Work backwards from the last boat. There are four sailings a day in each direction at the moment, the gap between the middle two is two and a half hours, and if you miss the 16:30 out of Winter Harbor the alternative is a long drive right around the head of Frenchman Bay through Ellsworth and Hancock. That is the single most useful thing to know about this route, and the reason the timetable below is worth reading before the fare table.
The service is run by Downeast Windjammer Cruise Lines, a private Maine company that also runs the Cranberry Cove and Eastport–Lubec boats. It is not part of any state ferry system, so nothing about it — season, fares, timetable — is set by the Maine DOT. That puts it at the far end of a scale from the public district behind the Portland boats to Peaks Island and the non-profit that runs the Stonington mailboat. Bar Harbor departures leave from the Bar Harbor Inn Pier at 1 Newport Drive; Winter Harbor departures leave from the Schoodic Marine Center at 88 Sargent Street.
It is also, emphatically, a seasonal service. The operator publishes no start or end dates anywhere on the page, and the only firm evidence of when it stops is its own booking calendar, which on September 22 was open through October 12, 2026 and closed after that.
Four sailings each way, and the two that disappeared after Labor Day
Daily, to the end of the season
| From Schoodic Marine Center | From Bar Harbor Inn Pier |
|---|---|
| 10:00 | 09:00 |
| 12:00 | 11:00 |
| 14:30 | 13:30 |
| 16:30 | 15:30 |
Four sailings each way, daily; the operator's booking system was open through October 12, 2026 and no later, checked September 22, 2026 Downeast Windjammer — Available Trip Schedule, cross-checked against the operator's own booking calendar · 2026-09-22
Why you buy this crossing twice
The line does not sell a round trip. Every fare below buys one crossing, and a day out on the other shore means two separate tickets bought in the same booking session. The operator's own warning on the page is blunt about why: don't get stuck on the far side.
| Adult | $ 22 |
| Child 0–11, infants included | $ 18 |
| Bicycle, per seat | $ 6 |
Fares as published by the operator on September 22, 2026 Downeast Windjammer — Bar Harbor to Winter Harbor Ferry, fares · 2026-09-22
A town pier in Bar Harbor, a marina in Winter Harbor
Neither end has a terminal building. Both are piers you walk onto, which makes the departure times below the only real infrastructure this route has. That is common enough on the New England coast, where the pier often is the terminal.
Schoodic Marine Center
The Winter Harbor end is a small working marina on the eastern shore of Frenchman Bay, at the top of the Schoodic Peninsula. The operator says the free Island Explorer shuttle meets the boat here and is built to carry bikes, which is how most foot passengers get out to the Schoodic loop and back without a car.
Winter Harbor is a small village with a handful of places to eat, and the ferry company suggests picking up a Schoodic Chamber brochure before you go. This is the end of the route where it pays to know your departure time before you wander off.
Bar Harbor Inn Pier
In Bar Harbor the boat uses the pier on the waterfront side of the Bar Harbor Inn, a few minutes on foot from the shops and restaurants along Main Street and Cottage Street. That address, 1 Newport Drive, is also the operator's own mailing address.
Arriving here puts you in the busy half of Acadia: town buses, bike rental, whale-watch berths and the Frenchman Bay windjammer fleet are all within walking distance of the ramp.
Straight across Frenchman Bay instead of around the head of it
The road between these two towns runs all the way around the head of Frenchman Bay through Ellsworth and Hancock. The boat goes straight across it, which is the whole point of the service.
Getting the day right on the Schoodic side
- Two tickets, one booking
One-way tickets only. Choose the outbound sailing, then book the return in the same session; there is no all-day fare and no open return.
- Nothing after October 12
The operator's booking calendar was selling every day up to October 12, 2026 and nothing later, in either direction. It had not opened any 2027 dates when this page was checked.
- The free shuttle meets the boat
The operator says the Island Explorer shuttle is at the Winter Harbor landing when the ferry arrives, and that it is designed to carry bicycles.
- Bikes yes, e-bikes no
A bicycle costs $6 per seat each way. Electric bikes are refused outright, which catches people out on a route where cycling the Schoodic loop is the obvious plan.
- Pets travel
The line lists the crossing as pet friendly, unusual for a small Maine tour boat operator.
- This route has its own phone number
Questions about this crossing go to (207) 288-2984, not to the company's Cherryfield or Bar Harbor office numbers.
Two very different sides of the same national park
Bar Harbor and the Schoodic Peninsula are both Acadia National Park, and they feel nothing like each other. Mount Desert Island carries the visitor centers, the carriage roads, the crowds and the parking problems. Schoodic is the park's only mainland section: one loop road, a research campus at the old Navy base, and a lot more room. The ferry is the fastest way to swap one for the other, and for walk-on passengers the shuttle waiting at the Winter Harbor landing makes it possible to do that without a car at either end.
That also explains the shape of the season. The crossing exists for park traffic, so it thickens in July and August — the printed table carries a fifth round trip then, at 17:30 out of Bar Harbor and 18:30 back — and it thins to four in September before stopping altogether in October, long before the ice that closes other New England crossings has anything to do with it.
What to check before booking the Schoodic crossing
How late in the year does the Winter Harbor ferry run?
The operator's own booking system was taking reservations for every day up to and including October 12, 2026, and offered nothing after that, in either direction. It has published no season dates in words anywhere on the route page, so that calendar is the best answer available — and it is worth re-checking, because opening more dates would change it.
Why are there only four sailings a day now?
Because the 17:30 from Bar Harbor and the 18:30 from Winter Harbor carry an asterisk in the operator's table: they are not available after Labor Day. In high summer the route runs five round trips a day; in the fall it runs four.
Is there a round-trip ticket for the day?
No. The line sells one-way tickets only, at $22 for an adult and $18 for a child aged 0 to 11. A day trip is two tickets, and the operator tells you outright to book the return before you leave.
How do I get around once I land at Winter Harbor?
The operator says the free Island Explorer shuttle meets the ferry at the Winter Harbor landing and is designed to carry bicycles, which is how walk-on passengers reach the Schoodic loop road. Confirm the shuttle's own season if you are travelling late in the year.
Can I bring a bicycle, and can I bring an electric one?
A conventional bicycle costs $6 per seat each way. Electric bikes are not carried — the operator states that flatly, and it is the detail most likely to spoil a Schoodic cycling plan.
Which Bar Harbor pier does the ferry use?
The Bar Harbor Inn Pier at 1 Newport Drive, on the waterfront side of the inn, rather than from the town's cruise or whale-watch berths. It is a short walk from Main Street.
Is there a vehicle deck on this boat?
No. This is a passenger boat and there is nowhere to put a car. If you need one on the Schoodic side you drive around the bay through Ellsworth and Hancock instead.