Edmonds to Kingston Ferry Day Trip: Walk-On & Car Guide

WA Ferry Tracker › Edmonds ↔ Kingston day trip by ferry (walk-on or car)

The Edmonds–Kingston route is the quiet cousin of Seattle–Bainbridge. The crossing takes about 30 minutes, both terminals sit right in small walkable towns, and the walk-on side of the trip is easy almost every day of the year. The car side is a different story on summer weekends and holidays, because this is the main road from the north Seattle area to the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.

This page is about planning a day out. For the route overview, see the Edmonds–Kingston ferry route guide. Parking lots, the SR 104 line rules, the walk-on ramp and terminal facilities are covered in detail on the Edmonds ferry terminal and Kingston ferry terminal pages, so I only summarize them here and link out. No fares or sailing times here; check WSDOT for those.

Quick take: walk on if you can. WSDOT's best-times charts are for vehicles only and say that in almost all cases there is room for walk-on passengers and cyclists. Both docks put you within a few minutes' walk of a beach park, cafés and a marina. If you need a car, go out early and come back late, especially on Fridays, weekends and holiday weeks.

Pick your day trip

Which way you ride depends on where you start:

From the Seattle/Snohomish side: walk on at Edmonds, spend a few hours in Kingston, and ride back. It's a short, cheap-feeling outing with a real boat ride. With toddlers, the half-hour crossing is about the right length.
From the Kitsap side: walk on at Kingston and spend the day on the Edmonds waterfront and in downtown Edmonds. There's more to do on foot at the Edmonds end.
With a car: cross to Kingston and drive on to Port Gamble, Poulsbo, the Hood Canal Bridge or beyond. This is the version where timing matters most (see when the lines are long).
Car-free loop (weekdays): Seattle → Bainbridge by ferry, Kitsap Transit bus to Kingston, ferry to Edmonds, bus or train home. Details are below.

Getting to the Edmonds terminal

The terminal is at 199 Sunset Ave. S., on the waterfront at the bottom of SR 104. Edmonds Station, where trains and several buses stop, is at 211 Railroad Ave., a short walk away along the tracks.

By bus and light rail

From Seattle, the most practical car-free route on most days is Link light rail north to Mountlake Terrace or Lynnwood City Center, then a Community Transit bus to Edmonds Station. Sound Transit's stop list for Edmonds Station shows Community Transit routes 102, 130, 166 and 909. Community Transit's Edmonds guide points to the 130 and 909 for the Mountlake Terrace light rail connection. Routes and weekend frequency change, so check Community Transit's trip planner the day before.

By train

Sounder's N Line stops at Edmonds, but Community Transit and Sound Transit describe it as weekday peak-hours only. Trains run toward Seattle in the morning and toward Everett in the afternoon, so it suits a Kitsap-side visitor heading into Seattle better than a Seattle day-tripper heading to the ferry. Amtrak Cascades also stops at Edmonds Station a few times a day. Sound Transit notes that riders with an ORCA monthly pass can use certain Amtrak trips between Everett, Edmonds and Seattle through its Rail Plus program. Check the current Sound Transit N Line page for which trips count.

By car, if you're walking on

WSF doesn't have its own lot at Edmonds. The nearby pay lot (Sunset Ave. S. and James St.) and the parking rules at Edmonds Station are on our Edmonds terminal page. Downtown street parking is time-limited and works for a short round trip at most. For a full day, a drop-off is often easiest. If you're dropping someone off, stay out of the ferry holding line.

Leave buffer for trains. The BNSF main line runs between downtown Edmonds and the ferry dock, and streets cross it at grade. A long freight train can make you miss a boat, especially on the walk back from downtown.

What's walkable from the Edmonds terminal

Edmonds is one of the best places on the Sound to walk off a ferry:

Brackett's Landing is beside the ferry dock. The north beach is the shore entry for the Edmonds Underwater Park, and you can often watch scuba divers surface there. WTA notes parking and a restroom at Brackett's Landing North, and a smaller, rockier beach whose walkable length depends on the tide.
The Edmonds Marine Walkway runs south from the ferry along Olympic Beach and the public fishing pier, through the marina, to Marina Beach Park, which has a driftwood beach and an off-leash dog area. WTA lists the walk as about 1.7 miles round trip and nearly flat. It has ferry views the whole way and is stroller-friendly on the paved sections.
Downtown Edmonds (Main St. and 5th Ave.) is a few blocks uphill from the terminal, with cafés, bakeries and restaurants. Salish Crossing, a small cluster of shops and food, is steps from the terminal.

