Maryland · Island Belle II (mail boat and passenger ferry, year-round)
~50 min
Island Belle II (mail boat and passenger ferry, year-round)
Chesapeake Bay, Maryland
Next departure
LIVE
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Island Belle II departure times as posted on its website (marked updated May 8, 2026, with "please call to confirm"): Crisfield to Ewell at 12:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m., Ewell to Crisfield at 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., listed as daily. The Smith Island Cultural Center lists the afternoon trips on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only, and a different Sunday pattern (11:00 a.m. from the island). Smith Island Cruises' seasonal day-cruise list has no sailings after October 11, 2026. · Representative sailings only — check the operator for today's full schedule
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~50 min
Operator
Island Belle II (mail boat and passenger ferry, year-round)
Map – Smith Island Ferry
Fare type
Price
Smith Island Cruises day cruise from Crisfield, adult (seasonal; 2026 dates ended October 11, no 2027 dates published yet)
$35.00
Smith Island Cruises day cruise from Crisfield, child 3-11
$18.00
Smith Island Cruises day cruise from Crisfield, under 3
Free
The year-round Island Belle II publishes no price: its website says to contact the boat for current pricing and availability (410-726-1824 or 443-235-3992). The only published fares are for Smith Island Cruises' day cruise from Crisfield: $35 for adults and $18 for children 3 to 11, with children under 3 free, tickets bought through its website, reservations required. The cruise page says the cruise lasts about 50 minutes each way and allows about 2.5 hours on the island. Groups of 15 or more pay $30 per adult and $15 per child. Smith Island Cruises also runs a longer cruise from Point Lookout, Maryland, at $65 and $33. Free parking at Somers Cove Marina is offered with a Smith Island Cruises booking. All fares in US dollars (USD).
There is no single Smith Island ferry. The island, which Smith Island Cruises calls Maryland's only inhabited offshore island, is reached by privately run boats from Crisfield, and which one you take decides the schedule, the price and where you land.
The year-round boat is the Island Belle II, a passenger, freight and U.S. Mail ferry between Crisfield and Ewell. Its website says it is owned and operated by Capt. Otis Tyler and his son Capt. Dale Tyler, that it runs all 12 months, and that it is one of a few mail boats in the country. Posted times, marked as updated May 8, 2026 and subject to a call to confirm, are Crisfield to Ewell at 12:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. and Ewell to Crisfield at 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Sundays differ: the Smith Island Cultural Center lists 11:00 a.m. from the island, while a Facebook post by the boat for Sunday, October 4 gave Ewell 3:00 p.m. and Crisfield 4:00 p.m., so call for the Sunday you want. The site publishes no price and asks passengers to contact the boat. Trips are subject to weather and wind cancellations.
Smith Island Cruises is the seasonal day-trip option. It sails at 12:30 p.m. from Somers Cove Marina in Crisfield on listed dates, takes about 50 minutes, leaves roughly 2.5 hours ashore, and charges $35 for adults and $18 for children 3 to 11, with children under 3 free. Reservations are required. Its 2026 list of dates ended on October 11 and no 2027 dates are published yet. The Island Belle II's website footer reads 'Smith Island Cruises on the Island Belle II', and neither site explains how the two listings relate, so call 410-726-1824. It also runs a longer cruise from Point Lookout, Maryland.
A third boat, the Captain Jason, is described by the Smith Island Cultural Center as stopping at Tylerton as well as Ewell, but no operator website was found for it. Experience Smith Island, a separate tour company, offers custom guided tours aboard a workboat. Smith Island has three communities: Ewell, Rhodes Point and Tylerton. Call the boat before you drive to Crisfield.
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
The year-round boat is the Island Belle II, a mail, freight and passenger ferry that serves Ewell. Smith Island Cruises sells seasonal day cruises from Somers Cove Marina; the Island Belle II website's footer carries the same name, and the link between the two is not explained. The Smith Island Cultural Center also lists the Captain Jason, which stops at Tylerton and Ewell, but no operator site for it was found.
The Island Belle II's website posts Crisfield to Ewell at 12:30 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. daily, with Ewell to Crisfield at 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. It marks the list as updated May 8, 2026 and asks passengers to call to confirm; Sundays differ: the Smith Island Cultural Center lists 11:00 a.m. from the island on Sundays, and it lists the afternoon trips on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday only.
The Island Belle II publishes no price and says to contact the boat first, at 410-726-1824 or 443-235-3992. Smith Island Cruises' day cruise is $35 for adults and $18 for children 3 to 11, free under 3, but its 2026 dates ended October 11.
Smith Island Cruises says its cruise from Crisfield takes about 50 minutes. The Island Belle II website gives no duration, and Smith Island is about 12 miles offshore, according to the Experience Smith Island site.
The Island Belle II's website says it operates all 12 months, seven days a week, subject to weather and wind cancellations. Smith Island Cruises' day-cruise list ended on October 11, 2026, and no 2027 dates are published yet.
Smith Island Cruises requires reservations and sells tickets through its website. The Island Belle II's site asks you to contact the boat first for pricing and availability, so call 410-726-1824 or 443-235-3992 before you travel.
Smith Island Cruises leaves from Somers Cove Marina and offers free parking there with a booking. The Smith Island Cultural Center lists the Island Belle II and Captain Jason at the Crisfield City Dock, where MD 413 ends at the water.