Washington’s Ferry-Only Island Hops That Turn A Simple Ride Into An Adventure

Ready to turn a simple ferry ride into a full-on mini adventure? Washington’s ferry-only island hops make it easy, because the moment you leave the dock, the whole day starts feeling lighter and more fun.

The water opens up, the skyline shifts, and you get that satisfying sense of going somewhere even if the ride is short. On deck, everything slows down in the best way.

You watch seals if you get lucky, wave at passing boats, and breathe that salty air that makes normal errands feel far away. Then you step off and the island vibe kicks in fast.

Small main streets, quiet roads, beaches, and trails show up like a choose-your-own-day trip, and you can keep it easy or make it active. The best part is the rhythm.

The ferry schedule gives your day a natural structure, so you explore, grab food, and head back without overplanning. This list is for Washington island hops where the ride is half the fun, and the destination feels like you earned it the moment the boat pulls away.

1. Bainbridge Island (Washington State Ferries)

The first push off the Seattle dock always feels like a reset, right when the skyline slides behind and the ferry hum evens out. You wander the outer deck, breathe salt in the air, and watch seagulls stitch lazy arcs above the wake while Bainbridge rises in greens and blues.

Even on a gray Washington day, the water has that pewter shine that makes you slow down without trying.

Once you roll off at Winslow, everything feels walkable, shaded, and unhurried, with sidewalks that invite wandering and quiet side streets that feel lived in. If you like small galleries, tucked bookshops, and a waterfront that actually looks used, you will find them within minutes, along with pocket parks where you can sit and listen to soft harbor sounds.

Trails thread the island, and you can dip into a forest loop or just follow the shoreline because the light keeps changing.

Back on the ferry later, grab a window seat and let the city reappear inch by inch like a reveal you already know but still want to watch. The Olympic Mountains float to the west when the clouds behave, and the Cascade ridgeline holds steady on the other side of the Sound.

It is an easy hop that feels bigger than it is, and that is the whole point of these rides across Washington waters.

2. Vashon Island (Washington State Ferries)

This crossing feels like a local secret that is not really a secret, because the boats keep sliding in and out all day while the neighborhood carries on. From Fauntleroy, the lane markers click forward, gulls heckle the cars, and the water sits flat as you angle toward Vashon’s dark shoreline.

It is close to Seattle, but the minute the ramp drops, the island pace drops with it.

Vashon has long roads shaded by tall trees, scattered studios, and a sense that detours are expected rather than avoided. If you want a quieter arrival, the short hop from Point Defiance to Tahlequah brings you in through the south end, where the beaches are wide and the mood is softer.

You can park and wander, or keep driving until the road ends and the views open toward Mount Rainier when the sky cooperates.

Going back is half the charm, because the two routes feel different in tone even though they share the same water. Pick one way in and the other way out, and you have a loop that feels like a tiny tour of Washington without ever leaving Puget Sound.

You end up back on the mainland feeling like you borrowed a day that was not on the calendar.

3. San Juan Island (Washington State Ferries)

If you want that classic archipelago feeling, this run through the San Juans delivers it before you even choose a seat. The ferry threads channels dotted with tiny forested islands, and the water keeps changing from slate to teal while kelp beds trace long commas along the rocks.

You lean on the rail and watch for seals because someone always whispers that they saw one just now.

Friday Harbor on San Juan Island arrives like a postcard that people actually use, all ramps, slips, and practical bustle. You can walk right off the boat and be in town within minutes, with shops, docks, and side streets that bend toward the water.

Outside of town, the island opens into rolling fields, windswept shorelines, and those slow curves that make you pull over just to look.

The ride back is never a repeat, because light and tide flip the script every time. Sometimes the boat stops at other islands, and you get that satisfying pause where a different pier fills your window and island life swaps places with yours.

It is one of those Washington crossings that feels like travel in the old sense, measured by water, wind, and how long you are willing to stare at a horizon.

4. Orcas Island (Washington State Ferries)

On this route, the boat feels like a moving overlook, and Orcas Island rises in layered greens that promise climbs and quiet coves. The deck air smells like cedar and salt, and you can pick out the horseshoe of West Sound as the ferry swings toward the landing.

People spread along the railings the way hikers spread on a ridge, each person claiming a view that feels earned.

Once ashore, roads coil through forest and open into valleys where barns sit low and the hills stack behind them. The island’s high points send you curling up switchbacks, while the shorelines stay calm and elemental, especially on days when Washington clouds drift low and generous.

Small landings and marinas keep the working feel alive, and the docks creak in a way that suggests stories without needing to tell them.

Heading back to Anacortes, the ferry gives you a second pass at the same vistas, and somehow they land different. Long inlets slip past like slow pages, and you can read the currents by watching where kelp leans.

It is a crossing that lets you edit your own day, because the water ride becomes the pause between chapters, and the island writes the middle part.

5. Lopez Island (Washington State Ferries)

This hop has a softer edge, the kind where bikes cluster at the bow and people chat like neighbors even if they met ten minutes ago. As the ferry angles toward Lopez, you notice how the shoreline relaxes into low bluffs and beaches that feel reachable without a plan.

The landing shows up clean and simple, the kind of place where the routine is smooth and everyone seems to know where to stand.

Lopez unfolds as meadows and quiet roads, with glimpses of water popping through hedgerows the way a story finds its own ending. You roll windows down, and the island air has that mix of salt and field that is pure Washington in a single breath.

Pullouts appear right when you want them, and the views are generous without making a scene about it.

The return sail skims along coves and inlets, and the mood onboard drifts toward satisfied and sun tired even on cool days. You can track your progress by the low boats in the distance and the tidy docks that mark small communities tucked behind trees.