The beach parks are marine sanctuaries, so look but don't collect, and keep dogs to the off-leash area and the walkway.

What's walkable from the Kingston terminal

Kingston is smaller and quieter, which is the point of going. The walk-off ramp lands you right next to:

Mike Wallace Park and the Port of Kingston marina. The park is a grassy lawn directly beside the ferry walk-off, with picnic space and boat watching. It's the easiest place to let a toddler run between boats.
The Kingston Farmers Market sets up on that lawn on Saturdays in season (its listings say May to mid-October, roughly 9 a.m.–2 p.m.). The separate Kingston Public Market listed Sundays, May 10–October 11, for 2026. Both are seasonal, so check their sites before planning around them.
A small downtown of cafés, a bakery or two and restaurants within a few blocks of the dock along SR 104 and the streets beside it.

Without a car, that's the core of a Kingston day: food, the park, the marina and a slow ride back. To go farther, Kitsap Transit's Kingston Ride is an on-demand shared ride that starts at the ferry terminal and covers downtown Kingston, George's Corner, Little Boston and a shuttle to The Point Casino. Kitsap Transit lists it as 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday–Saturday, with Saturday service in summer only. Route 307 runs weekdays (plus Saturdays May–September) from the Kingston terminal to Poulsbo's North Viking Transit Center. Its times are built around the Kingston fast ferry, not the WSF boat, so check that a return bus lines up with your sailing.

A car-free loop: Seattle → Bainbridge → Kingston → Edmonds

On weekdays you can make a big loop without driving:

Walk on at Colman Dock to Bainbridge Island (see our Seattle–Bainbridge day trip guide).
From the Bainbridge terminal, take Kitsap Transit route 391 Kingston/Bainbridge, which runs Monday–Friday via Suquamish to the Kingston ferry terminal.
Walk around Kingston, then walk on to Edmonds.
Get home from Edmonds Station by Community Transit bus to light rail.

It works in reverse too. You pay each ferry where it collects: WSF collects walk-on fares at Seattle (not Bainbridge) and at Edmonds (not Kingston), so on the loop you buy the Seattle ticket and then ride Kingston → Edmonds without paying at Kingston. Check the 391 timetable against both ferry schedules before you commit, because missing the last bus of the day is the main way this goes wrong.

A second variation for weekdays (and summer Saturdays): Kitsap Transit's passenger-only Kingston Fast Ferry runs from Seattle's Pier 50 to the Kingston dock. You could ride it out, walk Kingston, and come back via Edmonds. Kitsap Transit was warning in fall 2026 that the route has no backup boat, so check its rider alerts first.

When the lines are long (and how to avoid them)

I read WSF's fall 2026 best-times chart for this route, which rates each sailing from "unlikely to fill" to "likely full." These ratings are for cars. I'm describing the pattern rather than listing times because sailing times change each season:

Going out from Edmonds: early-morning boats are mostly rated unlikely to fill, including on weekends. Weekday early-to-mid afternoon is the westbound peak, with several boats rated often or likely full. On Saturdays, from mid-morning through the afternoon, nearly every sailing is often full, and one late-morning boat is rated likely full.
Coming back from Kingston: on weekdays, boats are mostly "sometimes full" through the day and ease off by early evening. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, sailings from late morning into the early evening are mostly "often full," and an early-afternoon boat is rated likely full on all three days. Sunday afternoon eastbound is the classic multi-boat wait.
After about 8 p.m., sailings are rated unlikely to fill every day, in both directions.

For a weekend car day trip, that means out early, back late: cross from Edmonds before mid-morning and return from Kingston in the evening rather than mid-afternoon. On the day, the WSDOT terminal pages show cameras and an approximate count of open drive-up spaces, but that count doesn't include cars still queued on SR 104. At Kingston, an automated boarding-pass system holds your place in line during peak periods. WSDOT lists it as 8 a.m.–8 p.m. on weekends year-round, daily in summer (Mother's Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day) and daily during the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's weeks. Our Kingston terminal page walks through it step by step, and the best-time guide explains how to read the charts. Planning for late November? See the Thanksgiving 2026 ferry tips.

The simplest way to avoid the line is to not bring the car. If you live on the Kitsap side and just want an Edmonds day, park in Kingston (the WSF lot run by Diamond Parking, or George's Corner Park & Ride with bus connections) and walk on. Kitsap Transit says its park & ride lots are free day-use lots unless posted otherwise.

