Wahkiakum County Ferry
Ferry Schedule
| Departing PUGET ISLAND, WA to Westport, OR |
Departing WESTPORT, OR to Puget Island, WA |
||
| 5:00 a.m. 6:00 a.m. 7:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 11:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. |
1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 3:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. 9:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m. |
5:15 a.m. 6:15 a.m. 7:15 a.m. 8:15 a.m. 9:15 a.m. 10:15 a.m. 11:15 a.m. 12:15 p.m. |
1:15 p.m. 2:15 p.m. 3:15 p.m. 4:15 p.m. 5:15 p.m. 6:15 p.m. 7:15 p.m. 8:15 p.m. 9:15 p.m. 10:15 p.m. |
Location of ferry terminal
Driving directions
From the Town of Cathlamet, go south on Main Street/SR 409 and go straight, cross bridge between Cathlamet and Puget Island, continue on SR409 for approx. 4 miles to terminal of SR409.
Single Trip Rates: |
|
Passenger cars, pickups under 20 feet |
$5.00 |
Foot passengers |
$1.00 |
Bicycles |
$2.00 |
Motorcycles |
$3.00 |
Motorhomes, large trucks, trailers |
fee by length |
Frequent Traveler Tickets: |
|
Tickets can be purchased from Ferry Crew |
|
Passenger cars, pickups under 20 fee t- 22 trips |
$64.00 |
Passenger cars, pickups under 20 feet - 44 trips |
$125.00 |
Ferry History
HistoryLink.org
Essay 8029
In June 1925, Walter Coates begins regular service across the lower Columbia River using twin eight-car diesel ferries. He operates one ferry between the town of Cathlamet and Puget Island, both in Wahkiakum County, and a second ferry between the other side of the island and Westport, Oregon. The two-ferry river crossing is made possible by the opening of a road across the two-and-a-half-mile-wide island. Coates uses an old Buick to shuttle foot passengers from one ferry to the other.
Coates sold the ferry service in 1932, fearing that as the highway on the Washington side extended downriver he would lose business to the Astoria ferry. But the two-ferry river crossing at Puget Island continued under other owners until 1939, when the opening of the Puget Island-Cathlamet Bridge (now the Julia Butler Hansen Bridge) eliminated that ferry crossing.
By then Elmer Danielsen and his wife owned and operated the Puget Island to Westport ferry. In 1948, the Danielsens built for the run the Alamar, a 14-car ferry that cost $43,700. After the Danielsens ended operations in 1959, Wahkiakum County took over the ferry service, using leased equipment for several years.
In 1962, the County commissioned construction of a new ferry, the Wahkiakum. It cost $46,000, featured a navigation system and twin diesel engines providing 300 horsepower, and accommodated 12 cars on its 36-by-75-foot deck.
Walter Coates began ferry service across the Columbia River via Puget Island in June 1925.
The Wahkiakum has made the one-and-a-half mile run between Puget Island and Westport ever since. Operated by the Wahkiakum County Public Works Department, it operates 365 days a year, making at least 18 runs a day.
The Wahkiakum is the last ferry on the lower Columbia