White’s Ferry

Prettiest crossing between Virginia and Maryland. Guys always do a great job of getting you across without getting you wet!

Worth the five bucks to just switch off and enjoy the Potomac River for a moment as you cross.
Don’t go at commuter time, but on a sunny Fall afternoon, what a treat!

What a delightful way to travel from Leesburg, VA to Gaithersburg, MD. Riding this fun, historic ferry helped me avoid ALL highways. Bring a five dollar bill and enjoy crossing the beautiful Potomac River.

It was a beautiful experience and saved a lot of time when I was a visiting a friend in poolsville. A great place that still runs since the civil war era! Amazing!

Great alternative getting from MoCo to Leesburg. Efficient and friendly employees. Will definitely use it again.

Whites Ferry is extremely convenient, has exceptionally efficient loading and unloading and employs very friendly staff. Beats the heck out of sucking someone’s bumper on the Beltway.
WATCH OUT FOR THE PHOTO ENFORCED SPEEDING IN POOLESVILLE! Cameras on the way in and out of town!

not the quickest route to get to Leesburg from west Bethesda, but definitely the most fun and scenic one.

Poor service and operated by rude people. You can enjoy beautiful views, but stay away from operator, he easily can scream on you!

At times my job requires me to travel to ritzy ditzy VA. I sure am not willing to sit on 270÷495÷95. So I take this path. This is nothing like take the ferry from Cape May to Rehobeth. This isnt no Carnival cruise liner either.
Though, I leave the house early and usually the ferry is on my side to carry my happy self over to the over side. The fare is $ 5 one way or $ 8 round trip. I usually go for round trip but if its dark I pass and go the long way. The ferry is a fast haul. The ferry guys are nice and gets as to the other side safe. During the weekends its get packed because the Marylanders want to venture out to the outlets. Check ahead though because sometimes it can be closed due to weather issues. Heres a heads up, plan ahead. Plan early, because if your in a rush, time may not always be on your side. Lets say you have to be somewhere at 9am. Dont expect to get to the ferry at quarter of and think its waiting for you. If you missed the ferry, expect 5 – 10 minutes. It takes about 5 minutes to reach to the other side. Then you have to wait for the cars to unload. Then you have to wait for the cars to load up and then the ferry comes back to yourside but then you have to wait til they leave and then you go, and they wait some time for it to load it up, then your happy journey continues. So again, plan plan plan your trip or your commute ahead.

A ferry that is professionally and safely run by a first rate captain and crew. Even though the voyage across the Potomac River is a brief one, there is still lots to see and do on the historic river itself
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I’ve never had to take this as a regular commute, so I can’t speak to how it must back up during rush hour. For me, it’s a bucolic way to cross the river when I’m traveling from Leesburg to Frederick/​Germantown area.
It’s pretty much that you drive up; wait for the hand signal to get on the ferry; open your window to pay the fare and 2 minutes later, you’ve crossed the river.
The one day I was riding it, I watched someone remove a ring and throw it into the river. Reminded me of the old song «Ode to Billie Joe» and wondering if the ferry was a symbolic substitute for the Tallahatchie Bridge.

Not as old as the White Haven Ferry across the Wicomico River on the Eastern Shore but White’s Ferry takes you from populated place to populated place without the traffic. When I’m heading to the Germantown area from central Virginia I always take the ferry for its 19^th century charm. Just north of Leesburg past Ida Lee Park, take a right at the sign and travel into history.

White’s Ferry seems like an A-​Ok way to cross the Potomac. I had seen the crossing a few times before and had always been a bit leery of it but largely because back in 2006 they ran into some issues with the US Coast Guard for being unlicensed.
The trip was simple and the price to take the ferry was fair. Not bad if you are out that way and need to get across.

Scenic and efficient alternative to get from MoCo to Leesburg. The ferry ride itself was smooth and couldn’t have taken more than 5 minutes. The round trip fare is $ 8.
It seems like it might be best to get across early or late. We crossed from MD to VA at around 9:30 on a Saturday morning and there was no wait. However on the trip back the line of cars waiting to cross to VA snaked all the way back to the road.

