Lake Champlain Ferries-Essex

Bobbie Sauter

I live in Westport and work in Burlington. If it weren't for the Ferry in Essex I'd be toast! The crew is wonderful! One suggestion: sell stuff on board! Coffee, snacks (local would be great!) And for godsakes souvenirs for all those tourists!! $$$$$

Charlotte Pruzensky

Our RV loaded easily on the ferry. It's a lovely picturesque ride across the lake.

Kara M.

We picked up the ferry a bit south of Burlington in Charlotte. I don't think I had been on it in close to ten years, but I also had vague childhood memories of riding it back in the day with my family. On my most recent trip from BTV back to Albany my friend and I decided to hop on the ferry in Charlotte, Vt, which delivered us to Essex, NY. The ferry is cash only, but the price was not too bad. It's just under $11 for car and passenger, an extra $4.50 per person. Once we drove onto the ferry, we parked the car and wandered the small vessel. I was happy to find a rest room on board! You can opt to sit in your car or walk to one of the upper decks, I enjoyed getting out to take in the views since I sadly do not have mountains where I currently live. There is some seating inside on this deck, as well as outside. This region is simply glorious in the nice summer weather! I spent most of my life in Upstate NY, so I know how dreary it can be in winter. We had a bit of an overcast day for our ride, but the views of the lake and mountains were still amazing! Our trip back was a meandering one, but the ferry actually added about 20-30 minutes on to our trip. Total time on the water is about 25 minutes and it was very relaxing. This is a nice option for a drive from NY to Vermont if you want to mix things up a bit!

Master iOqY

Cuts your road trip time and you get to relax a bit as you cross the narrowest point of Lake Champlain. Just under $11 for a car and driver and add a bit more if you have passengers. The ride is only about 20 min across and great views around. The ferry has clean washrooms as well. It's a RORO (roll-on, roll-off) type ferry so you just drive up and stay in your car the whole way. You can also walk on deck to stretch your legs while the ferry is underway. Nope, unfortunately, no sign of Champ when we crossed.