In 1817, the year James Monroe took office, someone began carrying travelers across the mile-wide Susquehanna at Millersburg. That was not remarkable: hundreds of ferries worked American rivers then, and by the operator's own account regular scheduled service here started around 1825. What is remarkable is the arithmetic of the two centuries since. Bridges took the traffic, engines outpaced the boats, highways routed around the crossings, and the ferries went one by one — except this one. The nearest thing to a companion survivor is the cable ferry at Bemus Point, kept alive by volunteers for reasons that have nothing to do with saving time.
The Millersburg Ferry Boat Association, a non-profit formed in 1968 to keep the thing afloat, runs two wooden vessels named the Roaring Bull and the Falcon. Each carries four cars or eight or more motorcycles and up to fifty passengers, and each is driven by two large paddle wheels mounted at the stern rather than a propeller — a design the association dates on this route to 1873. Passengers can watch the wheels turning from the deck, which is a fair part of why people come.
The crossing is listed on the National Register of Historic Places under reference number 06000663, and the Park Service records it not as a building but as a site: the river reach between Millersburg in Dauphin County and Buffalo Township in Perry County, with the landings counted as contributing features. The association's own timeline gives 1972 as the listing year; the federal record gives 2006. The listing is real either way, and the difference is the sort of thing that happens when a volunteer organization writes its own history.
A season instead of a schedule, and a phone number instead of a timetable
Season and operating conditions as published by the Millersburg Ferry Boat Association, read on September 22, 2026 Millersburg Ferry Boat Association — FAQs · 2026-09-22
What the deckhand collects, and why the driver rides free
Vehicle fares here include the driver, which is the opposite of how most American ferries price a car. $20.00 puts a car and its driver across one way; each additional passenger aged four and over is another $5.00 on top, so a full car costs more than the vehicle line suggests. Children under three are free.
Payment is a deckhand and a cash box. The association says cash is the fastest and preferred method and asks for small bills; cards, in its own words, may occasionally be accepted in limited situations, which is not a promise to plan a day around.
| Walk-on passenger, 4 and over, one way | $ 5 |
| Walk-on passenger, round trip | $ 10 |
| Additional passenger in a vehicle, one way | $ 5 |
| Child under 3 | Free |
| Car, pickup, SUV or van, one way | $ 20 |
| Car, pickup, SUV or van, round trip | $ 40 |
| Motorcycle or golf cart, one way | $ 15 |
| Motorcycle or golf cart, round trip | $ 30 |
| Horse and buggy, one way | $ 30 |
| Horse and buggy, round trip | $ 60 |
| Trailer, size at the captain's discretion, one way | $ 20 |
| Trailer, round trip | $ 40 |
| Charter, first hour | $ 300 |
| Charter, each additional hour | $ 150 |
| Annual member | $ 25 |
| Supporting member, two complimentary passes | $ 50 |
| Restoration member, four passes | $ 100 |
| Sternwheeler Society, six passes | $ 500 |
| Captains Club, eight passes | $ 1,000 |
2026 Season Pricing as published by the Millersburg Ferry Boat Association, read on September 22, 2026 Millersburg Ferry Boat Association — Rates · 2026-09-22
North Street on one side, a gravel lane on the other
Neither ramp is a terminal. One is the end of a borough street with restrooms beside it; the other is a track down to a bank in Perry County with no street number at all. Of the Mid-Atlantic crossings covered here, this is the one that gives away least on shore.
Millersburg loading ramp, east shore
North Street runs down to the river and stops, and that is the ramp. From Harrisburg the approach is US-209 north and US-22 east through Halifax; from Interstate 81 it is exit 107 and about twelve miles south on PA-209, then the local signs. Restrooms are near this ramp and nowhere else — there are none on the boat.
The drill on arrival is simple and worth knowing in advance: pull forward onto the dock ramp, stay in the vehicle, and wait for a deckhand to wave you on. There is no booth, no queue marshal and no ticket. You pay the deckhand once you are aboard.
Ferry Lane ramp, west shore
The Perry County side is a gravel access road down to the riverbank, reached either from US-11/US-15 by way of Route 34 east toward Liverpool and then Route 104 south, or from Duncannon by taking Route 849 north along the river. The National Park Service files the crossing as running between Millersburg and Buffalo Township, which is the correct name for this bank — Liverpool is the road sign you follow, not the place you land.
The operator warns that cell service near the river can be unreliable, and suggests saving the directions before you leave.
