In 1847 Reason B. Hall took up a donation land claim on the west bank of the Willamette. Some of his relatives had fought at the Battle of Buena Vista in the Mexican-American War, so that is what he called the place, though for a while it was also known as Hall's Landing. According to Marion County, which runs the crossing today, Hall started the ferry at about the same time. That puts the crossing's roots in the first years of American settlement in the valley, and makes it a different animal from the state highway boat, the transit ferry and the private lake boats elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest on this site.
The ferry links Marion County, on the east bank, with the hamlet of Buena Vista in Polk County, on the west, a few miles south of Independence. Marion County Public Works operates it, collects the tolls and posts its status; Polk County's own page simply sends riders to Marion County's phone line.
One caution about the figures on this page. The hours and tolls are those Marion County published through the spring and summer of 2026, and they were identical in March and August; the county's website did not respond when we tried to recheck it in late September. They have been stable for years, but a phone call to the recorded line is worth the minute it takes.
A daylight crossing with no timetable, and the river in charge
Hours as last published by Marion County Public Works, on its Hours & Fees page as archived on August 15, 2026 and identical to the March 2026 version; the county site did not respond when rechecked on September 25, 2026 Marion County Public Works — Buena Vista Ferry Hours & Fees · 2026-09-25
Three dollars a car since 2021, paid on board
The toll is charged per crossing, paid on the boat, and set by length rather than by the number of people aboard. The boat takes no credit cards: it is cash, a personal check or a Marion County ferry toll card.
The rates have not changed since March 15, 2021.
| Pedestrian | Free |
| Bicycle | $ 1 |
| Motorcycle | $ 2 |
| Under 22 ft | $ 3 |
| 22 to 42 ft | $ 6 |
| Over 42 ft | $ 9 |
| Single vehicle over 65,000 lb, or one that fills the boat | $ 18 |
Current fees effective March 15, 2021, as published by Marion County (page archived August 15, 2026) Marion County Public Works — Buena Vista Ferry Hours & Fees · 2026-09-25
Buena Vista Road on the Marion side, a pioneer hamlet on the Polk side
East landing, Marion County
The Marion County side is reached along Buena Vista Road South. The county's directions from Interstate 5 are simply to leave at the Talbot Road exit and head west. Toll cards are sold on board as well as in Salem, but the toll itself cannot go on a credit card, so bring cash or a check if you have no card.
West landing, Buena Vista
On the Polk County bank the ramp comes down at the hamlet of Buena Vista, what remains of the pioneer town. From Independence the county's directions take you south past the Independence Bridge and left onto Buena Vista Road, which leads straight to the water.
The two ramps are only about 200 yards apart by their map coordinates.
A couple of hundred yards of the Willamette, south of Independence
The crossing is one of the narrowest bits of travel in this guide: from the Marion County ramp to the Buena Vista ramp is about 200 yards of the Willamette, south of Independence. The boat does not steer across. It follows a cable strung between the banks and is driven electrically; the Corrotoman crossing at Merry Point in Virginia is guided the same way.
That simplicity is also the weakness. The county watches the Salem river gauge, closes the ferry once the water reaches about 15 feet, and this summer had to limit weights until the channel at the crossing could be dredged.
Before you turn off onto Buena Vista Road
- Call the recorded line
The Ferry Information Line on (503) 588-7979 runs around the clock and carries closures. Public Works Dispatch, (503) 588-5304, answers weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- No cards on the boat
Carry small bills, a check or a toll card. Credit cards can buy or top up a toll card, but not pay the toll on board.
- Fifteen feet closes it
When the Willamette at Salem approaches 15 feet, the crossing shuts. After heavy rain, check the gauge the county links to before setting out.
- Heavy loads, ask first
The normal ceiling is 80,000 lb and 60 ft, but the county's June 2026 notice limited loads to under 30,000 lb while the river was low. Truck drivers should phone before counting on it.
- Get closures by email
Marion County runs an email list for unscheduled Buena Vista closures caused by mechanical problems or high or low water; sign up from its ferry status page.
- Walkers free, bikes a dollar
Pedestrians cross for nothing and a bicycle is $1.00, which makes this a cheap way over the river for anyone riding between Polk and Marion counties.
Pottery, hops and the state capital that went to Salem
For a few decades Buena Vista was a real town. The county's history lists two doctors, a drugstore, saloons, a hotel, churches, a busy sawmill and a two-story school, and says the town was considered as a site for the new state capital. Much of that came from clay. Freeman Smith, who had worked in a pottery back east, arrived after the Civil War, built kilns near the ferry and started Smith and Company, which shipped crockery up and down the Willamette; his sons later added flowerpots and sewer pipe, and a 15-inch pipe fired at Buena Vista still runs under SE Stark Street in Portland. Hops carried the local economy for another half century.
Then the railroad bypassed the town, hop prices fell, the pottery moved to Portland and Salem became the capital. By the early 1960s most of the buildings were gone, leaving a small market and the cemetery. The ferry kept going. Its current boat, a cable-guided electric vessel, went into service in 2011, replacing a diesel ferry that had worked the crossing for more than half a century. For a public crossing run on quite different terms, compare Washington's toll-free ferry at Keller, which the state operates as part of State Route 21.
A cable-guided electric boat from 2011
Buena Vista Ferry questions, from toll card to river level
How much is the toll for a car at Buena Vista?
$3.00 per crossing for a vehicle under 22 feet, $6.00 from 22 to 42 feet including any trailer, and $9.00 beyond that. A single vehicle over 65,000 lb, or one that takes the whole boat, pays $18.00. Walkers are free, bicycles $1.00, motorcycles $2.00.
Can I pay with a credit card on the ferry?
No. On board the county takes cash, personal checks or a Marion County ferry toll card. A credit card can be used to buy or reload a toll card at Public Works in Salem, by phone or online, but not at the ramp.
When does the last crossing of the day happen?
The crossing closes for the day at 17:30. The county's published hours begin at seven each morning, every day of the week, and the boat stays tied up only on Thanksgiving and December 25.
Why would the ferry be closed on an ordinary day?
High water, low water, a power outage or a mechanical problem. The county shuts the crossing when the Willamette reaches about 15 feet at Salem, and the recorded line on (503) 588-7979 says if the boat is working that day.
Is a toll card worth buying?
If you cross regularly, yes: the county adds a 10 % credit to any purchase of $50 or more, and the same card is accepted on Marion County's other ferry.
Can a loaded truck use the ferry?
Normally up to 80,000 lb and 60 feet. In June 2026 the county limited loads to under 30,000 lb because of low river levels, pending dredging, so heavy vehicles should call Public Works before relying on it.
When did the crossing begin?
Marion County dates it to Reason B. Hall, who settled at Buena Vista in 1847 and started the ferry around the same time. The boat in use now dates from 2011.