Vashon and Southworth Ferry Terminals: Parking, Lines, Bikes & Water Taxi

WA Ferry Tracker › Vashon and Southworth Ferry Terminals

	Vashon Island (north end)	Southworth
Address	10800 North Vashon Highway, Vashon, WA 98070	11700 SE Sedgwick Rd, Southworth, WA 98386 (Kitsap Peninsula, east of Port Orchard)
WSF boats to	Fauntleroy (West Seattle) and Southworth	Fauntleroy and Vashon
Passenger-only boats	King County Water Taxi to Pier 50, about 22 minutes	Kitsap Transit Southworth Fast Ferry to Pier 50, about 26 minutes
Fares collected?	No. Fares are paid on the other side	Yes, for trips to Vashon. Free for walk-ons and bikes to Fauntleroy
Parking	Free lot about a block uphill. Park & Rides in town	U-Park lot next to the terminal (about 215 spaces)
Walk-on boarding	Ground level, no overhead walkway or elevator	Ground level, no overhead walkway or elevator
Facilities	Waiting room, restrooms, food service, restaurant near the dock	Waiting room, restrooms, food service
Buses	King County Metro 118 and 119	Kitsap Transit (Routes 184, 185, 186)

Both terminals are first come, first served for cars. Neither takes vehicle reservations. For the route as a whole (crossing times, how the three-stop boats work), see our Fauntleroy–Vashon–Southworth route guide. This page is about what happens at the two west-side docks.

How the triangle works from the west side

The boats on this route shuttle between three docks, so a single boat from Fauntleroy may stop at Vashon and then go on to Southworth, or the reverse. From Vashon you can go east to Seattle or west to Kitsap. From Southworth you can go to Seattle or to the island. Make sure you end up in line for the right destination. Follow the signs and the traffic attendants, who stage cars so they board the right boat and come off at the right dock.

The Vashon terminal

Why there's no tollbooth leaving Vashon

This is the Vashon rule that surprises people. WSF doesn't collect fares on the island. Vehicle and motorcycle fares to and from Vashon are sold as round trips at Fauntleroy or Southworth (or at a kiosk or online in advance), and that covers your trip back. Walk-on passengers and bikes also ride free when leaving Vashon for Fauntleroy or Southworth. So if you came over from Seattle, you just get in line when you leave. The same round-trip setup applies at the south end of the island, where the Point Defiance–Tahlequah ferry runs to Tacoma.

Getting there and parking

Vashon Highway is the island's main north–south road, and it ends at the terminal. Coming from Vashon town, just head north until the road runs out.

Parking is about a block uphill from the terminal. King County says it's free. There are also Park & Ride lots in Vashon town, and Metro routes 118 and 119 connect the ferry with town, Tahlequah and Dockton. If you're visiting without a car, the bus plus a walk-on ticket is often easier than waiting in the car line on a busy afternoon.

Space counter: not here

At most terminals, the WSDOT terminal page shows roughly how many drive-up spaces are left in the holding area. WSDOT says terminal conditions aren't available for Vashon, so use the Vashon cameras on the WSDOT site to judge the line, and check Fauntleroy's conditions if you're heading back to Seattle.

Bikes and motorcycles

Bikes can skip the car line and wait near the terminal building unless crew direct them elsewhere. Arrive about 20 minutes before the sailing to board first. There's one small bike rack if you're locking up. Motorcycles can pass the line, use the HOV lane, and go to the front of the vehicle staging lanes across from the terminal building. At commute times and on weekends, attendants may give special staging instructions. Since there's no fare collection, you don't stop to pay on the island.

The King County Water Taxi

The Water Taxi to downtown Seattle uses the same WSF terminal. It's a passenger-only boat to Pier 50 that takes about 22 minutes, compared with a ferry to Fauntleroy and then a bus or drive into downtown. King County's fall–winter schedule runs Oct. 10, 2026 to April 9, 2027, with more sailings on weekdays than weekends and no service on Thanksgiving or Christmas Day. Water Taxi fares are paid when you board, not at a WSF booth, and youth 18 and under ride free. There are ticket machines at the terminal.

The Southworth terminal

Driving there

WSDOT's directions:

From I-5 (Tacoma): take exit 132 and follow SR 16 west about 23 miles to the SR 160 (Sedgwick Road) exit. Turn right at the stop sign onto SR 160 and go about 7 miles to the next stop sign. Turn right, and the dock is straight ahead. Parking is to the right of the terminal.
From Bremerton: head east on SR 16 to the Sedgwick Road (SR 160) exit, turn left on SE Sedgwick Road, and go 7.3 miles to SE Southworth Drive. Turn right and continue to the tollbooth.

The Sedgwick Road line rule

Cars line up on SE Sedgwick Road and go to the tollbooth first come, first served for the next available sailing. If the line already reaches back from the tollbooth to the SE Southworth Drive / Sedgwick intersection, WSDOT says every vehicle must join the ferry line on Sedgwick. In other words, don't try to come in along Southworth Drive and merge at the front. WSF set this up for safety and to keep loading fair.

Tickets

Buy at the auto tollbooths, the passenger booth, the kiosk in the waiting room, or online ahead of time. Prepaying doesn't reserve a spot on a boat. If you're driving to Vashon, the round-trip ticket you buy here also covers your return from the island. Walk-ons and bikes heading to Fauntleroy don't pay at Southworth. You pay on the eastbound trip back.

