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Getting to FHL
FHL is on San Juan Island, approximately 100 miles northwest of Seattle, Washington. You can reach the island by airplane or ferry to the Town of Friday Harbor. It is not possible to commute between Seattle and Friday Harbor on a daily basis, although it may be feasible to go to the mainland for the occasional weekend.
All visitors, including researchers, course students, faculty, and teaching assistants must arrange for their own travel to Friday Harbor. Most out-of-state visitors travel through Seattle, Washington (SeaTac Airport: SEA). If you are scheduling flights into and out of Seattle, take into account the considerable time required to travel to and from Friday Harbor. Ideally, plan to land in Seattle no later than noon in order to arrive in Friday Harbor that same day. For your return reservation, it is safest to plan on a flight leaving SeaTac Airport after noon. You may fly out earlier, but that will most likely require you to spend the night in a hotel near the airport.
SEATTLE TO FRIDAY HARBOR TOWN (Ferry Dock or Airport)
There are a number of ways to reach Friday Harbor from SeaTac Airport in Seattle: plane (wheeled or sea plane), shuttle bus plus ferry trip, or car (rental or yours) plus ferry trip.
• Kenmore Air Scheduled Flights, Seattle to Friday Harbor
You can choose between wheeled aircraft or seaplane travel. Please check the Kenmore Air website for more information and to make reservations. Kenmore wheeled aircraft departs from Boeing Field and shuttle from SeaTac airport to Boeing Field can be arranged as part of the reservation. Kenmore wheeled aircraft arrive at Friday Harbor Airport (FHR). Kenmore Air seaplanes depart from Lake Union in Downtown Seattle and arrive at the Friday Harbor Marina.
• Chartered Flight, Seattle to Friday Harbor
Charter flights are charged per flight rather than per person, so if you can arrange to fly together with one or more other persons, it may be less expensive than a regularly scheduled flight (through Kenmore Air). There are two airline charter companies in the area: please check Westwind Aviation, or Island Air, Inc. websites for more information.
• Shuttle Van (bus) to Anacortes ferry terminal, walk onto ferry to Friday Harbor
The Bellair Airporter Shuttle runs from SeaTac Airport to the Anacortes ferry terminal several times a day. A reservation is strongly advised for the shuttle, but not needed for the ferry as a walk-on passenger. The shuttle schedule does not synchronize with the ferry schedule, so you may have to wait an hour or two in Anacortes for your ferry.
Another option is the Island Airporter van, which runs from SeaTac Airport (departing in the morning) to Friday Harbor once a day, Monday-Friday; the Island Airporter actually boards the ferry to Friday Harbor, so you don’t have to walk with your luggage on and off the ferry.
• Car to Anacortes ferry terminal, drive onto ferry to Friday Harbor
Refer to the Washington State Ferry schedule. Note that ferries frequently run late, and that it’s not uncommon for sailings to be cancelled all together due to mechanical issues or crew shortages. A very useful phone app in this regard is Ferry Friend, which provides not only the schedule, but also the live locations of ferries, their estimated arrival times, how many remaining spaces are available on a given sailing, and more. Another app, produced by the Washington Dept of Transportation, allows you to make/change reservations and purchase tickets.
The departing ferry terminal is in Anacortes (a 95-mile drive north of Seattle) and the arriving terminal is Friday Harbor. Schedules vary by date and by day of the week. Read the schedule carefully as not all ferries leaving Anacortes go to Friday Harbor!
You may bring your car or walk on the ferry. If you are bringing a car, be sure to make a ferry reservation for it. PLAN AHEAD for this, as reservation slots open up on specific days and times, and may all be taken within a few minutes of being released. Walk-on ferry passengers do not need a reservation. A debit card or credit card is required to make a reservation. (If you do not travel on your reserved sailing and do not change/cancel your reservation within the allotted time, a no-show fee will be charged to your credit card on file. Please read carefully the change/cancellation policies on the WSF website before purchase.)
Note: the purchase of a ticket to ride the ferry is a separate transaction from reserving a spot on a ferry. Ticket price includes round-trip from/to Anacortes and Friday Harbor.
