Vashon Island + Point Robinson

Day trip 04 · about ~45 min one way

Vashon Island + Point Robinson

The slowest, happiest day on the list — a 20-minute ferry to an island with no bridges, no chains, and a lighthouse point where the beach and trails are legitimately off-leash. This is the dog's favorite chapter of the trip.

~45 min one way 15 mi + ferry 5–8 hours None needed Off-leash beach zones

One-way

≈45 min: 20-min drive + 20-min ferry

Shape of the day

Out-and-back — or exit south via a second ferry

Ferry

Fauntleroy → Vashon, ~20 min, frequent

Dog verdict

The best: off-leash beach + trails at Point Robinson

Passes

None — ferry fare only

The far point

Point Robinson Light, 1915, with Rainier behind it

Getting there from downtown

Vashon sits fifteen minutes from downtown and might as well be an hour from 1995. You cross from West Seattle's Fauntleroy dock, ride twenty minutes, then drive a two-lane island highway through farms and madrona to a lighthouse spit facing Mount Rainier. There's a clever back door home, too: the south-end ferry drops you at Point Defiance — trip 05.

Downtown → Fauntleroy dock8 mi · ~20 min
WA-99 south, over the West Seattle Bridge, then Fauntleroy Way SW to its end at the Lincoln Park ferry dock.
Fauntleroy → Vashon ferry20 min crossing
The 'triangle route' boat — 20 minutes to the island's north end. Vehicle queues are the crux on summer weekends; walk-on + island bus is a real alternative.
North dock → Vashon town5 mi · ~10 min
Vashon Highway SW climbs from the dock and runs the island's spine into the four-corners town center.
Town → Point Robinson7 mi · ~15 min
Continue south, left on SW 204th St toward Maury Island, through Portage and Dockton Rd, then Point Robinson Rd to the upper and lower lots.
Option A home20 min crossing
Retrace to the north dock and ferry back to Fauntleroy.
Option B home — the loop15 min crossing + 35 mi
Drive to the island's south tip and take the Tahlequah → Point Defiance ferry (15 min), landing inside trip 05's park; I-5 north from Tacoma.

Open the full route in Google Maps

Fauntleroy–Vashon ferry playbook

Short, frequent, and chronically queued: the Fauntleroy dock's holding area is small, so summer Saturday mid-days can back up onto Fauntleroy Way. The crossing itself is only 20 minutes. Southworth-bound boats share the dock — read the sailing board, not the line.

Before 9:30 AM or after 6 PM, vehicle waits are usually one boat or less.
Check WSF's live terminal conditions for Fauntleroy before leaving downtown — it updates queue estimates.
The Tahlequah exit (Option B) means you never re-queue at Fauntleroy at all.

Your day, hour by hour

9:00

Fauntleroy dock

Queue, board, and let the dog watch gulls from the car deck.

9:45

Vashon town

Coffee at the Roasterie, bakery stop, and the Saturday farmers market if it's running.

11:00

Point Robinson

Off-leash hour: the beach south of the lighthouse and the upper-lot trails are the sanctioned zones. Rainier floats above the shipping lanes.

13:00

Picnic on the point

Driftwood-log seating, ships in Colvos Passage, lighthouse behind you.

14:30

Island wander

Dockton's quiet harbor, KVI Beach's sand spit (be mindful — partly private), or a nap-paced farm-stand crawl.

16:30

Choose your exit

North boat to Fauntleroy, or south boat to Point Defiance for the scenic drive home.

Worth stopping for

Vashon town center

One crossroads, zero franchises: bookstore, bakery, hardware-store-turned-restaurant, and the island's whole social life on a Saturday morning.

Point Robinson Park

A sand spit with a 1915 lighthouse, keeper's quarters, and the trip's headline: off-leash-legal beach and upper trails (avoid the zone by the rental houses). Run, dog, run.

KVI Beach

A broad sandy spit under the radio tower — a locally loved dog beach, but partly private land generously left open: pack out everything and keep the dog off the dunes' nesting areas.

Dockton Park & Forest

Quartermaster Harbor's old dry-dock town, now a quiet pier and 200 acres of forest loops on Maury Island.

Burton Acres

A small peninsula forest with a boat-launch beach — listed among the island's off-leash-tolerated parks; read the current signage on arrival.

Tahlequah dock

The island's back door: a 15-minute crossing straight to Point Defiance's gates. The two trips chain into one epic dog weekend.

With the dog

The best dog day within an hour of Seattle. Point Robinson's off-leash beach is rare, sanctioned, and spectacular.

Point Robinson (Vashon Park District): off-leash allowed on the north/south trails from the upper lot and on most of the beach — NOT near the waterfront rental quarters. Voice control means actual voice control.
Everywhere else on Vashon: King County leash rules apply; several parks (Burton Acres, Lisabeula) are traditionally off-leash-tolerated — follow posted signs over folklore.
WSF ferries: leashed on deck, as always.

Shipping-lane currents off the point — fetch parallel to shore, not outward. Seals haul out on the spit; a leashed approach first is wise. Summer bees in the driftwood meadow grass.

Nearest emergency vet (live search)

Food & coffee

Vashon Island Baking Company

Town center

Island institution — get there before the morning regulars clear the case.

The Hardware Store

Town center

Restaurant in the island's 1890 hardware store; brunch through dinner.

Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie

North end

Historic mercantile turned roastery — the pre-Point-Robinson stop.

Snapdragon Bakery & Cafe

Town center

Soups, breads, and island gossip.

Passes, parking & costs

Ferry: fare collected westbound (to the island) only; Tahlequah → Point Defiance exit is also a paid leg. Car + driver ≈ $22–28 round trip depending on route.
Point Robinson, Dockton, KVI: free. No Discover Pass needed all day.
Farm stands are cash-box honor system — bring small bills.

Timing & conditions

Saturday gets you the farmers market; any weekday gets you the island nearly alone. Point Robinson's beach is best two hours either side of low tide — more sand, more running room.

Rainier shows from the point on clear days — in this trip's window, Friday and Monday look best for the mountain.

The Fauntleroy queue is the only clock that matters: early boat out, and you'll never feel rushed again all day.

The place, in photos

Real photography — AllTrails contributors, Wikimedia Commons, and Openverse (CC); credits in credits.json.

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 1

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 2

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 3

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 4

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 5

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 6

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 7

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 8

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 9

Vashon Island + Point Robinson — scene 10

Where it sits

Check live before you go

WSF Fauntleroy–Vashon (triangle route)WSF live terminal conditions Point Robinson (Vashon Park District)Vashon dog-park & leash overview NOAA tides: Tacoma (nearest station)Point forecast: Vashon