It is a crossing that trades drama for ease, and by the time you are back in Anacortes, you will feel like you took a long breath and kept a little of it.

6. Shaw Island (Washington State Ferries)

Some crossings are about arrival, and some are about the exhale that happens mid channel, which is exactly how Shaw feels. The boat glides past pocket coves and rocky points, and then the landing appears almost modest, tucked into trees like it prefers to whisper.

You step onto the dock and everything slows down a notch, as if the island tuned the volume for you.

There is a simplicity here that reads as real rather than curated, with roads that keep their shoulders narrow and water that stays within arm’s length. You notice small details that would blur elsewhere, like the way driftwood stacks in pale tangles or how the tide draws clean lines in the sand.

It is Washington in a quiet key, and that is more than enough for one crossing.

The ride back has that mellow return energy, the kind where conversation fades and you watch the shoreline blink in and out behind points and low spits. The ferry might pause for another island, giving you a bonus set of docks and pilings to watch as the crew moves with practiced calm.

By the time Anacortes shows again, you will feel like you kept a pocketful of stillness.

7. Anderson Island (Pierce County Ferry)

Down in south Puget Sound, this little county ferry feels personal in the best way, like a neighbor giving you a lift across a calm stretch. The Steilacoom dock sits snug against a tidy waterfront, and the boat pushes off with a steady chug that sets the tempo.

You can see Anderson Island almost the entire way, a green shape that grows instead of appearing.

Onshore, roads run through trees, small clearings, and glimpses of water that circle back on themselves. Parks sit close to the shoreline, and trails weave through second growth that smells like rain even on dry afternoons.

The island is residential but easygoing, and it carries that Washington sense that the water is not decoration, it is the main street.

The return to Steilacoom brings train horns in the distance and tidy piers coming into focus, a nice contrast after the hush of the island. Watch for small boats tucked into moorings and low bluffs that stack into soft layers when the light turns gentle.

It is a short crossing with a long aftertaste, the kind that sticks around the rest of the day simply because it asked so little and gave a lot.

8. Ketron Island (Pierce County Ferry)

This hop feels almost like a footnote, which is exactly why it is worth doing. The ferry slips away from Steilacoom, skirts low bluffs, and angles toward a small, densely wooded island that keeps its profile discreet.

You stand at the rail and realize how quickly city noise evaporates when the shoreline pulls back.

Arriving at Ketron, the dock is simple and the vibe is pared down to basics, which nudges you into a slower, more attentive kind of exploring. There is not much in the way of spectacle, and that becomes the point as you notice the tiny changes in tide lines and the hush tucked under the trees.

South Sound crossings in Washington have this gift for understatement that lingers.

On the ride back, the ferry feels like a moving porch, and the water carries that steady, glassy mood you only get on sheltered channels. You can track the shoreline like a map, reading the folds and spits as if they were notes on a page.

It is a small adventure that takes little time but changes the color of your afternoon.

9. Lummi Island (Whatcom County Ferry)

Up near Bellingham, this short crossing has a working rhythm that feels steady and reassuring, like a favorite shortcut that still feels special. The Whatcom Chief loads quickly at Gooseberry Point, the deckhands move with calm efficiency, and the boat glides out over glassy water toward Lummi’s green shoulder.

You can track the whole route without moving your feet.

Lummi Island keeps things simple, with narrow roads that curve through trees and open suddenly to big views across the bay. The shoreline shifts from rocky shelves to small pocket beaches, and the island air brings that cool Washington mix of cedar and tide.

You might park and just listen for a while, because quiet is part of the reason to be here.

On the return, watch how the mainland gathers itself, docks drawing lines, houses stepping down to the water, and the hills backing everything like a stage set. The crossing is brief, but it resets your frame fast, the way a deep breath does before a good conversation.

By the time you roll off the ramp, you will wonder why you do not do this kind of hop more often.

10. Guemes Island (Skagit County Ferry)

This is the quick hop that rewards spontaneity, the sort you decide on while the light looks good and the tide sits friendly. The Skagit County boat loads fast, backs out, and in one calm sweep carries you across to Guemes with Anacortes still clearly in view.

You barely settle against the rail before the dock appears, and that is part of the charm.

Guemes feels neighborly, with roads that loop through cedar and fir, and little pockets of shoreline that invite a pause more than a plan. You can wander with no urgency, letting the island decide whether the view is trees, beach, or both at once.

The sounds are practical rather than staged, like gulls, outboard engines, and wind moving through branches.

Returning to Anacortes, the backdrop flips and the town stretches out like a promise that the day is not done yet. The ride is so short you might do it twice just because the water looks different on the second pass.

That is the pleasure of Washington crossings like this one, where simple feels good and the ferry is the activity, not just the transportation.

11. Whidbey Island (Washington State Ferries)

There is something satisfying about a route that starts with a sleek terminal and ends with tall trees leaning over the beach. Mukilteo’s dock handles the flow with an easy rhythm, and once the ferry slips out, the lighthouse and shoreline slide past like a calm opening scene.

The ride is short enough to stand the whole way and long enough to let your mind soften.

Clinton sets you down on Whidbey with roads that angle quickly to high bluffs and long beaches where the tide scribbles fresh lines. The island stretches big, so even a quick roam feels varied, with corners that face the Sound and others that look back toward the mainland.

That mix is peak Washington, where water and woods share the same stage without competing.

Heading back, watch the ferry aim true for the modern profile of Mukilteo’s terminal, all clean angles and bright windows catching the light. People settle along the railings, swapping stories that sound like commutes but feel like little voyages.

It is an everyday hop that still manages to feel like an adventure whenever you give it your attention.