Plan to arrive at the departing ferry terminal at least 45 minutes ahead of sailing. Driving to the Anacortes ferry terminal from Seattle takes approximately two hours but heavy traffic often extends that time.
A NOTE ABOUT RENTAL CARS: Enterprise has an office in the town of Anacortes and often allows drivers to return their cars at the ferry terminal if arrangements are made well in advance. For visitors coming to FHL on UW Business, including conducting research, teaching, or taking an FHL course, Enterprise has a contract with University of Washington for a discounted rate. See details on this UW page: https://finance.uw.edu/travel/netid-GroundTransportation. Note that visitors must make all arrangements for the rental directly with Enterprise (FHL is not involved); they must meet Enterprise driver requirements and pay for the rental themselves. If you believe you are eligible for the discount but cannot access the page linked here, email the FHL Operations Manager to have the information emailed to you.
• Victoria Clipper (passenger-only)
From mid-May to late September the Victoria Clipper normally offers passenger-only ferry service (with luggage up to 50 lbs per person) once per day, most days from downtown Seattle to Friday Harbor. (In September the Clipper Ferry operates on weekends only.) This service has not been operating since 2020 – check their website for availability.
• Train to Mount Vernon, then by road to Anacortes ferry terminal
It is possible to take an Amtrak train from Seattle to Mount Vernon, WA. Road service can be arranged from Mount Vernon to the ferry landing in Anacortes, where the ferry to Friday Harbor departs. See their plan your trip page for more information, and search for Tukwila station if traveling from SeaTac airport.
• From Friday Harbor Ferry Dock (or Marina) to FHL
To get to FHL from the ferry landing (1.5 miles) you can drive or call for a taxi (10 minute ride) or walk (30 minute walk). Here is a Google map showing the route from the Dock/Marina to FHL.
• From Friday Harbor Airport (FHA) to FHL
To get to FHL from the Friday Harbor Airport (2 miles) you can call for a taxi (10 minute ride) or walk (45 minute walk). Here is a Google map showing the route from the local airport to FHL.
San Juan Taxi: 360-378-8294
Bob’s Taxi: 360-378-8388
TRAVELING FROM VICTORIA, BC TO FRIDAY HARBOR
Washington State Ferries in the past provided sailings during part of the year (not in winter) from nearby Sidney, B.C., for walk-on and drive-on passengers. These sailings were discontinued in 2020 – to see current status, check the WA State Ferries website. Check their website for availability, schedules, fares and parking information. The international sailings, if they are happening, require reservations. See above for how to get from Friday Harbor Ferry Dock to FHL.
Charter airline services are available from San Juan Airlines and Island Air, Inc. See above for how to get from Friday Harbor Airport to FHL.
TRAVELING FROM VANCOUVER, BC TO FRIDAY HARBOR
The easiest route is to drive on the freeway from Vancouver to Anacortes, Washington (approximately 95 miles south) and take the Washington State Ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. Here is a Google map showing the route from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). See above for how to get from Friday Harbor Ferry Dock to FHL.
Charter airline services are available from San Juan Airlines and Island Air, Inc. See above for how to get from Friday Harbor Airport to FHL.
It is possible to take an Amtrak train from Vancouver, B.C. to Mount Vernon, WA. Road service can be arranged from Mount Vernon to the ferry landing in Anacortes, where the ferry to Friday Harbor departs. See catchatrain.com for more information, and see above for how to get from Friday Harbor Ferry Dock to FHL.
The BC Ferries provide daily service from Tsawwassen, B.C. (near Vancouver) to Swartz Bay, B.C. (north of Victoria and near Sidney). Taxi or bus (6 km) can be taken from Swartz Bay to Sidney where you can take the Washington State Ferry to Friday Harbor. See above for how to get from Friday Harbor Ferry Dock to FHL. Note, the Washington State Ferry does not go to Sidney, BC during wintertime. These sailings were discontinued in 2020 – to see current status, check the WA State Ferries website.