Labor Day brings multitude of ferry riders

It’s set to be another busy holiday weekend for the state ferry system.

It’s set to be another busy holiday weekend for the state ferry system as the last hurrah of summer approaches.

Washington State Ferries has predicted that an estimated 300,000 riders will set sail between Aug. 29 and Sept. 2. The busiest sailings for vehicles will be westbound or onto an island Aug. 29 to Aug. 31 and eastbound or off an island Aug. 31 to Sept. 2.

According to the agency, State Ferries has completed nearly 40,000 sailings and carried more than 6 million riders from May 23 – the start of Memorial Day weekend travel – through Aug. 25.

Travelers are encouraged to plan ahead by downloading the state Department of Transportation app or visiting the ferries’ website before heading to a terminal. Customers can see sailing schedules by route, view traffic cameras, check for rider alerts, monitor a real-time map and make vehicle reservations for the Anacortes-San Juan Islands and Port Townsend-Coupeville routes.