Overview:

Vashon Island, Rachel's hometown, is off the coast of West Seattle, and is only accessible by Ferry. The island is very remote, and has limited public transport and essentially no Uber or Taxi, so it is recommended to get a rental car or plan to rideshare with others. Because of the ferries, the best option for lodging is on island. There are no formal hotel chains, but there are a few boutique hotels like the Burton Inn (https://explorevashon.com/the-burton-inn/) and The Lodges on Vashon (https://www.lodgesonvashon.com/), though we highly recommend families to look at AirBnB/VRBO and do so asap before they book out instead. We understand lodging can be expensive and hard to find, so if you prefer, we recommend you stay in West Seattle or Tacoma where you will be near the ferry.

Getting To the Vashon Ferry:

Please note: when coming from the airport, search for the Fauntleroy Ferry (West Seattle). If you search for the Seattle Ferries, this will take you to downtown Seattle, which does not have a car ferry to Vashon. If you get a rental car, we recommend getting one at the airport. If you are not, Uber is very easy as well, and is located in the parking deck across from baggage claim. Search for the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal as drop-off, which will drop you at the end of the dock.

4829 SW Barton St, Seattle, WA 98136

Getting on the Ferry:

If you are driving to the island, dependent on how busy the time of day, it may be a bit confusing for new people-if the dock is full, the line behind the toll both will curve up the street and you will have to find the back of the line-just look until you reach the end of parked cars with people inside; there may be cars parked in the line with no people in them-they are just there to visit Lincoln Park. Also do not get in line on the striped lines as it will block residential driveways. Usually you will not have to deal with this stress except at rush hour. You will need to buy a ticket for a vehicle and driver, as well as each passenger, but can do this at the tollbooth when you arrive. You can also purchase tickets from the kiosk at the terminal on the dock if you walk on without a vehicle. In a car, the tollbooth workers will advise you to which lane to go to for VASHON. (The ferry also runs to Southworth). Most boats go straight to Vashon, but some will run to Southworth first. It will tell you on the schedule, but they will also announce where you are arriving as the ferry pulls into the dock.

The ferries are often off-schedule, but for the schedule and for updates on how they are running, you can check here:

https://wsdot.com/ferries/schedule/scheduledetailbyroute.aspx?route=f-v-s

We also recommend if you are staying on island to avoid flying out in the early morning because of the ferries (9am at the earliest).

Navigating the Island:

It is pretty hard to get lost: When you get off the North End dock, the main highway rolls to the left and continues from this point all the way to the south end ferry dock. Essentially everything other than lodging is all located in town, which you will hit on this main highway. Be careful driving at night. There are a LOT of deer.