Welcome to booking a reservation on largest ferry system in the United States with 20.1 million total riders! Yeehaw. yes, the Washington State ferries are awesome! thanks for asking.
Read Below for Exactly How to Book a Washington State Ferry to the San Juan Islands
If you are planning any fun sea kayaking excursions, whale watching trips, or romantic getaways for your honeybear this summer in the San Juans, you will need a San Juan Islands ferry reservation if you plan on bringing your vehicle. This will teach you how San Juan Islands ferry reservations actually work.
Note: I do want to call out that every single time I have wanted a ferry reservation, I have been able to get one as long as I hopped on either 2 weeks or 2 days before. The biggest thing is making sure you have the website open a bit before 7 am. It might not have been my most desired sailing time, but it was never an issue as long as I was online ready to go. I did take an L when I logged on after 7 though, so that’s your warning!!!
For the full Friday Harbor bike loop story (winery, sculpture park, sunset chowder), see my San Juan Island bike day trip from Seattle.
Quick Ferry Logistics (Updated 5/25/2026)
- Book your ferry reservation here
- Check ferry schedule here
- San Juan Islands ferries depart from the Anacortes Ferry Terminal located at 2100 Ferry Terminal Rd, Anacortes, WA 98221, which is a 10 minute drive from the town of Anacortes.
- Exact fares depend on the date, route, & method of transportation for the fare calculator (check here):
- Example: $68 for a vehicle + driver, + $18/additional adults for a round trip ticket to Friday Harbor
- Example: $22/ person on bike to Friday Harbor
- Walk-ons and bicyclists will buy their ticket from the ferry building. You do not need a vehicle reservation to walk on or bike on (which is how I planned my trip 2 days before I headed out!)
- Anacortes is about 2 hours from Seattle, so estimate roughly 3 hours to give yourself an extra hour for traffic and the buffer before the ferry leaves (ferries board before their actual leave time + you need to buy a ticket)
- 30% of Vehicle reservations open up 2 months before the season starts, 30% two weeks before sail date, and 30% release two days before. The final 10% is for emergency vehicles.
- ex: If I want to sail on Saturday, May 23rd, I should be on the ferry reservation website on Thursday, May 21st at 7 am. (and really to be safe 6:57 am)
- Friday Harbor and Orcas Island will require you to make two reservations: westbound towards the island and eastbound towards Seattle.
- Lopez and Shaw island will only make you get one reservation, westbound, since the eastbound return trips are first-come first-serve.
- Reservations are not tickets. You will still need to get a ticket at the terminal (just pull your car up to the gate, no need to get out)
- If you don’t show up after making a reservation, you will have to pay the ~$13 fee.
Snacks and Bathrooms
The most critical of information!
Anacortes ferry terminal has a quick food option (think basic coffee + those pretzel and nacho cheese that all concession stands have) for those waiting around for the next ferry. Alternatively, Friday Harbor terminal is in the middle of town, so there is a lot of food options nearby, including a lovely ice cream shop directly next store. Lopez and Orcas ferry terminals are a little further out from the main villages with vending machines as the main course.
The ferries themselves have a lot of bathrooms and a snack bar for hungry passengers. I remember enjoying their tator tots last time I was on.
Generally, if you don’t see your ferry at port yet, then you have time to use the bathroom or grab a snack. They have to offload everyone before you can get on.
Whale Watching
The water surrounding the San Juans Islands are the orcas stomping grounds during the summer, so be sure to keep an eye out on the water as you cross. These specific whales are the southern resident orcas, which are the J, K, and L pods. Make sure to tell any ferry staff if you see an orca so the entire ship can join in on your fun.
After all – many people come to the San Juans just to see these beautiful whales, so it makes sense that you can see them from the ferries!
Announcing the Season’s Ferry Reservation Release
Unlike most things, it appears the Washington Ferry System does not have a strict seasonal schedule, and will usually just announce a couple weeks in advance when next season’s tickets will go on sale. I found this Facebook post from a month ago about the summer months, so something to keep in mind when planning for future visits.
As seen from the Washington State Ferries facebook page, they will announce the upcoming reservation release a few weeks before.
Bonus: This lovely Gig Harbor couple goes on all of the ferries in Seattle in single day and manage to only get one parking ticket https://www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/we-rode-all-10-washington-state-ferries-routes-in-1-day/
Actually Making a Ferry Reservation
1: Go to the Washington Ferry Website
2: Put your date and route here
3: Click “show availability”:
4: Bam! Click on the tiny circle to the left of the time. If you click on the ship name, it will give you a full explanation of the vessel
5: now check out with your reservation:
6: Note on Reservation Details: The amount shown is the no-show fee. You will only be charged this fee if you do not use your reservation or if you cancel after the allowed cancellation window. If charged, a 3% card payment fee will be added. Your full fare will be collected at the tollbooth. this is to make sure that people actually show-up 🙂
The Schedule
Link to the Schedule: https://wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/scheduledetailbyroute.aspx?route=ana-sj-sid
For those with vehicle reservations, make sure to arrive 30-60 minutes before your reservation. Walk-ons and cyclists can experience the freedom of selecting any of these ferries.
There are a lot more ferries available during the peak summer season to accommodate the increased travel.
Just to call it out: if you miss your reservation, you will need to attempt to get standby. And if you are a biker/walker and you miss the last ferry of the day, you are out of luck of getting off the island via the Washington system (try private charter instead?)
Mar 22 2026 – June 13 Schedule
Schedule from Anacortes
Schedule Eastbound
June 14 – September 19, 2026
Westbound from Anacortes
Eastbound
