Ferries from Coupeville

This is one of only two Washington State Ferries routes where a vehicle reservation is required rather than merely recommended — and one where a low tide can cancel your sailing outright. Admiralty Inlet does not behave like the rest of Puget Sound.

The crossing

Coupeville to Port Townsend takes about 30 minutes across Admiralty Inlet, with 18 sailings in our timetable and 37 across the terminal in both directions. Operated by Washington State Ferries.

⚠ Reserve the vehicle; the tide may still win

Vehicle space on this route is limited and reservations are required. Foot passengers do not need one.

Separately, low tides can alter or cancel sailings here — the terminal geometry and the currents through Admiralty Inlet leave less margin than elsewhere in the system. A confirmed reservation is not a guarantee that the boat runs.

It used to be called Keystone

The crossing operated as the Keystone–Port Townsend route from the 1930s until it was renamed in 2010. Older signage, older guidebooks and a good deal of local speech still say Keystone, and the terminal sits at Keystone Harbor rather than in Coupeville village.

The village is about 10 minutes inland. Do not plan on walking it with luggage.

Where you actually are

The terminal sits inside Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve, on the narrow waist of Whidbey Island. Fort Casey State Park is immediately adjacent, with its coastal gun batteries and the Admiralty Head lighthouse.

Parking is along the road and at the state park; none of it is secured.

Why the route matters

It is the only direct link between Whidbey Island and the Olympic Peninsula. Without it, the drive is south down Whidbey, across Deception Pass or via Mukilteo, then round the bottom of the Sound — several hours either way.