Ferries from Westport, OR

Westport is the Oregon end of the only car ferry still crossing the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington — 18 sailings, fifteen minutes, replacing a detour of many miles in either direction since 1962.

The crossing

Westport to Cathlamet takes about 15 minutes, with 18 sailings and 36 across the landing in both directions, on a vessel with room for roughly a dozen vehicles. Operated by Wahkiakum Ferry.

⚠ One boat and no overflow

A busy summer weekend, a mechanical problem or high water on the river all mean the same thing: the alternative is the bridge at Longview, roughly forty miles upstream, or Astoria roughly the same distance down.

Eighteen sailings sounds like enough until the one you wanted is full. Build that into the plan rather than discovering it at the ramp.

Where the road goes

Westport sits on US 30, the highway along the Oregon bank between Portland and Astoria. Turning off it onto the ferry is the fast way into southwest Washington without doubling back.

Astoria, where the Columbia meets the Pacific, is about forty minutes west.

The river here

This far downstream the Columbia is wide, tidal and full of islands, with ocean-going ships using the main channel and the ferry crossing behind them. It was the route of the Astoria fur trade and the last leg of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Season

Year round, weather and river conditions permitting. Fog on the lower Columbia is the most common reason a sailing does not happen.