1.5 miles, 23 cars, 365 days. Those are the dimensions of the Wahkiakum County ferry, the boat locals call the Puget Island or Westport ferry: one route, one vessel, the Oscar B, which the county put into service on February 27, 2015. She replaced the Wahkiakum, a 12-car boat from 1962, and carries up to 100 passengers with a crew of two.
Hourly, both ways. The Washington side has the departures on the hour, the Oregon side at a quarter past, from early morning until 10:15 p.m. A car or pickup under 22 feet pays $6, a walk-on $2.
Two other public car ferries on this site carry a highway across a river in the same way: Marion County's cable ferry at Buena Vista, on Oregon's Willamette, and the free Keller Ferry, which WSDOT runs itself on Lake Roosevelt.
Washington leaves on the hour, Oregon at quarter past
Every day of the year
| From Puget Island ferry landing | From Westport ferry landing |
|---|---|
| 05:00 | 05:15 |
| 06:00 | 06:15 |
| 07:00 | 07:15 |
| 08:00 | 08:15 |
| 09:00 | 09:15 |
| 10:00 | 10:15 |
| 11:00 | 11:15 |
| 12:00 | 12:15 |
| 13:00 | 13:15 |
| 14:00 | 14:15 |
| 15:00 | 15:15 |
| 16:00 | 16:15 |
| 17:00 | 17:15 |
| 18:00 | 18:15 |
| 19:00 | 19:15 |
| 20:00 | 20:15 |
| 21:00 | 21:15 |
| 22:00 | 22:15 |
Permanent timetable published by Wahkiakum County, unchanged between the July 5 and October 7, 2026 readings; read October 7, 2026 Wahkiakum County — Ferry, Departure Times · 2026-10-07
Six dollars a car, and the books that bring it down
Every fare is one way and paid to the crew on board. The county does not take debit or credit cards, so carry cash or a checkbook. Regular users buy the frequent-traveler books, also sold by the deckhands.
State law ties the price level to Washington's own ferry system: the fares the county sets have to be comparable to those on similar runs of Washington State Ferries, the system behind boats such as Southworth–Vashon on Puget Sound.
| Foot passenger | $ 2 |
| Bicycle | $ 3 |
| Motorcycle | $ 4 |
| Passenger car or pickup under 22 feet | $ 6 |
| Car or pickup under 22 ft, 22 trips | $ 78 |
| Car or pickup under 22 ft, 44 trips | $ 144 |
| Foot passenger, 22 trips | $ 26 |
| Bicycle, 22 trips | $ 39 |
| Motorcycle, 22 trips | $ 52 |
Single-trip and frequent-traveler rates from the county ferry page, read October 7, 2026 (unchanged since at least July 5, 2026) Wahkiakum County — Ferry, Single Trip Rates and Frequent Traveler Tickets · 2026-10-07
One ramp at the end of SR 409, the other off U.S. 30
There is nothing to reserve at either end: drive to the ramp, wait for the boat and pay the crew once aboard.
Puget Island ferry landing
The Washington landing is not in Cathlamet itself but at the far side of Puget Island. From the town, the county's directions are to head south on Main Street, which is State Route 409, cross the bridge onto the island and keep going for roughly four miles until the highway ends at the ramp.
This is where the boat starts and finishes its day, so the first sailing of the morning, at 5 a.m., leaves from here. County ferry information is on 360-795-7867.
Westport ferry landing
On the Oregon bank the ramp is at Westport, a short way off U.S. 30, the Oregon highway that the ferry ties to Washington's State Route 4. Clatsop County owns this landing; the boat that calls at it is Washington's.
Westport's boats go at a quarter past: the first at 5:15 a.m., the last at 10:15 p.m. If you arrive at 10:20 p.m., the next one is at 5:15 the following morning.
The one crossing of the lower Columbia between two bridges
The boat links the end of Washington's State Route 409 on Puget Island with U.S. 30 at Westport, Oregon. The state's county-road board puts the route at 1.5 miles, with the Astoria–Megler Bridge 43 miles downstream to the west and the Longview Bridge 26 miles upstream to the east; between them, this is the only crossing of the river.
That position is why it doubles as a detour. When State Route 4 on the Washington bank or U.S. 30 on the Oregon one is closed, the county-road board notes, traffic can switch sides here instead of driving to a bridge.
Cash, length and closures: three checks for the Puget Island ramp
- No cards on board
Cash or check only. A car is $6 each way; a 22-trip book costs $78 if you cross often.
- Sign up for closure notices
The county's alert service sends ferry notices by email, text or phone call. Public Works can help with the sign-up on 360-795-3301.
- Measure the rig
The $6 car fare stops at 22 feet. Longer vehicles, trucks and trailers are priced by length.
- Last boats
The final sailing from Puget Island is at 22:00 and from Westport at 22:15; nothing runs again until 5:00.
Why Olympia pays most of a county's ferry bill
On paper this is a county road. In practice Washington has long behaved as if the crossing were one of its own: testimony recorded in a 1987 House bill report called the ferry an extension of State Route 409, and the law that year raised Washington's share of the operating deficit from 60 to 80 percent. In 2023 the Legislature lifted it again, to 85 percent, and rewrote the findings to call the crossing an important bypass for State Route 4 and the only one between the two bridges.
The money still comes in pieces. In April 2026 a county commissioner reported that the new state budget includes a one-time $980,000 appropriation for running the ferry. The same law that pays the deficit also caps the county's freedom on price: fares must stay in line with what Washington State Ferries charges on comparable runs.
Puget Island ferry questions
Are the Wahkiakum ferry and the Puget Island ferry the same thing?
Yes. There is only one route: the county's Oscar B between Puget Island, Washington, and Westport, Oregon. People also call it the Westport or Cathlamet ferry.
Which Westport departure is the day's last?
22:15 (10:15 p.m.). Departures from Westport are at a quarter past every hour from 5:15 a.m.
Does the Oscar B crew take cards?
No. The county says it does not accept debit or credit cards at this time. Bring cash or a check: $6 for a car or pickup under 22 feet, $2 on foot.
What does a motor home or a car towing a trailer pay?
The fee depends on length and the county does not publish the amounts. Only cars and pickups under 22 feet have the flat $6 fare.
Is there a holiday timetable for Thanksgiving or Christmas?
The county says the ferry operates 365 days a year and publishes no holiday exceptions, so the hourly pattern applies every day unless a closure alert is posted.
If the ferry is down, where is the nearest bridge?
The Longview Bridge, 26 miles upstream, or the Astoria–Megler Bridge, 43 miles downstream, according to Washington's County Road Administration Board.
Do regular commuters get a better rate?
Frequent-traveler books: 22 car trips for $78 or 44 for $144, and 22 trips for $26 on foot, $39 by bicycle or $52 by motorcycle, all bought from the crew.