Weekly Volcano

Beautiful Ferry Ride: McNeil Island

By weeklyvolcano on April 27, 2009

STEVE DUNKELBERGER: BUDGETTRAVEL.COM BLUNDER >>>

McNeil BudgetTravel.com posted The Most Beautiful Ferry Rides in the U.S., which included the Seattle to Bainbridge Island run. The Web site describes the trip that leaves Seattle Main Terminal, Pier 52:

“Glide past sailboats and cruise liners on this quick hop across Puget Sound, with views of Seattle's skyline and the snow-covered flanks of the Cascade Range. Weather permitting, you can even make out the 14,410-foot peak of Mount Rainier, about 100 miles away. Disembark on Bainbridge and spend the day exploring the island's hiking trails and downtown cafés (try the caramel pecan French toast at Café Nola), then time your return trip to watch the dusk settle over Puget Sound, and the city itself.”


The Alaska Marine Highway System, Staten Island Ferry, San Francisco to Sausalito, and others are included in the list.

What is noticeably left off the list is the Steilacoom to McNeil Island run. I present the following description for BudgetTravel.com for use in its next ferry ride story.

Steilacoom to McNeil Island
Leaves from: Steilacoom Ferry dock
Passengers on this no-frills ferry to the rock not only get to walk through metal detectors and have the potential added treat of getting a pat-down from Department of Corrections on-deck stewards, but they also get to dine in a five-bar tan hotel for 10 to 20 years. The resort is lush with flora and fauna and completely protected from the harsh world outside with a series of barbed wire fences and men with guns ... all to keep the resort guests safe and sound.