Very scenic drive out there. I didn’t think of going to Leesburg this way from Maryland. The White’s Ferry property was part historic part fun it was nice to have the service going across. The distance between the two states was insignificant, it’s totally swim-​able. I was surprised how close it was. It was not much of a ferry like the one that takes you from Rehoboth to Cape May we hopped on the open platform and wondered when it would start. I realized we were already moving mid-​way while the guy was going car to car to collect a few dollars. Before we knew it we were on the other side. I mean it would be nice to have a bridge there and they could charge toll for it but this was more fun!

One of the last operating ferry in Maryland and is also the oldest operating river ferry in the state. (Trivia note, the river is owned by the state of Maryland, but the ferry is privately owned)
Nice recreational area, ad while the ferry is not there as an amusement or an attraction seeing how it is an active river crossing, he trip is somewhat fun to just take on a whim. (Also helpful when traffic snarls up at the Point of Rocks Bridge on US 15)
Food inside the little gift shop is decent. There usually is as many visitors to the ferry as there actual commuters.
Ferry does not operate during and and after heavy rains or snow due to flooding and/​or icing of the river. Floating debris is the natural enemy of the ferry.
And remember kids, riding a ferry is more fun than riding a faerie unless, you’re into that sorta bag.

Stopped here a couple of years ago on the way back from a miserable bike trip out to Harper’s Ferry… it was raining and cold that day, we hadn’t thought to bring any rain gear, and by the time we reached White’s Ferry, we were half-​frozen. We ordered some hot chocolate and food, and upon seeing how cold we were, one of the owners ran upstairs to grab a blanket and let us warm up for awhile. She mentioned that the ferry operators fall in on a regular basis and they’re used to having folks huddle down in their shop.
The family was friendly and warm in a way that can be hard to find around here – I was grateful for their hospitality.
In December, my boyfriend and I came back in a car and crossed over the Potomac to get to Leesburg – easy, no hassle, and fun. I had to admire the ferry operator being out in that kind of weather – I just hope he’s not one of the ones who fell in. :-/

This is something that everyone should try at least once.
Enjoy part of the historic herirtage that is Northern Virginia.
You’ll be amazed at how smooth and easy it is to ride this ferry.
It’s pulled across by cables… it is so smooth you hardly know you’re moving.
The attendant said the water is four feet deep at the crossing point.

Apparently, the main website link is broken so I’m providing this one for you… hope it helps! For more info check out this website

It’s a very cool experience if you have never been across it before. Well, at least I enjoyed it on my harley. :-)

Yesterday I left Haymarket, VA and headed up Interstate 270 (I-​270) North to Gaithersburg to attend a friend’s Birthday Party! I noted as I was heading up I-​270 North that I-​270 South was jammed and backed up for miles heading towards the Beltway.
So I thought: «Hmmmm, it might be cleared out by the time I head home — BUT given the tendency of a lot more people to stay local due to the gas price issue — it might not clear out” — so I needed an alternate route home.
Enter White’s Ferry.
I got my friend Glen to write down directions from their house in Gaithersburg to White’s Ferry. It was a nice scenic drive up Route 28/​Darnestown Road, and then down Route 107/White’s Ferry Road.
I’ve never been on a Ferry before and had no idea what to expect.
When I pulled up, there was a short line of cars ahead of me — so I was thinking I might be waiting a while, but I was wrong. The Ferry itself can hold 20 – 30 cars per crossing.
So I pulled onboard, paid my $ 4.00 one-​way fee crossing (a $ 6.00 roundtrip pass is available) and then got out to stroll around the Ferry and take some pics. The name of the Ferry is The General Jubal A. Early — named after a Confederate General of the Civil War.
It was dusk and the sun was setting on the Potomac River. It was absolutely a scenic and gorgeous evening on the river.
I’m guessing the crossing took less than 5 minutes — but I was not timing it.
The Ferry has been there since 1817 (it was originally named Conrad’s Ferry at the time). After the Civil War, former Confederate officer Elijah V. White bought the ferry and made improvements to it.
Very cool!