Is There Free Parking at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal?

Eric DawsonByEric Dawson Parking

Parking at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal is free only part of the year. There is free parking for every vehicle from October through April, and free parking for drivers with a disability parking placard or plate all year, but everyone else pays from May 1 through September 30. Peak season rates start at $13.00 a day for a car and $26.00 a day for a recreational vehicle, based on figures published by the Washington State Department of Transportation and the terminal’s parking contractor. Anyone leaving a car at the ferry terminal for more than a few hours should check the season before they park.

Is There Free Parking at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal?

Free parking at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal depends entirely on the calendar. From October 1 through April 30, every space in the terminal’s lots is open at no charge. During that period, the previously noted parking exception remains in effect.

Washington State Ferries owns the terminal, and Diamond Parking Services runs the paid lots on its behalf. Neither agency requires registration or a reservation for the free season. The gate simply stops charging once peak season ends and starts charging again on May 1, with no action needed from the driver.

How Much Does Peak Season Parking Cost?

Peak season parking runs $13.00 a day for a car and $26.00 a day for a recreational vehicle, with lower per-day rates for longer stays. Diamond Parking Services sets three duration tiers for each vehicle type, and the discount grows the longer the car or RV stays in the lot.

Vehicle Type Duration Peak Season Rate Off-Season
Car 1 day $13.00 Free
Car 7 days $60.00 Free
Car 21 days $147.00 Free
RV 1 day $26.00 Free
RV 7 days $163.00 Free
RV 16 days $359.00 Free
Disabled (any) All periods Free Free

Diamond Parking also sells monthly and seasonal permits for commuters and frequent travelers. Anyone who expects to park more than a few times a month should call the permit line at (206) 729-0590, option 2, rather than pay the daily rate each visit.

A Worked Example for a Week-Long Trip

A family that drives to the San Juan Islands for a seven-day trip in July saves money by paying the weekly rate up front. Seven separate days at $13.00 would total $91.00, but the posted seven-day rate is $60.00, a savings of $31.00 for the same week of parking.

The same math favors an RV owner on a 16-day trip: paying the daily rate for 16 days would run $416.00, while the 16-day RV rate is $359.00, a savings of $57.00. Diamond Parking’s rate card, not a coupon or promo code, applies the lower total automatically at checkout in the PayByPhone app.

Longer trips compound the savings further. A car left for the full 21-day peak season tier costs $147.00, against $273.00 for 21 separate daily payments, a difference of $126.00. Anyone parking three weeks or more should also compare that price with a monthly permit from Diamond Parking Services, since a commuter parking most weekdays of a month can come out ahead on a permit instead of the per-trip tiers above.

Owning a 2014 Honda Fit since 2019, bought used with 61,000 miles, has made me familiar with the false economy of treating each small expense as too minor to total up. In “How Much Does Peak Season Parking Cost?”, the published weekly car rate makes the same point: the listed total replaces a run of daily charges, which is less thrilling than it sounds but clearer.

When Does Free Off-Season Parking Start and End?

Free off-season parking runs from October through April, based on the same boundary dates that define peak season: charges stop when peak season ends on September 30 and resume when it begins again on May 1.

The October through April window is inferred from the published peak season dates, rather than stated outright in a separate, explicitly dated current year off-season calendar on a terminal sign or website. Drivers planning a trip near either boundary should confirm the current dates with WSDOT Ferries at (509) 295-6490 before assuming a specific day is free.

Rates themselves carry the same caveat. The most recently published peak season figures, as of September 2026, are the 2025 numbers used throughout this article. A 2026 rate sheet had not yet been published at the time of writing, so a driver checking rates deep into peak season should verify the current daily figure by phone or through the PayByPhone app rather than assume last year’s number still applies.

How Do Disabled Drivers Park for Free?

Disabled drivers receive this exemption. The exemption applies in every lot, in every season, with no separate permit or registration required beyond the placard or plate itself.

Posted ADA spaces sit closest to the terminal building and the tollbooths. When every posted ADA space is full, a driver with a valid placard or plate may park in any other available space in the lot at no charge, though carpool and employee spaces remain excluded from that overflow rule. A passenger without a placard who parks in a general space still owes the standard rate, even if a disabled rider is traveling with them.

Where Are the Terminal’s Parking Lots Located?

Four parking lots serve the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, spread along Ferry Terminal Road on both sides of the tollbooths. Drivers reach the closest lots first and the farthest lot only after passing through the tollbooths and driving nearly to the dock.

Lot Locations Along Ferry Terminal Road

  • One lot sits east of the tollbooths, on the right side of Ferry Terminal Road, reachable before a driver passes through the toll plaza.
  • Two lots sit on the left side of the road past the tollbooths, closer to the terminal building than the fourth lot.
  • One lot sits farther along, on the left side of Ferry Terminal Road near the dock itself, the longest walk of the four.

None of the lots require a driver to choose in advance. An attendant or posted signage directs traffic toward whichever lot has open spaces during busy summer sailings, and a car parked in any of the four pays the same posted rate.

Carpool spaces are excluded from the disabled overflow rule described above, but their locations and number are not specified. Employee parking is mentioned only in passing, as another category excluded from general overflow, with no published count or location either. A driver counting on a specific carpool space should confirm its location with the terminal office at (206) 729-0241 rather than rely on this article alone.

