Guemes Island in the News
News coverage of Guemes Island, collected from local and regional outlets.
Shot on 620 film with a vintage Brownie camera.
Message Board
For sale, wanted, for rent, giveaways, lost & found, local services, farm & produce, and general announcements.
Guemes Garages: Facebook sale group →
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Guemes in the News
Island news
Students, colleagues to celebrate life of ‘inspiring’ Anacortes teacher on Halloween →
"Students, colleagues to celebrate life of ‘inspiring’ Anacortes teacher on Halloween Avid outdoorsman, energetic science teacher wore many costumes, reached even more students." "Julia Soes will never forget the way Victor Garcia explained potassium protein pumps to his biology students. “He would run and throw himself at the door,” said Soes, who graduated from Anacortes High in 2017. “It’s almost 10 years later, and I can still tell you that lecture was about potassium protein pumps.”
Skagit County commissioners back plan to hold Guemes ferry fares steady →
"After raising the price to ride the Guemes Island ferry three times since 2023, the Skagit County Board of Commissioners signaled Tuesday that it will forgo a fourth price hike planned for 2027 in light of waning ridership and lagging revenue."
“ A good-faith effort’: Commissioners back plan to hold Guemes ferry fares steady” →
"After raising the price to ride the Guemes Island ferry three times since 2023, Skagit County’s board of commissioners signaled Tuesday, Oct. 20, that it will forgo a fourth price hike planned for 2027 in light of waning ridership and lagging revenue. “I think it's a good-faith effort on our behalf, saying we'll keep it where we are,” Commissioner Peter Browning said Tuesday at the end of a meeting with county staff."
Good heat’: Guemes ferry riders urge Skagit commissioners to skip price hike →
“Each time Guemes Island resident Richard Brigham rides the ferry to Anacortes to do his shopping, he hangs as many sacks and panniers as he possibly can from his electric bike. “It gets a little difficult if I have to buy birdseed,” the 84-year-old said. “At my age … I don't have any illusions that I'm going to be able to keep doing this routine for that much longer.”
Skagit commissioners vote to uphold 2025 ferry fares after being ordered to fix them →
Skagit County’s board of commissioners voted unanimously Monday, Sept. 14, to uphold the Guemes Island ferry’s 2025 ticket prices after a judge invalidated them earlier this year and ordered the commissioners to recalculate them. “No changes … are needed,” the board’s resolution states, “because both the projected and actual operations and maintenance expenses for the ferry are consistent.”
Deja Vu-All Over Again →
31 June 2026, Judge Kathryn Loring, after hearing oral arguments, issued a Remand Order instructing Skagit County to get on with recalculating the 2025 fares (recalculating the 2024 Fare Revenue Target Report) and redoing the non-expiry cards resolution to remove the deadline for conversion, specifically “. . .without unreasonable restrictions being placed on the terms, conditions, or circumstances by which the COVID Emergency Punch Cards and Convenience Cards may be converted to the County’s electronic ticketing system.”
Skagit County commissioners nix date to convert non-expiry Guemes ferry tickets →
Skagit County commissioners nix date to convert non-expiry Guemes ferry tickets. he commissioners had given people who in recent years had purchased non-expiring paper ferry tickets until the end of this year to convert those tickets to the county's electronic system.
Across the Channel: Guemes Island's quiet, independent charm. MJ Andrak →
Once very much alike, the myriad islands of Puget Sound are today very different from one another. Guemes, an eastern outpost of the San Juan group, lies just off Fidalgo Island, home of the town of Anacortes. It’s a small island, only eight square miles. A county-owned 22-car ferry joins it to Fidalgo.
WDFW statement on passing of Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Garcia →
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is saddened to share the passing of Commissioner Victor Garcia. Appointed to the Commission in 2025, Commissioner Garcia filled a Western Washington position on the Commission.
Obituaries
Remembering islanders we've lost.
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Island info
Ferry
The M/V Guemes crosses the channel in about five minutes. Skagit County runs the boat.
Live ferry cams & schedule
Holding-lane camera feeds, next sailing, and the current schedule.
guemesislandferry.com →More ferry info
County info, the ferry app, the fare ruling, the Ferry Committee, and alert sign-up.
See all ferry info →Map
Use + and − to zoom in, then drag to move around the map.
Open full map / get directions →
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Tides
NOAA predictions for Anacortes / Guemes Channel (Station 9448794). Height in feet above MLLW.
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Nature & Trails
Guemes has trails, preserves, and a lot of quiet corners worth wandering.
Trails & preserves
Guemes Mountain, Peach Preserve, Kelly's Point, Dog Woods, and iNaturalist sightings.
See all trails & preserves →Guemes Gallery
A place to share your photos of the island.
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Island Organizations
The groups that keep Guemes running: community space, emergencies, faith, planning, and neighbor-to-neighbor support.
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What to Know
A few things worth knowing before they matter: island life basics that aren't always obvious until you need them.
Island life basics
Ferry outages, emergencies, refineries, licenses, self-sufficiency, and water.
See all what to know →Property Sales
Recent Guemes Island property sales, curated from Skagit County records.
Recent sales
Address, price, and notes for recent Guemes Island property sales.
See all property sales →Add a property sale
History
Guemes Island sits within the traditional territory of the Samish Indian Nation, whose village sxwalímet once stood near where the ferry terminal is today.
From 2003 on, LineTime.org carried the island's news, message board, and directory, named for the ferry-line conversations it grew out of. This site continues that spirit: informal and useful. See Island Organizations for the Historical Society and other island groups.
In memory
With thanks to LineTime and the islanders who kept it running for so many years.