California Ferries

There are 16 ferry companies operating 56 ferry routes in the state of California.[1] Currently, we cover 13 of these routes, or just 23%, but we are frequently adding more California ferry routes to the site.

Facts about ferries in California

  • The longest ferry route in California is the San Miguel Island – Ventura Harbor ferry route. It is 55 miles and takes 3 – 3.5 hours to cross.
  • The shortest ferry route in California is the J-Mack Ferry. It is less than 300 feet and takes approximately 2 minutes to cross.
  • The largest ferry operator in California, by number of routes serviced, is San Francisco Bay Ferry which operates 10 ferry routes in the San Francisco Bay Area, two of which are seasonal.
  • There are five ferry routes in California that transport vehicles. The largest of these routes, by vehicles transported, is the Balboa Island Ferry which transported over 163,000 vehicles in 2019.

California ferry routes

FerryOperatorDescription
Alameda FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter, weekend, and select holiday ferry service between Alameda, Oakland and the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Alameda Seaplane FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter ferry service between Alameda Seaplane Lagoon in Alameda, CA, and downtown San Francisco, CA.
Alameda Short Hop FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter ferry service between Alameda, CA and Oakland, CA.
Balboa Island FerryBalboa Island FerryDaily ferry service between the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, CA and Balboa Island.
Berkeley FerryTideline Marine GroupCommuter ferry service between Berkeley, CA and San Francisco, CA.
Harbor Bay FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter service between Harbor Bay and San Francisco Ferry Building (Gate F).
J-Mack FerryCaltransCable ferry service between Ryde and Ryer Island near Sacramento.
Larkspur FerryGolden Gate FerryWeekday commuter, weekend, and select holiday ferry service between Larkspur, CA, and the San Francisco Ferry Building.
Oakland FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter, weekend, and select holiday service between Oakland, San Francisco Ferry Building, and San Francisco Pier 41.
Princeton FerryDefunct cable ferry service between Princeton, CA and Afton, CA.
Richmond FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday and weekend ferry service between Richmond and San Francisco Ferry Building.
Sausalito FerryGolden Gate FerryWeekday, weekend, and select holiday ferry service between Sausalito, CA, and San Francisco Ferry Building.
South San Francisco FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter ferry service between South San Francisco, Alameda, and Oakland.
Tiburon FerryGolden Gate FerryWeekday, weekend, and select holiday ferry service between Tiburon, CA, and San Francisco Ferry Building.
Vallejo FerrySan Francisco Bay FerryWeekday commuter, weekend, and select holiday service between Mare Island, Vallejo, and the San Francisco Ferry Building.
A table of California ferry routes

References
  1. https://www.bts.gov/NCFO