937 feet is not much of a journey. It is the figure the ferry's own volunteers give when riders ask how far it is between the two landings, and it is short enough that a ride across the narrows of Chautauqua Lake takes about as long as the wait for it. That has been true, in one form or another, since 1811, when a small log raft was rowed and hauled across on a manila rope stretched from shore to shore.
Two things make this western New York crossing unusual enough to have its own page. The first is the machinery: it is a cable-guided ferry, one of fewer than two dozen left in the United States, and its paddle wheels are not ornament — they are what moves the boat. The bow swaps ends on each trip, so the vessel always goes forward and never backs up. The second is the money: there is no fare, only a donation box, because the whole operation is a 501(c)(3) staffed by volunteers whose pilots hold licenses from the New York State Parks Marine Services Bureau.
The third thing to know is the one that decides whether this page is useful to you today. The ferry is not running. Its schedule page says it is closed until May 28, 2027, and the front page counts that as the start of the 216th season.
Why there is no timetable, and when the boat comes back
Out of service; the operator's schedule page read "Closed till May 28th 2027" on September 22, 2026 The Bemus Point-Stow Ferry — Schedule page · 2026-09-22
A donation box where the fare table should be
There is no fare table on this crossing because there is no fare. Asked what it costs to ride, the operator answers in six words: we only ask for a donation. That applies whether you walk on, cycle on or drive on, and it is the mechanism that keeps the boat afloat — donations from riders, plus grants and gifts from foundations and neighbors, pay the bills that a volunteer crew cannot.
| On foot, by bike, by motorcycle or by car | Free |
Checked September 22, 2026 The Bemus Point-Stow Ferry — Frequent Questions · 2026-09-22
Two landings, one interstate exit each
Both ends are drive-down ramps rather than piers, and both are signposted off I-86 — exit 9 for Bemus Point, exit 8 for Stow. No other Mid-Atlantic crossing here is so completely a creature of an interstate exit.
Bemus Point Ferry Landing
The eastern landing sits under the village, next to the Village Casino — the lakeside pavilion that is the landmark the ferry's own directions tell you to aim for. It is less than a mile from exit 9 of I-86, which means most people arrive here from the interstate and are on the boat within minutes of leaving it.
There is no terminal, no booth and nothing to buy a ticket from. You drive down to the water, wait your turn, and a volunteer waves you on.
The Ferry Landing at Stow
Stow is the ferry's home port, on the western shore. Coming off I-86 at exit 8 Route 394 runs north towards Mayville; a quarter of a mile along it, Hogan's Hut marks the right turn into Stow Ferry Road, which ends at the water.
This is also where the boat is hauled out when it needs work. A recent hull repair — an eight-by-thirteen-foot patch — was done in dry dock at Stow after a community foundation grant covered the cost.
The narrows, with the interstate bridge just downstream
Chautauqua Lake pinches almost shut here, which is why a rope ferry made sense in 1811 and why the I-86 bridge was built less than half a mile to the south in 1982.
What riding a paddle-wheel barge is actually like
- Fifteen minutes, worst case
The operator's own answer to how long you wait at the landing is: usually no more than 15 minutes. No booking exists to make, and no grid of departure times exists to check.
- Six cars, not nine
The deck was rebuilt to hold nine vehicles once Chautauqua County owned it, but the volunteers cap each trip at six.
- No restrooms on board
None, and the crossing is short enough that it has never needed them. Plan accordingly on either shore.
- Step-free access
The operator lists the ferry as handicap accessible; you roll or walk on at deck level from the ramp.
- Dogs are welcome
Pets ride, on a leash for safety. The ferry keeps a page of rider dog photographs, which tells you something about the place.
- It can be chartered midweek
Birthdays, reunions and school groups can book the boat midweek during the season by emailing [email protected]. A volunteer program started by John and Betty Lou Cheney uses it as a floating classroom for local elementary school children.
Two centuries of not building a bridge here
For its first seventy-seven years the crossing was a family business, run by descendants of Thomas Bemus and other people from the two shores; in 1888 it was incorporated, with Alton Ball as president and principal pilot. It saved settlers a twenty-three-mile trip around the lake that could take three to five days on badly cleared trails, and it carried cows, sheep, horses and wagons long before it carried cars.
After Ball died, near the end of the Second World War, the Chautauqua County Highway Department bought the ferry outright and made it part of the county road system — which is how a rope raft ended up with a paddle-wheel drive and a nine-car deck. The barge that resulted is 66 feet by 34, weighs 55 tons, and has a one-person pilot house on each of its northern corners. It has changed very little since.
The bridge that should have finished it went up in 1982, less than half a mile south of the narrows. A group of volunteers led by John and Betty Lou Cheney decided the ferry was worth keeping anyway, and it has been kept by volunteers ever since. Nobody rides it to save time now: I-86 crosses the lake in under a minute. The wooden sternwheelers at Millersburg, on the Susquehanna, have survived on much the same argument.
What riders ask at the Chautauqua Lake narrows
Is the Bemus Point–Stow ferry running at the moment?
No. On September 22, 2026 the operator's schedule page read "Closed till May 28th 2027", and the front page announced that the 216th season begins on that date. No closing date for the 2026 season is published anywhere on the site.
What does a ride cost?
Nothing fixed. The ferry's own FAQ says only that it asks for a donation, and that what riders give is what pays the bills. Mailed donations go to box 339 in Bemus Point, NY 14712, and the site carries a QR code for card, PayPal or Venmo.
How long do I have to wait at the landing?
Usually no more than 15 minutes, according to the operator. There is no departure grid to consult: the boat simply shuttles across and back while it is open.
Can I drive a car or a motorcycle onto it?
Yes. The deck was built to hold nine vehicles and the volunteers limit it to six per trip, so at busy moments you may watch one crossing go without you before you board.
How does the boat cross without a propeller?
It is guided by a cable across the narrows and driven by paddle wheels. Because the bow shifts from one end of the vessel to the other between trips, it never has to turn around and never runs astern.
Are there restrooms, and is the ferry accessible?
No restrooms on board at all. The ferry is listed as handicap accessible, and dogs ride too as long as they are on a leash.
Can I hire the ferry for a party or a school trip?
Midweek during the season, yes — the operator takes requests by email at [email protected]. Local elementary school classes already ride it as a floating history lesson, a program started by the volunteers who saved the boat in the 1980s.
Why does the ferry still exist when there is a bridge right there?
Because a group of people decided in 1982 that it should. The I-86 bridge crosses the lake less than half a mile south of the narrows and takes under a minute; the ferry survived as a piece of working history rather than as a shortcut, and it is maintained and crewed by volunteers on donations and grants.