Going as a walk-on passenger saves you from waiting in the car line. Before you board, stretch your legs at Lincoln Park, which shares the Fauntleroy neighborhood with the terminal, or make a day of the neighborhood with our guide to things to do in West Seattle.
Water Taxi from Downtown
Skip the car entirely on a weekday with the Vashon Water Taxi, a passenger-only boat from Pier 50 on the downtown waterfront to the Vashon Ferry Terminal at 10800 North Vashon Highway. The crossing takes about 22 minutes, and King County runs it on weekdays with morning, midday and late afternoon sailings. Bikes ride at no extra charge, and youth 18 and under ride free. Our Seattle Water Taxi guide explains how to pay with ORCA and where to board.
Getting Around Once You Land
Walk-on passengers can catch King County Metro routes 118 and 119, which run from the ferry terminal down the island and split at Valley Center, with route 118 heading to the south end and Tahlequah and route 119 serving Maury Island. From the south end, a second state ferry links Tahlequah with Point Defiance in Tacoma if you want to return a different way.
Things to Do on Vashon Island
Point Robinson Lighthouse
Start with the lighthouse. Point Robinson Park is a 10-acre shoreline park and marine conservancy on the east shore of Maury Island, looking out over the East Passage of Puget Sound. The site has guided ships with fog signals and lights since 1885, and the white lighthouse you see today was built in 1915 as a twin of the Alki Point Lighthouse, then automated in 1978. Walk the sandy beach that wraps around the point, look for the saltwater marsh and settle at a picnic table along the shore. The park opens at 8 a.m. and closes at dusk, and the park district rents out the two restored keepers' quarters as vacation homes if you want to stay the night.
Burton Acres and Jensen Point
Wander the woods at Burton Acres Park, a 64-acre conservancy on the Burton Peninsula overlooking Quartermaster Harbor, where trails used by walkers, hikers and horseback riders cross mature second-growth forest. Follow them to Jensen Point, a small shoreline park with one of the island's two boat launches, where Vashon Adventures rents kayaks and stand-up paddleboards and runs guided paddles in the calm water of the harbor.
KVI Beach and Tramp Harbor
Head to Tramp Harbor on the island's east side for KVI Beach, nicknamed for the single radio tower of station KVI that stands right on the sand. Pair it with a walk out on the nearby Tramp Harbor Dock, one of the Vashon Park District's waterfront sites.
The Bike in the Tree
Every visitor seems to ask about it: an old red child's bicycle that a fir tree has slowly swallowed. As KUOW reported, it sits near Vashon Highway SW and SW 204th Street, just across a footbridge near the north end of the parking lot behind the Sound Food building. Locals believe it was hung on a branch in the 1950s, and the tree grew around it. There is no sign, so look closely, and please leave the bike as you find it, since it has been vandalized more than once.
Farms, Strawberries and Island Food
Vashon was once known for strawberry fields, and although big commercial farming has faded, many small farms still raise produce, milk and eggs for island tables. The island celebrates that history every July with the Strawberry Festival; check the Vashon-Maury Island Chamber of Commerce for this year's dates and its visitor guide to places to eat, shop and stay.
Galleries and the Heritage Museum
Vashon has a large arts community, and on the first Friday of each month galleries in town open their doors for an evening gallery walk. For island history, the free Vashon Heritage Museum at 10105 SW Bank Road fills a 1907 church building and is usually open in the afternoons from Wednesday through Sunday; check its site before you go. The island's story includes the Japanese American families who built its strawberry farms and were forced off their land during World War II.
A Simple Day Plan
- Morning: catch an early ferry from Fauntleroy, grab coffee in the town of Vashon and look for the bike in the tree on the way south.
- Midday: picnic and beachcomb at Point Robinson, then stop at KVI Beach on Tramp Harbor.
- Afternoon: walk the trails at Burton Acres or paddle from Jensen Point, and catch a late ferry back.
For more island escapes, compare our Bainbridge Island day guide, the routes in our Seattle ferry terminal guide and the full list of day trips from Seattle. If you like buying from small producers, our guide to shopping local in Seattle brings that spirit back to the city.
