1,208 feet above sea level. That is the number that decides whether the Keller Ferry runs, and it is a long way below the reservoir's normal elevation of 1,290 feet. Between those two figures sits a middle band: down to about 1,240 feet the boat works as usual, on demand, straight across. Below that, WSDOT picks up the north landing and moves it a short way up the Sanpoil River arm, and the crossing that normally takes ten minutes takes about twenty. The agency says that happens perhaps every two or three years.
The water level is not the ferry's business at all — it belongs to the Bureau of Reclamation, which manages Lake Roosevelt according to snowpack, weather and the demand for electricity. WSDOT's own page is candid that this is not predictable far ahead, and points to 2001, a year of record-low snow and unusually high power demand, as the example everyone remembers. Drivers who want the day's elevation call Reclamation on 1-800-824-4916.
Everything else about this crossing is deliberately plain. State Route 21 comes up from Wilbur, 14 miles to the south, runs out of road at the lake, resumes on the far bank in Ferry County and carries on 53 miles to Republic. The M/V Sanpoil fills the gap: 116 feet long, 45 feet in the beam, 20 cars, up to 149 passengers and two crew. About 60,000 vehicles go across in a year, almost all of them because the alternative is a very long way round.
No timetable, because the boat waits for you instead
Hours as published by WSDOT and read on September 22, 2026. WSDOT publishes them as standing practice, with no season or expiry. WSDOT — Keller Ferry · 2026-09-22
Why nobody takes your money at either landing
Nothing is collected here, from anyone, in either direction. WSDOT says so twice on the same page — once as a flat statement that there is no cost to use the Keller Ferry, and once in passing, describing it simply as the free ferry that operates seven days a week.
The reason is structural rather than generous. This is not a service the state sells; it is a stretch of State Route 21 that happens to float. None of the Washington State Ferries fare tables or ticketing arrangements reach this far east. Delaware arrives at the same answer from the opposite corner of the country at the Woodland Ferry, which a nineteenth-century act of its General Assembly obliged to carry people free.
| Car or truck | Free |
| Walk-on passenger | Free |
Confirmed free by WSDOT on September 22, 2026 WSDOT — Keller Ferry: "There is no cost to use the Keller Ferry" · 2026-09-22
Fourteen miles from Wilbur, fifty-three from Republic
Both landings are highway pull-offs rather than terminals. The nearest services of any kind are in Wilbur to the south; northbound, the next town of consequence is Republic, most of an hour away.
Keller Ferry south landing
The southern approach is a fourteen-mile run north from Wilbur on SR 21, through wheat country, and it ends at the water. WSDOT keeps a rest area right here — signed Keller Ferry, SR 21 multidirectional, at milepost 106 — with drinking water, picnic tables and accessible restrooms. It was open on the day this page was checked, and it is the only structure at either landing worth calling a facility.
There is no ticket booth to look for because there is nothing to pay, and no waiting-room, so the rest area doubles as the place to stretch while the boat comes back across.
Keller Ferry north landing
The north side is emptier still. SR 21 climbs away from the water and runs 53 miles to Republic, which makes this landing the practical gateway to a very large and thinly populated piece of Ferry County.
This is also the landing that moves. When the reservoir drops below about 1,240 feet above sea level, WSDOT shifts the north slip a short distance up the Sanpoil River arm, and the ten-minute crossing becomes roughly twenty. The agency reckons that happens perhaps every two or three years.
Just over a mile of Lake Roosevelt, at milepost 106
The two landings sit about 1.2 miles apart, almost due north and south of one another. What lies between them is not really a river any more: WSDOT describes the crossing as being on the Columbia, but the water is Lake Roosevelt, a managed reservoir, which is why the crossing's biggest variable is an elevation figure rather than a current.
Driving SR 21 with a ferry in the middle of it
- Midnight is the closing time, 11:30 is the last boat
WSDOT gives the operating window as 6 a.m. to midnight and states separately that the last run leaves at 11:30 p.m. Plan against 11:30, not against midnight.
