HIFLD Open Ferry Routes

The National Census of Ferry Operators (NCFO) Routes dataset was collected through December 31, 2020 and compiled on October 16, 2024 from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)/Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) National Transportation Atlas Database (NTAD). The Ferry Routes dataset represents all ferry routes from operators that provided responses to the 2020 National Census of Ferry Operators. Areas covered by the dataset include the 50 states as well as the territories of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Island, and American Samoa. Each segment in the dataset connects to two terminals from the Ferry Terminals dataset, describing the route ferries travel between them. Route geometries were determined using GPS points from Automatic Identification System data, as well existing government datasets from the Census Bureau, the US Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. Other routes were determined using least-cost analysis.