How Do You Pay for Parking at the Terminal?

Two payment methods cover parking during peak season: the PayByPhone mobile app and a phone call to the parking hotline. Neither method requires cash or a card left in a machine at the lot; both bill a card on file or over the phone instead.

  1. Note the stall number. Every space is marked with a number, and both payment methods ask for it before anything else.
  2. Open PayByPhone or dial the hotline. Download the PayByPhone app for iOS or Android before the trip, or call 1-888-680-7275 from the lot.
  3. Enter the station number. The Anacortes terminal is listed as Station #1644 inside PayByPhone and over the phone.
  4. Enter the stall number and the length of stay. Choose one day, seven days, or the longer tier that matches the trip.
  5. Confirm payment. PayByPhone sends a receipt inside the app; the phone line reads the charge back before it processes.

Monthly and seasonal permits run through a separate contact rather than the daily payment system. Diamond Parking Services handles permits at (206) 729-0590, option 2, or at 1-800-828-4197. General questions about the terminal itself, including hours and sailing information, go to WSDOT Ferries at (509) 295-6490, while the terminal office itself can be reached at (206) 729-0241.

Is There a Free Alternative to the Terminal Lots?

Yes, the March Point Park and Ride offers free parking with a shuttle to the ferry terminal, at 8147 South March Point Road in Anacortes. The lot holds 133 spaces and sits roughly 10 minutes from downtown Anacortes, according to both the terminal parking guide and Skagit Transit’s own park and ride listing.

Skagit Transit’s Route 410 connects March Point to the ferry terminal, arriving at the terminal on the top of every hour.

Route 410 is one of several routes serving the March Point stop, alongside routes 40X, 513, 615, and 411W, which also connect the park and ride to Mount Vernon’s Skagit Station and other regional stops. Skagit Transit’s own schedule page warns that Washington State Ferries changes its sailing schedule at least twice a year, so a driver relying on the shuttle should check the current ferry departure time against the bus schedule before planning a tight connection.

Choosing March Point over the terminal lots makes the most sense during peak season, when it turns a $13.00 daily fee into a free space plus a short bus ride. During the free off-season months, parking directly at the terminal removes the extra shuttle step entirely.

What Should You Do if the Terminal Lots Are Full?

Drive to the next of the four lots first, since a full lot near the tollbooths does not mean the lot near the dock is also full. Staff or posted signs typically direct overflow traffic toward whichever lot still has space during a busy summer sailing.

If all four terminal lots are full, the March Point Park and Ride is the practical fallback, with 133 spaces and the Route 410 shuttle running hourly to the dock. A driver arriving during a holiday weekend or a known busy sailing gains the most by heading straight to March Point rather than circling the terminal lots first, since the shuttle adds only a short ride compared with the time lost searching for a single open space near the water.

A driver with a disability placard who cannot find an open ADA space keeps the free rate anywhere else in the lot, so a full ADA row is not a reason to pay. Anyone still unsure where to park, especially during a holiday or festival weekend, can call the terminal office at (206) 729-0241 or WSDOT Ferries at (509) 295-6490 before driving out, since staff can confirm which lot has room that day.

This guide does not set the terminal’s rates or seasonal dates, so check before parking near a changeover.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Reserve a Parking Spot in Advance?

No daily reservation system is published for the Anacortes Ferry Terminal lots. The only advance option described in official sources is a monthly or seasonal permit through Diamond Parking Services, arranged by calling (206) 729-0590, option 2, well before the trip.

Can I Pay in Cash at the Terminal?

Published payment information for the terminal lists only two methods: the PayByPhone mobile app and a phone call to 1-888-680-7275. No on-site cash option is stated, so a driver without a smartphone can pay by phone instead.

Is There a Time Limit on Free Off-Season Parking?

No maximum stay is published for the free off-season months. WSDOT Ferries and the terminal’s parking page describe the October through April period as free general parking without listing a cap, though a driver leaving a car for an extended trip should still confirm current policy by phone first.

Is March Point Park and Ride Always Free?

Yes, the 133-space lot at March Point is free in every season, unlike the terminal lots, which charge during peak season. The shuttle connection through Route 410 is what makes the free lot usable for ferry travelers instead of only local commuters.

Do Walk-On Passengers Need to Pay for Parking?

Only if they leave a vehicle behind. A traveler who arrives on foot or gets dropped off pays nothing for parking, while a walk-on passenger who drives to the terminal and leaves the car still owes the standard rate for whichever season applies. That lot lets a walk-on passenger leave a car for free and shuttle in instead.

Check the calendar before checking your wallet: October through April costs nothing at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal, May through September costs $13.00 a day and up, and a disability placard or plate keeps a space free in either season. Confirm rates and exact off-season dates directly with WSDOT Ferries or Diamond Parking Services close to travel, since 2026 figures had not been republished as of this writing.

References

Sources read in September 2026.

Eric Dawson

I'm Eric Dawson, and I write The Money Watch from north Columbus, Ohio. Most of what I cover comes from my own life: renting, a 2014 Honda Fit, parking, computers, food and the bills behind all of it. I spent four years in an apartment-property office and eleven on a distributor's operations desk, reading leases and invoices. Where you need real information, I research the maker's or agency's own page and independent sources and report what they publish. I don't give tax, investment, legal or medical advice.