Kingston Ferry Terminal

WA Ferry Tracker › Kingston Ferry Terminal

Why Kingston has its own line rules

Kingston is where traffic from the Olympic Peninsula, Hood Canal and north Kitsap funnels onto one boat to the Seattle side. There is only one way in: State Route 104, which runs straight downhill through town to the tollbooths. On a summer Sunday or a holiday weekend, the line for an eastbound boat can back up a long way up SR 104, right past the side streets people live on.

For years that meant two problems: drivers cutting into the line from side streets, and town traffic stuck behind ferry traffic. WSF's answer is the Kingston boarding-pass system (WSDOT calls it the "tally system"). If you only ride from Edmonds, you'll never see it. If you're driving home from the peninsula on a weekend, it decides when you get to the tollbooth.

How the boarding pass works

WSDOT describes it in four steps:

1. Watch the overhead signs. When the lights are flashing on the signs at SR 104 and Barber Cutoff Road, the system is on.
2. Follow the signal. Ferry-bound traffic is directed by a traffic signal into a designated lane.
3. Take a pass. Stop at the automated dispenser and take a boarding pass. WSDOT places the kiosk just west of the SR 104 and Lindvog Rd NE intersection. If you leave the line after taking a pass, you have to rejoin and take a new one, and you lose your place.
4. Wait for green. When the system detects room in the terminal holding lanes, your light turns green. Drive straight to the tollbooths.

The pass only holds your place in line. It isn't a ferry ticket. You still pay at the tollbooth, or show a ticket you bought ahead.

When it's on

Per WSDOT, the signal and boarding-pass system runs 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during these peak periods:

• Every Saturday and Sunday, year-round
• Daily in summer, Mother's Day through Indigenous Peoples' Day
• Daily during the weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's

So on a normal fall or winter weekday you just drive down SR 104 to the booths. If you're heading home from the peninsula on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, plan on the pass. WSDOT's terminal page also says the pass will be required daily again from May 2027. Check the flashing signs, not your memory, because WSDOT can change the schedule.

Getting there

• From Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula: take US 101 east to SR 104, cross the Hood Canal Bridge, and stay on SR 104 for about 8 more miles through Port Gamble to the terminal. If you're on a schedule, check for Hood Canal Bridge openings. The floating bridge opens for marine traffic, and an opening can make you miss a boat.
• From Bremerton and Poulsbo: WSDOT's route is SR 3 north to the SR 305 exit, then SR 305 south briefly, left on SR 307 (Bond Rd NE) for about 6 miles, then straight onto SR 104 to the terminal.
• Dropping off or picking up a walk-on: stay in the right-hand local lane and turn right onto Washington St just in front of the tollbooths. There's room there for a quick stop. If you're disabled and dropping off or picking up, WSDOT says to go into the line by the tollbooths and tell the ticket seller.

Parking at Kingston

There's no big garage at the dock. WSDOT lists two options:

• WSF's off-site lot, run by Diamond Parking, at 1st and Ohio St (turn left on Ohio). It has 73 spaces with daily, multi-day, weekly, monthly and carpool rates. Check the posted sign, or call Diamond Parking at (206) 729-0590. It has three ADA spaces. In this lot only, cars with a valid disabled placard or plate park free, and when the marked ADA spaces are full, placard holders can use any open space except the reserved carpool and staff spaces.
• George's Corner Park & Ride, at SR 104 and Hansville Rd, a few miles up the highway, with Kitsap Transit buses to the terminal.

For a day trip into Seattle, parking in Kingston and walking on is often the easier way. You skip the car line and avoid paying the vehicle fare.