Bikes

Edmonds: cyclists can bypass the car line to the lower dock, secure their bike, buy a ticket in the passenger terminal and show it to the lower-dock attendant. WSDOT asks cyclists to arrive about 20 minutes before departure to load first. If you arrive after cars start loading, you board at the end. There are no bike racks at the Edmonds terminal.
Kingston: bypass the car line into the ferry holding lane, arrive about 20 minutes early, and walk your bike on and off. There's no fare for passengers or bikes from Kingston to Edmonds, and the terminal has one rack for eight bikes.
Riding out of Kingston: SR 104 is the only way up from the dock and carries every car off the boat. Let the offload pass before you start the climb.

Kids and strollers

Edmonds ramp: walk-ons board by an overhead ramp. WSDOT describes it as two sections of about 200 feet each with a gradual uphill slope, which is fine with a stroller but noticeable. Neither terminal lists an elevator. Staff can help passengers with disabilities board if you arrive at least 20 minutes early.
Youth ride free: WSF says children and youth under 19 ride free as passengers.
Food: boats on this route have galleys. WSDOT posts fall 2026 hours on both terminal pages, starting early in the morning and closing in the evening. A late return may not have hot food, so bring snacks.
Best kid stops: Mike Wallace Park beside the Kingston walk-off, and the Edmonds walkway from Brackett's Landing to the fishing pier. Both have boats and ferries to watch.
Allow time for the walk back. WSDOT asks walk-ons to be aboard at least five minutes before departure. With a stroller, a sleepy toddler or a train crossing in Edmonds, plan on more.

Heading farther west? The Port Townsend–Coupeville ferry continues to Whidbey Island (reservations recommended). For general walk-on habits that apply on every WSF route, see the walk-on passenger guide.

FAQ

Can I do an Edmonds–Kingston day trip without a car?

Yes. It's one of the easiest car-free ferry outings near Seattle. Get to Edmonds Station by Community Transit bus (with a light rail connection), walk to the terminal, and walk on. Walk-ons don't need a reservation, and WSDOT says there's almost always room for walk-on passengers. Mike Wallace Park, the marina and Kingston's small downtown are right at the Kingston dock.

What is within walking distance of the Kingston ferry terminal?

Mike Wallace Park and the Port of Kingston marina sit directly beside the walk-off ramp. The seasonal Kingston Farmers Market uses that lawn on Saturdays in summer and early fall, and cafés and restaurants are a few blocks up. For more, Kitsap Transit's on-demand Kingston Ride and route 307 to Poulsbo start at the terminal, with limited hours and days.

What can I walk to from the Edmonds ferry terminal?

Brackett's Landing and the Edmonds Underwater Park are beside the dock. The paved Marine Walkway heads south past Olympic Beach and the fishing pier to Marina Beach Park, about 1.7 miles round trip per WTA. Downtown Edmonds and its cafés are a few blocks uphill. Leave time for the railroad crossing on the way back.

How do I get to the Edmonds ferry from Seattle without driving?

Take Link light rail north to Mountlake Terrace or Lynnwood City Center, then a Community Transit bus (such as the 130 or 909) to Edmonds Station, a short walk from the terminal. Sounder's N Line stops in Edmonds but runs only at weekday peak hours, in the commute direction. Check Community Transit's trip planner for weekend frequency.

When should I come back from Kingston to avoid a long car wait?

On Fridays and weekends, WSF's fall 2026 chart rates most eastbound sailings from late morning into early evening as often full, and one early-afternoon boat as likely full. Sailings after about 8 p.m. are rated unlikely to fill every day. Weekday returns are easier, especially from early evening. Walk-ons don't need to worry about these charts.

Is the Edmonds–Kingston ferry stroller-friendly?

Yes, with some effort. Walk-ons use overhead ramps. WSDOT describes the Edmonds ramp as two roughly 200-foot sections with a gradual uphill slope, and neither terminal lists an elevator. Staff can help passengers with disabilities if you arrive at least 20 minutes early. Children and youth under 19 ride free as passengers.

Do walk-ons pay in both directions?

No. WSF collects passenger and bicycle fares only at Edmonds. There's no payment for passengers or bikes traveling from Kingston to Edmonds, so a Kingston-side day-tripper pays on the way home. Check current prices on WSDOT.

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Sources

Independent guide, not affiliated with Washington State Ferries or WSDOT. Schedules, fares and rules change by season, so confirm on wsdot.wa.gov before you travel. Last updated November 5, 2026.