Alaska Ferry from Seattle: Bellingham Terminal, Routes North and Other Ways by Sea

Somewhere in a Seattle coffee line, a traveler with a map of the Inside Passage spread on a phone starts looking for the dock where the big blue-and-white ferries tie up. The short answer is that the Alaska Marine Highway does not leave from Seattle at all. Its southern end is in Bellingham, a bit more than an hour’s drive up the interstate, and that is where a ferry trip to Alaska begins.

Is there an Alaska ferry from Seattle?

No, the Alaska Marine Highway has no terminal in Seattle. The system is run by the state of Alaska, with headquarters in Ketchikan, and its southernmost port is Bellingham, Washington, which sits about 90 miles north of Seattle. Seattle is a gateway to Alaska in other ways, notably by cruise ship and by air, but a traveler who wants a state ferry has to get to Bellingham first.

The Alaska Marine Highway covers 3,500 miles of coastline and serves more than 30 communities, running from Bellingham all the way to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Chain. For a trip from the Lower 48, the part that matters is the Southeast mainline route, which links Bellingham with Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Juneau, Haines, Skagway and Sitka. A second mainline route runs between Ketchikan and several of those same towns, so riders often change vessels at a hub.

What the ferry is like on board

This is not a cruise. Cabins cost extra, and most of the food is served cafeteria-style. All mainline vessels have solariums, showers and lounges where passengers can sleep, and the larger vessels also have staterooms. Many travelers think of it as a working ferry that happens to pass through some of the most beautiful water in North America.

Walk-on passengers may bring up to 100 pounds of hand-carried baggage. Pets are restricted to the car deck and must be properly contained in an approved carrier, or kept in a vehicle with an adult passenger. Kayaks and canoes can go aboard, and small inflatable boats are allowed if they weigh less than 300 pounds and stay within 18 feet in length and 3 feet in width.

Taking a vehicle north

The ferry is one of the only ways to move a vehicle between Alaska and the contiguous United States without going through international customs and immigration. That is the main reason some travelers choose it over driving through Canada. The car deck is also where pets travel, so a dog or cat rides in the vehicle or in a carrier on that deck rather than in a cabin.

How long the sailings take

Distances in Southeast Alaska are measured in days at sea, not hours. The sample running time from Bellingham to Ketchikan is 38 hours, and the whole trip from Bellingham to Skagway takes just under three days. Between Alaska ports the legs are shorter, with Sitka to Juneau taking 18 hours.

Where does the Alaska ferry leave from in Washington?

The ferry leaves from Bellingham, Washington, the southern terminus of the Alaska Marine Highway. The city lies 21 miles south of the Canada–United States border, between Vancouver, British Columbia, 52 miles to the northwest, and Seattle, 90 miles to the south. Most travelers coming from Seattle sort out the drive north before anything else.

Checking in at the terminal

Passengers without vehicles must check in 2 hours before departure in Bellingham, and the same applies in Juneau. At every other Alaska Marine Highway port, the check-in time for passengers without vehicles is 1 hour before departure. That makes Bellingham a morning of waiting around with luggage, so plan the trip up from Seattle with a buffer.

On board, the system accepts only U.S. currency for goods or services, though credit cards drawn on foreign banks are accepted. Crewmembers are State of Alaska employees and are prohibited by state law from accepting tips, so there is nothing to leave on the table in the cafeteria.

A day or two in Bellingham

Bellingham is worth arriving in early rather than rushing through. Mount Baker, whose summit rises to 10,778 feet, is visible from many parts of town, and Whatcom Falls Park holds four sets of waterfalls and several miles of walking trails inside a 241-acre gorge. It is a pleasant way to spend the hours before a long sailing.

In summer the town has its own rhythm. Wednesday nights bring Downtown Sounds on Bay Street, a family-friendly concert series with food booths and a beer garden pouring local breweries. From May to September the Commercial Street Night Market fills the downtown, and Bellingham Pride is held each July. The Bellingham Highland Games & Scottish Festival takes place at Ferndale’s Hovander Park on the first full weekend in June.

The Seattle side of the trip

Seattle sits on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, and it has been the natural gateway to Alaska for more than 100 years. A day there before heading north can include the Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair, or a stroll through Pike Place Market, where the first Starbucks opened. Seattle is also the cloudiest place in the continental United States, so a rain jacket is a sensible thing to keep within reach.

What are the other ways to reach Alaska by sea?

The other main way to reach Alaska by sea from Seattle is a cruise ship, since Seattle has been a gateway to Alaska for more than 100 years. The Port of Seattle handles the departures, and its cruise schedule is subject to change throughout the season. The experience is very different from the state ferry, which is a transport system with cafeteria food and extra-cost cabins.

Cruises from the Port of Seattle

Seattle’s cruise terminals sit against a backdrop of Washington forests, mountains and Puget Sound. In typical operations, cruise activity brings $900 million a year in business revenue to the region, which gives a sense of how central the industry is to the city. The Port has also set a goal of phasing out seaport-related emissions by 2050.

A cruise is organized around the ship, with its own dining and cabins, while the ferry is organized around getting people and vehicles from port to port. Travelers who want to stop in small towns and spend time ashore may find the ferry’s flexibility appealing, while those who want everything arranged may prefer the cruise.

Ferry hubs once you are in Alaska

Once you are north of Bellingham, riders can reach communities through regional hubs in Ketchikan, Juneau, Whittier or Homer, using one or more vessels to get to a final destination. Most communities in Southeast Alaska receive year-round ferry service, with mainline vessels serving the larger towns and day boats serving the smaller ones on regular schedules.

Scheduled routes in Southeast include Juneau to Angoon, Gustavus to Hoonah, Juneau to Haines, Juneau to Kake, Juneau to Pelican, Juneau to Tenakee and Juneau to Skagway. Those short links let you build a trip around a few towns without returning to the mainline each time.

Prince Rupert is off the schedule

One link has been dropped from recent plans. The summer 2024 schedule did not have a vessel equipped to serve Prince Rupert, because of international service regulations and crewing shortages. In the proposed winter 2026/27 schedule, the Alaska Marine Highway will not travel to Prince Rupert either.

Good to know before you go

The ferry is a state-run service, so card payments from foreign banks work but only U.S. currency is taken for onboard purchases, and tipping crew is not allowed. Bring layers for the deck and a plan for the long hours at sea, since the cafeteria and the lounges are what you have on board. Vessel schedules and ports can change, so the Alaska Marine Highway’s own schedule is what decides the route you build.