A mile of Susquehanna, wide and shallow
The two ramps sit a little under a mile apart, which is why both the operator and the National Park Service describe this as crossing a mile-wide river. The Park Service records the listed property as the reach of the Susquehanna between Millersburg and Buffalo Township, landings included — the river itself is the historic site, not just the boats on it.
Riding a paddle boat that is still doing a job
- Call before you drive
717-692-2442 plays a recorded message with the day's operating status and the seasonal schedule. It is the only published way to know whether the boats are running today.
- Bring cash, in small bills
You pay the deckhand as you board. Cash is preferred and exact change is appreciated; card acceptance is described by the association as occasional and limited.
- Motorcycles are a specialty here
The association says motorcycles are welcome and very popular, and that the ramp and dock are fully paved, so there is no loose gravel on the approach.
- Anything big needs a call first
Most standard vehicles fit. Oversized RVs, trailers and commercial vehicles should contact the association in advance, because deck space varies by boat.
- Leashed pets ride
Dogs are welcome aboard on a leash, kept under control and cleaned up after.
- Loading is over a boat ramp
The association is honest that the ramp can be difficult for some mobility devices, and asks wheelchair users to call ahead so it can plan the boarding.
How a paddle wheel survived into the twenty-first century
The association is careful about how it describes the machinery. Instead of a propeller, each boat has two large paddle wheels at the stern; they rotate through the water and push the hull forward, and the association's phrase for the result is steady and reliable force rather than speed. It also insists on the distinction that matters here: these are not a museum display. The same two boats carry real vehicles across a real river every operating day of the season, and the wheels are working in plain view from the deck.
The river decides the rest. The season is May through October, weather and river conditions permitting, and the association names three things that stop the crossing outright — extreme weather, water that is too high, and water that is too low. Light rain is not one of them: there is some covered seating, and the captain makes the call. A 15-to-25-minute crossing that varies by ten minutes depending on conditions tells you how much the river is in charge.
Keeping wooden hulls in service costs more than $20.00 a car can cover, which is why the fare table sits beside a membership table. Twenty-five dollars a year gets a letter of appreciation; $50 adds two complimentary passes, $100 four, $500 six and $1,000 eight and a gift. Charters fill the gaps: $300 buys the first hour, $150 every hour after it, for parties of up to 45.
Roaring Bull and Falcon, four cars apiece
Before you drive down to the Millersburg ramp
Is the ferry running today?
The published way to find out is the recorded message on 717-692-2442, which carries the day's operating status and the seasonal schedule, or the association's Facebook feed. The status banner on its website is meant to do the same job, but it was still showing a closure notice from the previous August when this page was written, so do not rely on it alone.
When does the season start and finish?
May through October, weather and river conditions permitting. The association does not publish exact opening and closing dates in advance — it announces them on social media when they are decided, which means a late-October crossing is a phone call rather than a plan.
Is the driver included in the $20.00 car fare?
Yes, which is the unusual part — most American ferries charge the driver separately. Everyone else aged four and over is $5.00 each, one way, and children under three ride free. Round trips are exactly double: $40.00 for the car, $10.00 per additional passenger.
Why isn't there a departure timetable?
Because the boats do not run to one. They shuttle back and forth while the ferry is operating, loading on a first come, first served basis with no reservations. The association's only timing advice is to allow ten to fifteen minutes extra on busy summer weekends in July and August.
What actually makes the boat move?
Two paddle wheels mounted at the stern, one on each side, turning through the water. The association is clear that these are working vessels rather than a museum display, and that the wheels are visible from the deck throughout the crossing.
Can I pay by card at the ramp?
Plan on cash. The association takes payment from a deckhand as you board, says cash is the fastest and preferred method, asks for small bills, and describes card acceptance as something that may occasionally happen in limited situations.
How wide is the river here, and how long does the crossing take?
About a mile of Susquehanna, and 15 to 25 minutes depending on river conditions. The same figure appears on the association's vessel pages and its FAQ, so it is not a rounded-up marketing number.
Does the ferry land in Liverpool?
No. The western ramp is at the end of Ferry Lane in Buffalo Township, Perry County. Route 34 east toward Liverpool and then Route 104 south is one of the two signed approaches, which is where the association between the ferry and the town comes from, but the landing itself is on a gravel lane several miles from it.
What does chartering the whole boat cost?
The first hour is $300, every hour after it $150, and a charter carries up to 45 guests. The association asks for at least two weeks' notice so it can confirm the date, the deck space and a crew.