A projected 125,000 more passengers took a ferry this summer compared to last year, and 317,000 more than in summer 2014. That trend is expected to continue Labor Day weekend, with an estimated 90,000 travelers per day hopping a ferry for the last holiday of the summer.

Peak travel times on most Washington State Ferries routes are expected to occur westbound Thursday, Sept. 1, and Friday, Sept. 2, and eastbound Monday, Sept. 5, as people return from their weekend getaways.

Know before you go

• If possible, walk on to reduce or eliminate wait times. Passenger capacity is far greater than vehicle capacity on all of WSF’s ferries.
• Make a vehicle reservation to the San Juan Islands, Sidney, BC and Port Townsend/Coupeville.
• Check the terminal conditions website.
• Sign up for ferry travel alerts.
• Keep an eye on Twitter for ferry alerts on travel conditions.
• Review the summer sailing schedule and best times to travel.

With ridership steadily increasing this spring, WSF has seen a similar trend in the peak summer season, with expected traffic approaching volumes not seen in a dozen years.

An improved economy and a growing population are likely factors as to why so many people enjoyed getting out on the water this year.

Ridership highlights

• WSF carried more than 7.4 million people this summer from June to late August, averaging about 80,000 passengers per day across all routes.
• The busiest route this summer is Seattle/Bainbridge Island. More than 1.9 million passengers traveled this route during the same time period.
• The Edmonds/Kingston route was the second busiest, carrying more than 1.2 million passengers.

WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States, safely moving people and goods through some of the most majestic scenery in the world.