- Big loads need a phone call
The Sanpoil takes a legally loaded truck-and-trailer combination up to 105,500 lb and vehicles up to 100 ft long. Anything beyond that has to be arranged in advance with the Davenport office on 509-324-6583.
- Ask the Bureau of Reclamation about the water
Lake levels are set by the Bureau of Reclamation and turn on snowpack, weather and power demand. Daily elevations are available on 1-800-824-4916.
- An outage is a long detour
There is no second crossing nearby. WSDOT says the detour around the ferry adds significant travel time, and that its closure signs can take up to three hours to get onto the highway.
- Sign up for the notifications
WSDOT runs an email notification list specifically for the Keller Ferry, which is the fastest official warning of an outage.
- The rest area is the amenity
Drinking water, picnic areas and ADA-accessible restrooms at the south landing, milepost 106. WSDOT notes it is not part of the agency's free coffee program.
Washington got into the ferry business on the dry side first
People picture Washington's ferries as the big white boats on Puget Sound, and WSDOT rather enjoys correcting them. The state's involvement with ferries began on the dry side of the mountains, and it began early. This run went public on September 1, 1930, when the highways department of the day bought out the private operator, a Mr. William Latta, and closed the last gap in what was then State Road #4. The state did not become a Puget Sound ferry operator until June 1, 1951, when it bought the Black Ball Line — more than twenty years later.
That order of events explains the administration. The Keller Ferry is not run by Washington State Ferries; it belongs to WSDOT's Eastern Region, Maintenance Area 3, based in Davenport, and it is maintained the way a bridge or a stretch of pavement is maintained. Its crew of eight hold United States Coast Guard licenses, awarded only after a test on this specific class of vessel.
It is also not the only boat on this reach of the Columbia. Upstream, past the confluence with the Spokane River, the Gifford–Inchelium Ferry crosses the same reservoir, and that one is run by the Colville Confederated Tribes rather than by the state. Two crossings, two owners, one lake — and both belong on the list of Pacific Northwest crossings for the same reason: the boat exists because the road stops.
One boat, 116 feet of it, and a crew of eight
Questions drivers ask before they commit to SR 21
What does it cost to take a car across on the Keller Ferry?
Nothing. WSDOT states outright that there is no cost to use the Keller Ferry, for vehicles or for foot passengers, and there is no ticketing of any kind at either landing.
How long will I wait if I just drive up?
Usually about one crossing. The service is on demand: the crew can see both landings and holds the boat on whichever side it last unloaded until a vehicle appears wanting to go the other way. WSDOT's stated reason is to avoid running empty.
What time does the last boat leave?
11:30 p.m. The operating window is 6:00 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, but the final run is half an hour before the window closes — worth remembering if you are driving SR 21 late.
Why would the ten-minute crossing suddenly take twenty?
Because the north landing has moved. When Lake Roosevelt falls below roughly 1,240 feet above sea level, WSDOT relocates the north slip a short distance up the Sanpoil River arm, which lengthens the run. The ferry can still work normally with the lake as low as 1,208 feet.
Is this part of Washington State Ferries?
No. WSDOT lists it under other ferry systems alongside the Guemes Island, Lummi Island and Steilacoom ferries. It is a highway link in eastern Washington, run out of the Davenport maintenance office, and none of the Washington State Ferries fares, reservations or schedules apply to it.
Will a loaded semi fit on the Sanpoil?
Within limits. The vessel takes a legally loaded truck-and-trailer combination of up to 105,500 lb, with a maximum vehicle length of 100 feet. Anything heavier or longer has to be cleared in advance with the Davenport office on 509-324-6583, weekdays 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
How will I know if the ferry is out of service before I drive up there?
Check WSDOT's Keller Ferry page, which carries the standing line that unless otherwise posted the ferry is operating as normal, and sign up for the agency's Keller Ferry notification list. Do not rely on roadside signs: WSDOT has said they can take up to three hours to deploy manually.
Is there anywhere to stop at the crossing?
The south landing has a WSDOT rest area at milepost 106, 14.1 miles north of Wilbur, with drinking water, picnic areas and accessible restrooms. The north landing has nothing at all, and the nearest town in that direction is Republic, 53 miles on.