's social pages before a late crossing, because the boats stop at 8:15 p.m. or 10 p.m. depending on the day.
- 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
Yes. Cars, bicycles and pedestrians cross without paying, as they have since 1890. HCTRA covers the cost from toll-road revenue, and there is no ticket or reservation.
In HCTRA's April 2025 post: every day from 4:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m., extended to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. HCTRA's own web page could not be opened for this check, so confirm on the operator's X or Facebook page before a late-evening trip.
Two working ferries built in 1964, the William P. Hobby and the Ross S. Sterling, each about 12 vehicles. A third older standby vessel from 1937 is reported by Wikipedia. Whether one or both are running on a given day is only posted on HCTRA's social pages.
A few minutes. The ship-channel crossing is about a third of a kilometer straight across, and the Houston Landing reported roughly three to five minutes. Older county wording says up to 5 to 10 minutes, depending on wind, current and traffic.
HCTRA closed it at 10 a.m. on May 7, 2026 for pipeline work in the ship channel, planning to reopen that afternoon. It extended hours on October 8, 2025 during a full SH 146 closure. The last long shutdown found was in early 2021 for ramp upgrades.
North landing: Crosby-Lynchburg Road in Lynchburg, in the Baytown area. South landing: Independence Parkway South, the former SH 134, in La Porte beside the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.
Yes. Wikipedia describes the crossing as carrying automobiles, bicycles and pedestrians at no cost; HCTRA's own pages could not be read to confirm the walk-on and cycle arrangements. The capacity is about 12 vehicles a trip.
The Harris County Toll Road Authority. Harris County Precinct 2 ran it from 1888 until March 1, 2020, when HCTRA took over. The Houston Landing counts about 24 staff, including pilots, deckhands and office workers.