Parking

The lot next to the terminal is run by U-Park System and has about 215 spaces. WSDOT lists the rates from May 25, 2026 as $15 plus tax for up to 12 hours and $20 plus tax for up to 24 hours, with monthly passes available. Check the signs, since rates change. You can pay by plate and extend your time with the lot's QR code. U-Park's phone for monthly parking, carpools and vanpools is (206) 284-9797 (weekdays 8 a.m.–5 p.m.). The lot has 10 ADA spaces, and cars with a valid disabled placard or plate park free. When those spaces are full, placard holders can park free in any open space except carpool and employee spots.

For free parking, Kitsap Transit's Route 184 Harper Shuttle connects the Harper Church Park & Ride with the Southworth terminal. Route 186 links Southworth with the Port Orchard foot ferry dock. Route 185 (Mullenix) also serves the area.

Bikes and motorcycles

Bikes can skip the line. Bikes heading to Vashon must stop at the vehicle tollbooth to pay. Bikes heading to Fauntleroy can ride straight down to the front of the dock because there's nothing to pay. Arrive about 20 minutes early to board first, and walk your bike on and off the boat. There's one 8-bike rack.

Motorcycles buy tickets like cars. When the gated lane is open in heavy traffic, motorcycles can use the HOV lane to reach the dock but still have to stop at the tollbooth. On most sailings, early motorcycles are sent to the front of the dock beside the terminal building. The loading order is bikes, motorcycles, cars, then late motorcycles if there's space.

The Southworth Fast Ferry

Kitsap Transit's Southworth Fast Ferry shares the dock and runs straight to Pier 50 in downtown Seattle in about 26 minutes. It runs on weekdays, with Saturday service from May through September. Because it shares the dock with WSF, Kitsap Transit switches its timetable depending on whether WSF is running its two-boat or three-boat schedule on the triangle. In early November 2026 it was on the two-boat version through Nov. 8. Check Kitsap Transit before you count on a particular boat.

Carpools, trucks and low tides

Carpools and vanpools at both terminals must be ticketed and in line 10 minutes before the sailing for preferential loading.
Trucks over 80,000 lbs or 8'6" wide need WSF travel approval (allow three business days). The boats have limited height clearance.
Extreme low tides: vehicles with less than 14 inches of ground clearance may not be allowed to or from Vashon during extreme low tides. This matters for low trailers and some RVs.

When it's busy on the west side

WSF's fall 2026 best-times charts show that the real crunch on this route is on the Fauntleroy side on weekday afternoons and evenings, when the boats heading west to Vashon and Southworth are often full. From the west side:

Leaving Southworth: the weekday early-morning commuter boats are "sometimes" or "often full," whether you're going to Fauntleroy or Vashon. Most of the rest of the day, including weekends, is unlikely to fill.
Leaving Vashon for Fauntleroy: mostly unlikely to fill. A weekday morning sailing and a few weekend late-morning and afternoon boats are sometimes full.
Leaving Vashon for Southworth: unlikely to fill on the fall chart.

Holiday weekends and summer are busier. If you're heading back to Seattle after a day on the island, your trip home is usually the easy part. Getting to the island on a weekday afternoon is the hard part. Our Fauntleroy terminal guide and best time to take the ferry guide cover that side.

Food and facilities

Both terminals have a waiting room and restrooms, and WSDOT lists food service for both. The boats also have galleys during the day. On Vashon, King County notes a restaurant on shore near the base of the dock and vending machines in the terminal building.

Accessibility

Neither terminal has overhead passenger loading or an elevator. Walk-ons board at ground level with no overhead ramp, following crew directions. If you need to be parked near an elevator on the boat, arrive early and tell the ticket seller. At Southworth, use the 10 ADA spaces in the U-Park lot. Kitsap Transit's Southworth boat takes up to five mobility devices per trip.

Lost something?

Items left on the Fauntleroy–Vashon–Southworth boats go to the Fauntleroy terminal, where they're kept for 30 days. Call (206) 515-3439 or email WSFLost_Found@wsdot.wa.gov on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

FAQ

Do you pay for the ferry leaving Vashon Island?

No. WSF doesn't collect fares on Vashon. Drivers buy a round trip at Fauntleroy or Southworth (or online), and walk-ons and bikes ride free leaving the island.

Where do I park at the Vashon ferry terminal?

There's parking about a block uphill from the terminal, and King County says it's free. There are also Park & Ride lots in Vashon town served by Metro routes 118 and 119.

Where do I park at the Southworth ferry terminal?

In the U-Park lot next to the terminal, about 215 spaces. It's pay-by-plate with daily and monthly rates. Disabled placard holders park free. Kitsap Transit's Harper Shuttle (Route 184) links a free Park & Ride to the terminal.

Where does the Southworth ferry line start?

On SE Sedgwick Road. If the line reaches back from the tollbooth to the SE Southworth Drive intersection, every vehicle has to join the line on Sedgwick instead of coming in along Southworth Drive.

Is there a passenger ferry from Vashon or Southworth to downtown Seattle?

Yes. The King County Water Taxi runs from the Vashon terminal to Pier 50 in about 22 minutes, and the Kitsap Transit Southworth Fast Ferry runs from Southworth to Pier 50 in about 26 minutes. Both run mainly on weekdays and charge their own fares.

When is the Southworth ferry busiest?

In fall 2026, the weekday early-morning commuter boats leaving Southworth are sometimes or often full. Most other sailings from Southworth and Vashon are unlikely to fill. The heavy waits are on the Fauntleroy side on weekday afternoons.

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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.