MTO planned schedule effective 31 August 2026: one vessel on an 80-minute round trip, same times every day
Map – Wolfe Island Ferry (Kingston)
| Fare type | Price |
|---|---|
| Foot passengers, cyclists and vehicles (no fare) | Free |
No fare is charged. The County of Frontenac's Wolfe Island visitor page says the Wolfe Islander ferry from Kingston is free for everyone travelling on foot, by bicycle or in a motor vehicle, and MTO's own service-commitment page described the Wolfe Island and Glenora crossings as a free, year-round, first-come, first-served service. The current ontario.ca ferry page lists no fares or tickets. There is no reservation system: vehicles queue in the lanes at the terminal.
The Wolfe Island ferry is the provincial road link between downtown Kingston and Marysville, the Wolfe Island village where most of the island's shops and places to eat are, in the Township of Frontenac Islands. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation owns and operates it, and Ontario lists the service as running year round. In Kingston you board at the terminal at 295 Ontario Street. On the island the boat uses the Marysville dock, beside the village where, according to the County of Frontenac, most of the shops and places to eat are found.
The boat on the run is the Wolfe Islander IV, one of the electric vessels the ministry has brought in for Wolfe Island and Amherst Island. Its record has been rough. CBC reported that it struck bottom in December 2024, had to stop in July 2025 with blown diesel engines and was pulled from service on 22 December 2025 after an electrical failure, while the diesel Wolfe Islander III covered the crossing. It came back on 31 August 2026 on a single-boat schedule of one round trip every 80 minutes, from early morning until after midnight. The mayor of Frontenac Islands told CBC that interval does not serve island residents well, and CTV reported that the crew's union blamed an hours-long shutdown in June 2026 on provincial understaffing.
There is no ticket and no booking. Cars line up in the terminal lanes, and the County suggests avoiding the busiest weekday windows, checking the ferry cameras before leaving home, and not bringing a second car if you can help it. Walk-on passengers wait in the pedestrian staging area near the ramp and can be turned away once the boat is full. The island has no taxis or public transit, so walkers and cyclists should plan their day around Marysville.
Vehicles taller than 4.3 metres cannot be carried, oversize loads need an MTO permit, and propane or gasoline tankers travel one at a time on regular sailings. Horne's Ferry, the family-run crossing from the island to Cape Vincent, New York, is not operating according to the County, so do not plan a loop through the United States.
- Arrive at the terminal before the posted departure; vehicle lanes and ticket booths close earlier than the foot-passenger gate.
- Check the operator's current conditions or service notices on the day — wind, ice, vessel refits and dangerous-cargo sailings change the schedule.
- Find out how you can pay before you queue: some crossings are free, some sell tickets only at one end, and some take cards only.