A $2 ferry still crosses the Columbia between Oregon and Washington, and three more West Coast ferry rides cost under $15

You don’t need a cruise ticket to get out on the water this winter. You need a few bucks in cash and a ferry schedule.

The West Coast still runs a handful of small, cheap, wonderfully low-key boat rides, and one of them crosses a state line for $2 if you walk on. Here are four worth planning a gray day around, from a six-car cable ferry in Oregon to a Golden Gate crossing in California.

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The $2 state-line crossing: Puget Island to Westport

The Wahkiakum County ferry is the last regularly scheduled car ferry across the Columbia between Washington and Oregon. It links Puget Island, just past Cathlamet on the Washington side, with Westport, Oregon, right off Highway 30.

Fares are refreshingly old-school: $2 on foot, $3 with a bike, and $6 for a car or pickup under 22 feet. Bring cash, because the crew doesn’t take cards.

Boats leave the Washington side on the hour from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the Oregon side at a quarter past, so you’re never waiting long. The run takes around 12 minutes, just enough time to watch the river spread out wide and gray and wonder why more people don’t do this.

Of the four, this is the one I’d plan a road trip around. It’s a genuinely useful link between Washington’s Highway 4 country and Oregon’s Highway 30, not just a novelty ride.

The six-car cable ferry: Canby, Oregon

South of Portland, the Canby Ferry has carried people across the Willamette River since 1914, minus a few years after a 1946 flood swept the old boat away. Today’s version, the M.J. Lee II, runs on electricity and follows an underwater cable, so the current barely nudges it.

It’s tiny. Six cars max, about five minutes across, and no timetable at all: the operator simply goes when someone’s waiting.

Walk-ons, bikes and motorcycles pay $3, and a standard car pays $5, each way, cash or check only. It runs daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., but it shuts on holidays (Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas included) and when the river climbs to 70 feet.

After a big rain, call the ferry info line at 503-650-3030 before you drive out. Nobody wants to discover a closed river crossing from the end of a dead-end road.

The skyline ride: Seattle to Bainbridge Island

This is the classic. Washington State Ferries boats leave Colman Dock on the downtown waterfront and cross Elliott Bay to Bainbridge in about 35 minutes, with the skyline shrinking behind you and the Olympics ahead on a clear day.

Here’s the trick: walk-on fares are only collected westbound. An adult walk-on pays $11.35 leaving Seattle, the ride back is free, and anyone 18 or younger rides free.

Gray winter days actually suit this ride. Grab a coffee, stand on the outer deck until your cheeks go numb, then retreat inside and watch Puget Sound through the windows like a smug local.

Downtown Winslow is an easy walk from the Bainbridge terminal, so you don’t need a car on the other side. The island is one of our go-to day trips from Seattle for exactly that reason.

The Golden Gate ride: San Francisco to Sausalito

Golden Gate Ferry boats leave from Gates B and C behind the San Francisco Ferry Building and cross the bay to Sausalito. Out on deck, you get the city skyline, the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge all in one sweep.

An adult paper ticket runs $14 each way, and tapping a Clipper card or contactless bank card at the gate costs less. Tickets come from machines now, since the old staffed windows are gone.

Yes, it’s the priciest ride on this list. Is it worth it? On a clear afternoon, absolutely, and once you land you can keep chasing angles with our favorite Golden Gate Bridge viewpoints.

So which ferry should you ride?

Want the cheapest thrill? The $2 Columbia crossing wins, no contest. Want the most charm per minute? Canby’s little cable ferry.

Want a big-city view from the water? Pick Bainbridge or Sausalito, depending on which end of the coast you’re already on. Whichever you choose, check the operator’s site the morning you go, because holidays, weather and high water all shuffle winter schedules.

Trip tips: grab a rental car to string a few of these together, lock in your hotel near the docks, or skip both and book a camper van and make the ferries part of the road trip.

Have you ridden any of these, or is there a tiny West Coast ferry we should add to the list? Tell us your favorite in the comments.

Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.