Lummi Island Ferry Schedules 2026

The Lummi Island Ferry is a county-run car and passenger ferry in Whatcom County, Washington, United States — the only public link to Lummi Island, which has no bridge. Whatcom County Public Works operates it across Hale Passage from Gooseberry Point, on Lummi Nation land west of Bellingham, in about five minutes.

You cannot book, and you cannot pay cash

There are no reservations — vehicles queue at the dock. There is also no cash: fares use multi-ride punch cards bought online or by mail, and they are not sold in person. Needs-based punch cards exist for those who require them. When the dock does not clear, the county runs extra unscheduled sailings rather than holding traffic to the timetable.

Two restrictions that stop vehicles boarding

Anything over 40,000 GVW is barred whenever the tide is below zero — a tidal limit rather than a scheduled one, so it moves through the calendar. And some weekday runs are fuel-truck only: no other vehicle boards, and you wait for the following sailing. Neither restriction appears in a timetable; both decide whether you cross.

Hours

Monday to Friday 05.40 to 00.10, Saturday 07.00 to 00.30, Sunday and holidays 07.00 to 00.10 — 37 crossings a day in each direction, running past midnight every day of the week.

The vessel

The M/V Whatcom Chief has worked the route since 1962, carrying 20 vehicles and around 100 passengers. She goes to dry dock from 12 September to 4 October 2026. The county has been planning a replacement vessel and dock upgrade costed at roughly $35 million. Lummi Island itself is known for its indigenous reef-net salmon fishery.