If you're planning on coming out on a whale watch with us, you've probably already heard of a few different ways to get yourself to this gorgeous island. Although San Juan Safaris does offer a Whale Plane Package (a float plane from downtown Seattle right to the Friday Harbor Marina), many visitors choose to take the Washington State Ferry from the adorable coastal town of Anacortes, Washington.
For first-time ferry-goers, the system put in place for transporting yourself to Friday Harbor seems confusing, but we're going to give you a step-by-step process for making sure you get to Friday Harbor comfortably and, most importantly, on time!
If you're only coming to San Juan Island for the day (maybe you've booked a whale watch and planned a nice meal and then you're heading back to Seattle), it's best to come as a walk-on passenger. This means you park your car at the Anacortes ferry terminal and, just like it sounds, you walk yourself onto the ferry with your backpack full of fleeces and snacks. You don't need a reservation for this method, and what's even nicer is bikes count as walk-on passengers!
Prices for Walk-On Passengers:
Child (under 6): free
Youth (6-18): $6.60
Adult (19-64): $13.25
Senior (65+): $6.60
Bicycle: additional $4
Note: ticket price is ROUND TRIP. You only pay when leaving Anacortes. When getting back on the ferry in Friday Harbor, there's no need to check in at the booth as you have already paid for that trip back. Just walk right on when they announce it!
Pretty affordable, right? Just make sure to get to the ferry terminal at least 30 minutes prior to departure to ensure you have time to park and grab a quick cup of coffee or a cheesecake from the ferry terminal cafe before boarding the ferry. Walk-on passengers often board and disembark before drive-on passengers, so keep that in mind! Once you're on the ferry, there's plenty of space to walk around, both indoors and outdoors. During the day, most ferries will have some food and drink selections onboard (some even have puzzles!).
If you're planning on staying on the island for more than just the day, or if you just really, really love having your car with you, there is an option to drive-on as well! This is a little bit trickier and more expensive, but especially if you're spending the night you will appreciate having a car to explore this fantastic island with!
You're going to want to make a reservation as soon as you know you're coming to San Juan Island. You can reserve the ferry up to the day prior to departure, but if it's an especially busy day, they may run out of reservation space. The latest possible time that I'd recommend reserving a ferry is 2 days prior to your departure day. These spots open up at 7am two days before that day, so yes, you may want to set an alarm!
Note: don't forget to reserve your ferry back as well! Although prices are round-trip, reservations ARE NOT.
Be sure to arrive 45-30 minutes before your sailing time when going either direction. If you aren't there 30 minutes prior, they may count you as a no-show and charge you a $10 no-show fee. This also applies if you miss your ferry without canceling it first. The latest you can cancel a ferry is 5pm the night before your sailing time!
If worst comes to worse and you forgot to reserve a ferry, or you booked a last-minute trip, you can always go as a stand-by passenger. Only 10% of the ferry space is saved for stand-bys, so your chances of getting on the ferry all depends on how many other stand-bys are in front of you in line. Getting to the ferry terminal as early as possible definitely ups your chances, but you are by no means guaranteed a spot with your car as a stand-by. Keep in mind, if you're in line as a stand-by and cannot make it onto the ferry, there won't be any time to move your car to parking and walk-on, so that sailing time will no longer be an option for you!
The key for driving on, really, is just thinking ahead.
Here's some pricing for drive-ons:
Standard vehicle + driver: $63.75
Additional passengers: see walk-on prices
Note: ticket price is ROUND TRIP. You only pay when leaving Anacortes. When getting back on the ferry in Friday Harbor, there's no need to check in at a booth as you have already paid for that trip back. An attendant in an orange vest will come around and check your reservations, but will not collect money. Just park yourself in line and drive on when they announce it!
Make sure to choose an appropriate sailing time for your trip to San Juan Island. I always recommend taking an earlier time than you think you'd need - ferries sometimes run behind schedule and it's always nice to have time to run to the deli and take a bathroom break before checking in for your whale watch. Most ferry rides are 1 hour and 15 minutes, unless you're taking the last ferry off island (10pm), which takes a full two hours as it stops at Shaw, Lopez, and Orcas on the way to Anacortes.
I hope this eases the process of getting to San Juan Island, and as always, call if you have any questions and we'd be happy to help out!
360-378-1323
Naturalist Sarah C.