Ferries from Kingston

Kingston is the Kitsap end of the crossing that bypasses Seattle, and its usefulness is geographic: from here the road runs straight to the Hood Canal Bridge and the Olympic Peninsula without touching a city.

The crossing

Kingston to Edmonds takes about 30 minutes, with 26 sailings in our timetable and 52 across the terminal in both directions. Operated by Washington State Ferries.

⚠ This is the Olympic Peninsula route, not the Kitsap one

Kingston sits at the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. For Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend or the north side of Olympic National Park, this is the shortest way from the Seattle side.

For Bremerton, Port Orchard or the southern peninsula it is the wrong crossing — those are better served from Bremerton or Southworth.

Arrival order, not reservations

No reservation system on this route. Vehicles queue and load in the order they arrived, and on summer weekends the holding lanes fill and the wait is measured in sailings rather than minutes.

Foot passengers are unaffected, and a fast passenger-only service also runs from Kingston to Seattle separately from the car ferry.

The village

Kingston's centre is immediately above the terminal — a short main street with a marina, a few restaurants and a farmers' market in season. Walking off and staying put is a viable afternoon.

Where the road goes

West from Kingston, about 30 minutes, to the Hood Canal Bridge — roughly 2.4 km long and the longest floating bridge over salt water anywhere. Beyond it, Highway 101 opens the Olympic Peninsula.

South through Poulsbo, about 20 minutes, to Bainbridge and the Agate Pass bridge. Port Angeles is around 2 hours west; Port Townsend about 1 hour.

Timing

The peaks mirror Edmonds in reverse: heavy westbound on Friday, heavy eastbound on Sunday evening, on top of the weekday commuter flow.