Check the clock and the tide before you turn off for the Upper Ferry, and check the number of people in the car. Those three things decide whether you cross; money never does. The ferry is a small county-run cable boat over the Wicomico River on Maryland's Eastern Shore, it costs nothing, and it is in service seven days a week from 7 a.m. The closing time is the part to plan around. It moves with the season, the county does not bend it, and until October 31, 2026 it is 6 p.m. From November 1 it comes forward to 5:30 p.m. for the winter.
Wicomico County's Department of Public Works runs the crossing through its Roads Division, alongside the county's other cable ferry at Whitehaven, and between them the two boats make roughly 200,000 trips a year. Do not expect a timetable or a ticket window. The boat shuttles on demand and carries up to six passengers at a time, so how long you wait depends on the line of cars ahead, not on a timetable.
Keep the hotline number in the car: 410-543-2765. It is staffed seven days a week and it is how the county tells people when the ferry is down for weather, maintenance or a problem with the cables.
Four seasons of opening hours, and a hard stop at closing
Seasonal opening hours as published by Wicomico County, read on October 1, 2026: September 16 – October 31, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; November 1 – February 28, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wicomico County — Ferry Schedule · 2026-10-01
No toll here, and none in the county's memory
Nobody on either bank takes money. The county says it has run its ferry service free of charge since the service began, and that holds for drivers and walk-on passengers alike.
| Car, pickup or trailer within the limits | Free |
| Passenger or walk-on | Free |
Free, according to Wicomico County, checked on October 1, 2026 Wicomico County — Ferry Schedule · 2026-10-01
Two ramps at the ends of the same road
Upper Ferry north landing
This is the side the county gives an address for, and it carries a Salisbury postal address even though it is well out of town. North Upper Ferry Road simply runs down to the ramp; there is no building to go into and no ticket to buy.
Come with a plan B if you are towing. The county warns that there is only a limited area for turning round, and a trailer that is refused because of the tide, or that arrives after closing, has to back out of a narrow approach.
Upper Ferry south landing
The south bank is also Wicomico County, so this crossing never leaves the county; the road on this side is South Upper Ferry Road, and the county publishes no street number for it. The same warning applies: if the boat is on the other side you wait at the ramp, and if it is closed you turn in a tight space.
A 465-foot hop over the Wicomico, strung between two cables
The Wicomico River here is narrow enough that the crossing is measured in feet: the county puts it at 465 feet per trip. The boat has no steering of its own. It is pulled and guided along cables fixed to each bank, which is why, when it goes to the shipyard, a tug has to tow it there.
Both banks are in Wicomico County, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, south-west of Salisbury. The county's other boat, the Whitehaven Ferry, works a longer crossing farther downstream into Somerset County; that is a different crossing, with landings of its own.
Six people, one boat, and a tide that has a say
- Count heads before you board
The U.S. Coast Guard caps the boat at six passengers a trip. A van full of people may have to split up or wait for a second crossing.
- Respect the 20,000-pound limit
The county sets a weight limit of 20,000 lbs. Its older fact sheet, written after the Upper Ferry was lengthened, describes room for about three average-sized cars.
- Trailers are allowed, not guaranteed
In an August 31, 2026 notice the county confirmed trailers are still permitted, after several scraped decks and ramps. The ferry operator can refuse one if the tide makes the ramp angle unsafe, until conditions improve.
- Ring the hotline, not the office
For daily status call 410-543-2765. The Roads Division on (410) 548-4872 is the fallback the county gives in its trailer notice.
- Fog and wind close it too
Beyond breakdowns, the county names extreme tides, strong wind, dense fog, darkness, floating debris and freezing temperatures as reasons the ferry stops.
- Check the holiday list
Twelve holidays close both county ferries, among them Easter Sunday, Juneteenth and Native American Heritage Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, alongside the usual federal ones.
A 1960s boat on a county road, overhauled on a two-year cycle
The Upper Ferry's current hull dates from the 1960s, and the county treats it like a piece of road equipment. Maintenance used to alternate between its two ferries every two years; a full overhaul takes about 90 days, and the boat is towed away to a yard in Cambridge, Maryland, because it cannot steer itself. When budget cuts stopped that cycle for three years after the recession, breakdowns became more frequent. The overhaul that followed kept the Upper Ferry out of service from February 21 to June 20, 2012. The county says both ferries were completely overhauled and refurbished again in 2017 and 2019.
That history explains the style of the county's notices. They do not promise a timetable; they list reasons the boat may stop, from Coast Guard inspections to floating debris, and they ask drivers to call first. Across the state line, Delaware runs the Woodland Ferry over the Nanticoke in the same spirit, free and small, but on a weekday-only clock.
Questions drivers ask on the Wicomico before the ramp comes down
What is the Upper Ferry's closing time this fall?
At 6 p.m. until October 31, 2026, and at 5:30 p.m. from November 1 through February 28. Opening time is 7 a.m. all year. The county says there are no crossings after the posted closing time, so the last car in the queue at closing may not get over.
Is the Upper Ferry open on weekends and holidays?
Weekends yes, seven days a week. It closes on twelve holidays; the ones left this season are Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Native American Heritage Day (the Friday after Thanksgiving), plus Christmas and New Year's Day.
Will the Upper Ferry carry a car towing a boat trailer?
Yes, provided the rig stays within the weight, passenger, length and space limits. After several trailers struck the ramps, the county said on August 31, 2026 that the operator can hold back a trailer when the tide makes the ramp angle unsafe. Turning space near the approaches is limited.
How many people can ride at once?
Six passengers per trip, the limit set by the U.S. Coast Guard. A group larger than that crosses in two loads.
Who can tell me whether the Upper Ferry is closed today?
Call the Ferry Information Hotline on 410-543-2765, which the county staffs seven days a week. There is no online status page for the Upper Ferry.
Is this the same ferry as Whitehaven?
No. Both belong to Wicomico County and follow the same hours and holiday list, but Whitehaven is a separate, longer crossing downstream, into Somerset County, with its own landings. The Upper Ferry is the one on North and South Upper Ferry Road.