Summer timetable effective Apr. 14-Oct. 31, 2026 and Winter timetable effective Nov. 1, 2026-Apr. 11, 2027, as printed by MaineDOT; the times shown change by date and weekday. Nothing is published after Apr. 11, 2027. Rechecked Oct. 16, 2026.
Departures 1–10 / 10
Departures 1–10 / 10
Crossing time
~40 min
Operator
Maine State Ferry Service
Map – Bass Harbor – Swans Island Ferry
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult passenger, round trip (off-peak season, Oct 1 - May 31) | $15.75 |
| Adult passenger, round trip (peak season, Jun 1 - Sep 30) | $23.00 |
| Minor passenger 6-17, round trip (peak season) | $15.00 |
| Minor passenger 6-17, round trip (off-peak season) | $8.00 |
| Child 0-5, round trip (both seasons) | Free |
| Commuter round-trip ticket (peak season) | $92.00 |
| Commuter round-trip ticket (off-peak season) | $63.00 |
| Standard vehicle and driver, round trip (peak season) | $55.00 |
| Standard vehicle and driver, round trip (off-peak season) | $41.50 |
| Motorcycle incl. rider, round trip (peak season) | $42.50 |
| Motorcycle incl. rider, round trip (off-peak season) | $32.00 |
| Truck, per foot of length, round trip (peak season) | $7.00 |
| Truck, per foot of length, round trip (off-peak season) | $6.00 |
| Vehicle or truck reservation fee (per vehicle, non-refundable) | $17.00 |
| Adult bicycle incl. passenger ticket, round trip (peak season) | $29.75 |
| Adult bicycle incl. passenger ticket, round trip (off-peak season) | $22.75 |
| Minor bicycle incl. passenger ticket, round trip (peak season) | $21.75 |
| Minor bicycle incl. passenger ticket, round trip (off-peak season) | $14.75 |
| Bass Harbor terminal parking, per day (Jun 1 - Sep 30 only) | $17.00 |
This crossing sits on the same Tariff 11 rate card (effective June 1, 2025) as the rest of the Maine State Ferry Service network, with a lower Off-Peak rate from October 1 through May 31 and a higher Peak rate from June 1 through September 30. MaineDOT's fares page, rechecked Oct. 16, 2026, still lists the same rates. Every ticket sold is round trip only, carries no expiration date, and isn't tied to a fixed origin, so the two halves can be used as separate one-way crossings on entirely different days if needed. The online webstore covers passenger, commuter, vehicle, motorcycle and bicycle purchases; a truck ticket or a vehicle reservation still has to be arranged by phone or in person at a ticket office. All fares in US dollars (USD).
Swans Island's ferry link is the smaller, quieter sibling among Maine State Ferry Service's Hancock and Knox County crossings, and the timetable reflects that: the weekday pattern changes from day to day, and a Monday, Tuesday or Friday gets six round trips between Bass Harbor and the island, the fullest pattern on the route.
MaineDOT prints a Summer timetable (April 14 through October 31, 2026) and a Winter timetable (November 1, 2026 through April 11, 2027), and nothing after that. Both give each weekday its own list. Wednesday is where first-time riders get tripped up: rather than one fixed timetable, the operator runs two depending on where the date falls in the month. The 1st and 3rd Wednesday see four round trips, while the 2nd, 4th and 5th get five in summer and four in winter. Saturday drops from six round trips to five in winter and Sunday from five to four. On the third Tuesday of each month the 11:00 am departure out of Bass Harbor and its paired Swan's Island trip are a fuel run with no passengers aboard the M/V Captain Henry Lee, the vessel that works this route. Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day share one holiday timetable, which includes a Frenchboro departure.
The crossing itself is brief, about 6 miles and 40 minutes over Blue Hill Bay, connecting Bass Harbor, in the Mount Desert Island town of Tremont near Acadia National Park, to Swans Island in Hancock County. That's a different place from Swan Island, an uninhabited state-managed island on the Kennebec River.
Ticketing follows the same rules used across the Maine State Ferry Service system: every ticket is round trip only, never expires, and isn't locked to one direction. Vehicle space is the part to plan around: reservations open a month out, can be made in person whenever the Bass Harbor terminal is staffed or by phone starting at 9:30 am, and cover only four vehicle and two truck spots per sailing. Unreserved vehicles join a first-come, first-served line, and a driver taking one off the island must call ahead a day in advance. Terminal parking costs $17 a day from June through September and is free October through May. An adult round trip is $15.75 off-peak (October 1 - May 31) and $23.00 in peak season; a standard vehicle round trip is $41.50 off-peak and $55.00 peak.
- 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
Around 40 minutes for the 6-mile crossing of Blue Hill Bay - one of the shorter hops in the Maine State Ferry Service network.
No, and it's worth double-checking before you book. This page covers Swans Island, off Bass Harbor on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County. Swan Island, without the 's,' sits on the Kennebec River near Richmond and is a separate, uninhabited state property with a completely different kind of access.
Because the operator prints two Wednesday timetables and alternates them by week of the month. The 1st and 3rd Wednesday get a lighter four-round-trip day (Swan's Island 6:45 am, 8:15 am, 1:15 pm, 4:45 pm; Bass Harbor 7:30 am, 11:00 am, 4:00 pm, 5:30 pm) in both seasons. The 2nd, 4th and 5th Wednesday get five round trips in the summer timetable and four in the winter timetable, which starts Nov. 1, 2026.
Adults pay $15.75 from October 1 through May 31 and $23.00 from June through September. There's no one-way option - every ticket sold is round trip, and it stays valid indefinitely, so an unused half can be saved for a later visit.
It's strongly worth it given how few spots exist: bookings open a month ahead and can be made in person whenever the Bass Harbor terminal is staffed, or by phone from 9:30 am. Each sailing carries just 4 vehicle and 2 truck reservations, which can be gone by roughly 8:30 am once the summer crowds arrive. Holding one costs a non-refundable $17.00 on top of the fare.
You take your chances in a plain first-come, first-served line - there's no numbered ticket system to hold your place. Heading off the island without a reservation is a bit stricter: you're expected to call the Swan's Island terminal a full 24 hours ahead so they can plan the line-up.
A round trip for a standard vehicle and its driver is $41.50 from October through May and $55.00 from June through September, plus the $17.00 reservation charge if you book ahead. Longer vehicles and trucks pay a per-foot rate instead - $6.00 a foot off-peak, $7.00 in peak season.
Yes, all year. MaineDOT's Winter timetable runs Nov. 1, 2026 through Apr. 11, 2027: six round trips on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, four on Wednesday (on two patterns that depend on the week of the month), five on Thursday and Saturday, and four on Sunday. The Winter timetable is the last one published; nothing is printed for dates after Apr. 11, 2027.