The Boldt Castle Shuttle

People search for a “Boldt Castle ferry” and find surprisingly little. That is because the crossing is not run as a public ferry service — it is a shuttle operated by a private boat company, and it works differently from a scheduled ferry in two ways that matter.

Times and fares

The shuttle runs from 45 James Street, Alexandria Bay, takes about ten minutes, and departs roughly every half hour beginning at 10:30 am, continuing until everyone on the island has been brought back. The last outbound run is roughly an hour and a half before the castle closes.

The most recently published fare was about $10.00 adult and $6.50 child. Treat those as indicative and confirm on the day.

It does not include admission

The operator states plainly that Boldt Castle admission is sold separately. The shuttle fare buys the crossing and nothing else. Admission is $14.00 adult, or $17.00 with the Yacht House — see tickets and prices.

You cannot book it in advance

This is the part worth planning around. Shuttle tickets are only available at the ticket booth, from 9:00 am, on the day of travel — they cannot be purchased online or in advance.

On a quiet weekday in May that is a non-issue. On a Saturday in July it means arriving early and queueing, with no way to guarantee a place before you travel. There are two ways around it:

• Pre-book a Canadian-side cruise, which can be held before you travel — though that turns the trip into a border crossing.
• Pre-book the entry ticket so at least the admission half is locked in at $17.00, and only the boat is left to the day.

The free shuttle people miss

Separately from the paid crossing, a free shuttle boat runs between Heart Island and the Boldt Yacht House on Wellesley Island. It costs nothing and it is included with a combination ticket. A surprising number of visitors never make the trip simply because they assume it is another fare.