Record summer for Washington State Ferries culminates with busy Labor Day weekend

Nearly 400,000 riders to set sail on holiday trips

SEATTLE - The final tsunami of summer travelers is heading for Washington State Ferries. Close to 400,000 people are expected on board between Thursday, Sept. 3, and Monday, Sept. 7.

The Labor Day travel rush will cap WSF's busiest summer since 2019. From Memorial Day through the final Sunday in August, ridership has totaled nearly 7 million. That's an increase of nearly 100,000 over the same period in 2025.

Plan ahead for Labor Day ferry travel

People boarding a vessel in a vehicle should use the Washington State Department of Transportation mobile app or visit the WSF website before heading to the terminal. Both feature sailing schedules, live terminal conditions, rider alerts, a real-time map and vehicle reservations.

Saturday, Sept. 5, is expected to see the heaviest passenger traffic. So far in 2026, WSF has recorded six days with more than 90,000 riders. All six were Saturdays, including:

• 99,557 on Aug. 8 (busiest day since Aug. 17, 2019).
• 98,174 on July 18.
• 96,243 on Aug. 15.
• 93,667 on July 25.
• 93,329 on Aug. 1.
• 93,067 on July 3.

"Seeing more people ride with us is a clear sign that we're moving in the right direction and rebuilding confidence in our system," said Steve Nevey, head of WSF. "We're not taking that for granted. We remain focused on recruiting, training and retaining the employees we need to deliver reliable service. At the same time, we're working to improve on-time performance, and our crews and maintenance teams are doing all they can to keep our aging fleet sailing safely until our new ferries arrive."

Busy travel times

The busiest sailings for vehicles will likely be westbound (or onto an island) Thursday and Friday, Sept. 3-4, then eastbound (or off island) Sunday and Monday, Sept. 6-7. Prepare for long lines and extended wait times. To reduce or eliminate waiting, riders should consider taking early-morning or late-night sailings or using transit to walk or bike onto the ferry if possible.

Holiday schedules

On Labor Day, Sept. 7, there will be a few holiday adjustments to daily schedules for the Anacortes/San Juan Islands, Edmonds/Kingston, Port Townsend/Coupeville and Point Defiance/Tahlequah routes. These changes are marked online on each schedule by route. Seattle/Bainbridge and Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth will run on their weekend/holiday timetables.

People using state highways to get to the ferry terminal should plan for potential holiday travel backups and delays by checking real-time traffic information on the WSDOT mobile app or online using the WSDOT travel map feature.

WSF, a division of WSDOT, is the largest ferry system in the U.S. and safely and efficiently carries tens of millions of people a year through some of the most majestic scenery in the world.