WA Ferry Tracker › Anacortes to Shaw Island Ferry
🔔 Free ferry alerts on WhatsApp| Departs | Anacortes |
|---|---|
| Arrives | Shaw Island |
| Crossing time | about 1 hour on the most direct sailings, often 1½ hours or more via Orcas or Lopez |
| Reservations | Westbound only (from Anacortes) |
| Operator | Washington State Ferries (WSDOT) |
What Shaw Island is like
Shaw is the smallest of the four San Juan Islands with a ferry terminal, sitting between Lopez and Orcas. It's mostly residential and rural, with very few visitor services, so most people who get off here are residents, guests of residents or cyclists and walkers looking for quiet roads. If you're visiting, bring what you need for the day, and don't expect the restaurants and rentals you'd find in Friday Harbor or Eastsound.
Crossing time
From Anacortes, the most direct sailings take about an hour. Many sailings stop at Lopez first or reach Shaw after Orcas, and those can take 1½ hours or a little more. Shaw is also served by the inter-island boat, so you can reach it from Orcas (a very short hop), Lopez or Friday Harbor. The WSF schedule lists every stop for each departure, and the stop order changes during the day, so double-check that your sailing calls at Shaw.
Reservations: one direction only
You can reserve a vehicle spot from Anacortes to Shaw. There are no vehicle reservations from Shaw back to Anacortes: WSF loads eastbound cars from Shaw (and Lopez) on a first-come, first-served basis. Inter-island travel doesn't take reservations either. Because boats often reach Shaw already carrying cars from Friday Harbor and Orcas, eastbound space can be tight on busy summer and holiday days, so get to the Shaw terminal early and consider an earlier sailing than you'd like.
For the westbound reservation, the usual San Juan rules apply: about 30% of space opens two months before the season (10 a.m.), 30% two weeks before the sailing and 30% two days before (7 a.m.), with roughly 10% held for stand-by. Reservations are free, one-way and not tickets, and there's a no-show fee if you don't cancel. The winter-season release was moved to Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 at 10 a.m.
Car, bike or walk-on?
Walk-ons and cyclists don't need reservations. Shaw's quiet roads are popular with cyclists who combine it with Lopez or Orcas using the inter-island boat. Walk-ons should know that at the island terminals, WSDOT says passengers board and leave via the car deck, so wait for the crew's signal. With a car, the fare is charged once for the round trip (collected westbound from Anacortes) and depends on vehicle size, with a summer peak surcharge from May through September.
Busy times
Shaw itself is rarely the busy part; the problem is that the boats serving it are shared with the bigger islands. Summer Friday afternoons westbound and Sunday afternoons eastbound are the hardest. Check WSDOT's seasonal "best times to travel" chart and the live VesselWatch map for delays before you head to the dock.
Tips
- Visiting for the day? Plan your return around the eastbound schedule first, then fill in the day.
- Outside summer, dress for wind and rain while you wait at the dock.
- Staying on Orcas? Shaw is a short inter-island hop away; see the inter-island ferry guide.
- If a ferry is cancelled, WSF sometimes reroutes or adds unscheduled stops; follow the WSF alerts for your route.
Riding with a toddler or baby
- Kids ride free. WSF says children and youth under 19 travel free when they're not driving, so a family car fare is really just the vehicle-and-driver fare plus any other adults.
- Walk-ons board over the car deck at the islands. At Anacortes you use the overhead passenger ramp, but WSDOT notes that at all the island terminals walk-on passengers load and unload via the car deck. Keep little ones in a carrier or holding hands, and expect to wait for the crew's signal.
- Pack for the line, not just the boat. With a car you may sit in the holding lanes for an hour or more in summer. Snacks, a change of clothes and a charged tablet go a long way. Most San Juan boats have a galley and restrooms once you're aboard.
- Get upstairs early. Once the car is parked you can head up to the passenger deck; window booths fill fast on summer sailings. Note your car-deck stairwell so you can find the car again before arrival.
- Car seats for walk-on trips. If you walk on and plan to use a taxi, shuttle or rental car on the island, bring your own car seat or confirm one is available; a lightweight travel seat or a carrier plus stroller is easier on the ramps than a big stroller.
How WA Ferry Tracker helps
WA Ferry Tracker is a free, independent tool. It shows live WSF vehicle reservation space for Anacortes ⇄ Friday Harbor, Orcas, Lopez and Shaw, refreshed through the day. If the sailing you want is full, create a scheduler with your date and the sailing times you'd accept. The tracker keeps checking every few minutes (including after cancellations and the two-week and two-day releases) and sends you a WhatsApp message when space opens, so you can book on the official WSF site before someone else does. It doesn't book for you, and it isn't affiliated with WSF.
FAQ
How long is the ferry from Anacortes to Shaw Island?
About an hour on the most direct sailings, and often 1½ hours or more when the boat stops at Lopez or Orcas first.
Can I make a reservation from Shaw Island to Anacortes?
No. WSF does not take vehicle reservations from Shaw (or Lopez) eastbound to Anacortes; those cars load first-come, first-served.
Do I need a reservation to go to Shaw Island?
Walk-ons and bicycles never do. With a car, Anacortes → Shaw reservations are available and recommended on busy days.
Are there services on Shaw Island?
Very few. Shaw is small and mostly residential, so bring food and anything else you need for the day.
How do I get from Orcas or Lopez to Shaw?
Take the inter-island ferry. It runs between Lopez, Shaw, Orcas and Friday Harbor, and doesn't take reservations.
Sources
- WSDOT ferry schedules
- WSF Vehicle Reservations (release tiers, arrival times, no-show fee)
- WSDOT: Ferry travel alert bulletins
- WSDOT: Ticket information (youth fares, roundtrip San Juan fares, peak surcharge)
- WSDOT: Anacortes terminal (directions, ADA, loading)
- WSDOT: Best times to travel on ferries
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 4, 2026.