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On Location: Puget Sound
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These four ferry routes are an easy—and cheap—way to explore the region’s beaches, forests and harbors
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BY BRIAN GILL
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A Mark II Class ferry, the largest in the Washington State fleet, heads across Puget Sound; kayaking near Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island.
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With family members scattered among Puget Sound’s islands, our local writer knows the Sound—and the ferries that ply it. Here are his four favorite routes.
Puget Sound is so deep that bridges don’t make a lot of sense. The answer is ferries, large and small, fast-moving and slow. About 10 routes cross different parts of the Sound, and when you expand the area to take in the Salish Sea—which includes Puget Sound, the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Strait of Georgia—the number of routes more than doubles. The crossings and the destinations tend to vary wildly.
SEATTLE TO BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
Run by Washington State Ferries (wsdot.wa.gov/ferries), this route is Puget Sound’s main artery, linking urban Seattle with the Sound’s woodsy but populated western shores. While the boats are far from intimate, they’re an inexpensive way for visitors (and locals) to see the region’s aquatic side. For just $7, you can walk onboard, stand on the ferry’s deck to enjoy the 35-minute trip to Bainbridge Island, and then ride right back to Seattle. Even better: Get off and grab lunch in Winslow, a short walk from the terminal, at the acclaimed Café Nola (101 Winslow Way E.; 206-842-3822).
WEST SEATTLE WATER TAXI
For a completely different experience, I like to hop on the zippy, passenger-only water taxi that connects downtown Seattle to West Seattle’s Alki neighborhood. The boat operates in spring and summer, skimming over the watery reflection of Seattle’s skyline to land at Seacrest Park. From there, it’s a short walk to Alki’s long sandy beach, where you can stroll, play some beach volleyball, and indulge in superb fish and chips at Sunfish (2800 Alki Ave. S.W.; 206-938-4112).
KEYSTONE TO PORT TOWNSEND
When you board this small, laid-back car ferry at Keystone, on Whidbey Island’s west side, a curious thing happens. About halfway to Port Townsend, you’ll start to wonder if you’re traveling back in time. From the middle of Admiralty Inlet (the nautical crossroads where Puget Sound meets the Pacific-connected Strait of Juan de Fuca), you’ll spot Victoria-era mansions on the bluff above Port Townsend—but no sign of cars or other trappings of modern life. The traditional sailboats tacking and jibing off the waterfront, many of them from the town’s Northwest Maritime Center (431 Water St.; 360-385-3628; nwmaritime.org), only add to the illusion.
ANACORTES TO FRIDAY HARBOR
The ride to the San Juan Islands, just north of Puget Sound, is so stunning that, if it were in a less accessible part of the world, people would gladly pay cruise-ship rates for the sailing. Instead, an inexpensive car ferry winds through the 176-island archipelago for just over an hour, calling at four of the largest islands: Lopez, Orcas, Shaw and San Juan (where Friday Harbor is the last stop). Along the way, the narrow ferry squeezes through dramatic maritime passages, a few of them alarmingly narrow. Each change of course reveals fresh views—a madrone-forested islet here, a fjord-like inlet there and, if you’re lucky, a visiting pod of orcas.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: April 1, 2010
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PHOTOS: WSF/Steven J. Brown; Oak Harbor CVB
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