Walking on and biking

• No fare from Kingston to Edmonds. WSF collects passenger and bike fares only on the Edmonds side, so walk-ons and cyclists leaving Kingston pay nothing at Kingston. You pay when you come back from Edmonds. Riders under 19 ride free as passengers anyway.
• Boarding is overhead. Walk-ons use the overhead passenger loading ramp. WSDOT lists no elevator at Kingston. If stairs are a problem, ask staff before the boat loads. The walk-on guide covers the basics.
• Bikes skip the car line. Ride past the vehicle line into the ferry holding lane. Arrive about 20 minutes before the sailing to load at the start. If you arrive after cars start loading, you'll board at the end. Walk your bike on and off. The terminal has one rack that holds eight bikes.
• Motorcycles pay at the auto tollbooths, at the kiosk outside next to the restrooms, or online. During commute hours they can use the pre-ticketed booth, then stage at the front of the holding lanes. Loading order is bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles, then late motorcycles as space allows. Ride the dock at 10 mph or less.
• Carpools and vanpools registered with WSF get preferential loading only if they're ticketed and in line 10 minutes before the sailing.

The other boat: Kitsap Transit's fast ferry to Seattle

Kingston is one of the few WSF terminals with a second, passenger-only option. Kitsap Transit runs the Kingston Fast Ferry from the Kingston dock straight to Seattle's Pier 50 (next to Colman Dock, not inside it), in about 40 minutes. It's walk-on only, first come, first served, and it runs on weekdays year-round and on Saturdays from May through September. There's no Sunday service. Kitsap Transit was also warning in fall 2026 that the route has no backup boat, so check its rider alerts. For a weekday trip into downtown Seattle it can beat driving to Edmonds and down I-5. For an evening or Sunday return, plan on the Edmonds boat. Kitsap Transit's buses connect the dock to Poulsbo, Suquamish, Bainbridge and the George's Corner lot.

When the Kingston line is longest

I went through WSF's fall 2026 "best times to travel" chart for Edmonds–Kingston, which rates every sailing from "unlikely to fill" to "likely full." I'm not listing times because the schedule changes each season. The broad picture:

• Leaving Kingston (eastbound): weekday early-morning commute boats are "sometimes full." From late morning on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, most sailings into the early evening are "often full," and a mid-afternoon boat is rated "likely full" on all three days. Sunday afternoon is the classic multi-boat wait.
• Arriving from Edmonds (westbound): weekday early-to-mid afternoon is the peak, and Saturday is busy from mid-morning through the afternoon.
• Quiet: sailings after about 8 p.m. are rated "unlikely to fill" every day of the week in both directions.

On the day you travel, use the WSDOT space counter, but remember it only counts cars already past the tollbooths. Kingston's line on SR 104 isn't counted, so check the cameras too. Our guide to avoiding ferry waits explains how to read the chart, and the Thanksgiving 2026 tips cover the holiday crunch.

While you wait

The terminal sits in the middle of Kingston's small downtown, beside the Port of Kingston marina. If you're a walk-on with time to kill, there are cafés and restaurants within a few blocks, and the waterfront by the marina makes a good stretch for toddlers. In the car line you usually can't leave your car once you're close to the booths, so bring snacks. The boats have galleys, and WSDOT posts the seasonal galley hours on the terminal page. Port Gamble, the old company mill town on the way to the Hood Canal Bridge, is a worthwhile stop if you're early enough to give up your place.

Trucks, RVs and lost items

Boats on this route have limited height clearance, so trucks may load out of order. Anything over 80,000 lbs gross or wider than 8 ft 6 in needs WSF travel approval in advance (WSDOT asks for three business days). If you're over 80,000 lbs gross but hauling less, bring a weight slip. Items left on the Edmonds–Kingston route go to the Edmonds terminal and are held for 30 days. Call (206) 515-3439 or email WSFLost_Found@wsdot.wa.gov on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Where WA Ferry Tracker fits

Edmonds–Kingston doesn't take reservations, so there's nothing to book. Timing is your only tool. If your trip continues west to Port Townsend and over to Whidbey on the Port Townsend–Coupeville ferry, that route does take reservations, and it sells out. WA Ferry Tracker watches for open spots and sends you a WhatsApp alert.

FAQ

📤 Share this on WhatsApp

Sources

• WSDOT: Kingston terminal (boarding pass, directions, parking, bikes, amenities, lost and found)
• WSDOT: Best times to travel on ferries (Edmonds/Kingston, fall 2026)
• Kitsap Transit: Kingston Fast Ferry
• WSDOT ferry schedules

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.