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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Southworth
Southworth, Washington
Skip as a base — there is no lodging. Use Southworth as a 1–2 hour ferry landing, or sleep in Port Orchard and drive 15 min for the crossing.
Southworth is a rural ferry landing on the Kitsap Peninsula, not a town you stay in: it has no hotels, one grocery and a post office. Its value is the Washington State Ferries route to West Seattle and Vashon Island, plus access to Banner Forest trails and the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails for kayakers. Most travellers pass through in an afternoon, or sleep nearby in Port Orchard or Manchester.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Southworth, Washington
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (rain, short daylight, ferry queues in summer weekends)
- Stay
- 0 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $4–6 |
| Deli sandwich or grocery lunch | $10–16 |
| Sit-down dinner main | $18–32 |
| Washington State Ferries, Southworth to Vashon Island, walk-on | $6–10 |
| Washington State Ferries, Southworth to West Seattle, walk-on | $8–12 |
| Kitsap Transit single fare | $2 |
| Kayak rental, half day | $50–90 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SEA · Seattle–Tacoma International
- About 1 h 30 min by car via SR-16 and SR-160, or ferry plus light rail from West Seattle
- PAE · Snohomish County (Paine Field)
- Smaller alternative; drive via I-5 and SR-16, about 1 h 45 min
Typical fares
- Southworth → Vashon Island, walk-on
- about $6–10, about 10 min crossing
- Southworth → West Seattle, walk-on
- about $8–12, about 30 min crossing
- Kitsap Transit bus
- about $2, ORCA fare network
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
You need a car or a bicycle. SR-160 is the only main road in; from SR-16 take the Sedgewick Rd exit and drive about 7.3 miles to SE Southworth Dr. Kitsap Transit buses serve the ferry terminal and link to the regional ORCA fare network; full fare is about $2. Roads are rural and winding, with cyclists and horses — pass wide and slow.
See and do
Known for
- Washington State Ferries terminal to West Seattle and Vashon Island
- Banner Forest Heritage Park
- Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails southern trailhead
- Rural Colvos Passage shoreline
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Port Orchard | Drive SR-160 west, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Manchester and Manchester State Park | Drive south from Southworth, about 20 min | About 25 min |
| Bainbridge Island | Drive via SR-16 and SR-305, about 45 min | About 50 min |
| Gig Harbor | Drive via SR-16 across the Tacoma Narrows, about 35 min | About 40 min |
| Vashon Island | Washington State Ferries from the Southworth terminal, about 10 min crossing | About 30 min plus wait |
| West Seattle | Washington State Ferries from the Southworth terminal, about 30 min crossing | About 45 min plus wait |
Sleep
- Southworth itself
- No lodging of any kind. Do not plan to sleep here.
- Port Orchard
- The nearest real base: hotels and B&Bs, about 15 min west by car on SR-160.
- Manchester
- Quieter waterfront option with Manchester State Park camping, about 20 min south.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the ferry terminal? | Where is the ferry terminal? |
| One walk-on ticket, please | One walk-on ticket, please |
| How long is the wait for the next boat? | How long is the wait for the next boat? |
| Is there parking here overnight? | Is there parking here overnight? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No lodging, no fuel and very limited food in Southworth: buy supplies in Port Orchard first.
- Summer ferry queues for vehicles can run to several sailings; walk-on passengers board far faster.
- Cell coverage is patchy on the forest roads south of the terminal.
- Rural roads have no lighting and no shoulders in places: do not walk them after dark.
Very low crime; the real risks are rural roads with no shoulders or lighting, fast ferry-queue traffic on SR-160, and cold Puget Sound water if you kayak — wear a wetsuit and check the tide tables.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Southworth yet. Suggested stay: 0 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Washington State Ferries terminal to West Seattle and Vashon Island
- Banner Forest Heritage Park
- Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails southern trailhead
- Rural Colvos Passage shoreline
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Washington State Ferries (WSDOT): wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries
- Kitsap County Parks — Banner Forest Heritage Park: www.kitsap.gov/parks/Pages/BannerForestHeritagePark.aspx
- Kitsap County Parks — Long Lake County Park: www.kitsap.gov/parks/Pages/LongLakePark.aspx
- Visit Kitsap — Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails: www.visitkitsap.com/kitsap-peninsula-water-trails
- Wikivoyage: Southworth (Washington), revision 5291654 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5291654
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
SouthworthSouthworth, Washington
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No consulates in Southworth; nearest consulates-general are in Seattle. Emergency: 911.
No lodging in Southworth — book in Port Orchard or Manchester before you arrive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/southworth-washington). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.