The Canby Ferry has no timetable. It runs every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the crew crosses whenever someone shows up. Three things close it: a short list of holidays, a high river and the occasional special event. Floods have shut this crossing down for more than a year at a time before. The county's next big ferry project, a fix for a ramp that has shifted, isn't scheduled to start construction until 2028.
If you live around Dietz Airpark or anywhere on the east side of Canby, the ferry is the five-minute way across to the Wilsonville side. As the fall rains start, it helps to know how the crossing behaves.
How a crossing works right now
The M.J. Lee II carries cars and walk-on passengers between Canby and Wilsonville. According to Clackamas County's ferry page, the trip takes about five minutes, and "ferry conductors travel on an as-needed basis." You pull up, the boat comes to you, and you're across.
The boat holds six cars or 25 tons, plus up to 43 people counting crew. Its top service speed is 6.4 mph. Busy times can mean a short wait for the next trip. You won't find a schedule to plan around.
Fares went up on July 1, 2025. All fares are one-way:
| Who's crossing | One-way fare |
|---|---|
| Motorcycle, bicycle or pedestrian | $3 |
| Car, pickup or trailer up to 22 feet | $5 |
| Vehicle over 22 and under 44 feet | $10 |
| Oversize vehicle over 44 feet | $15 |
| Whole-ferry load | $30 |
| 20-crossing punch pass, car | $80 |
| 20-crossing punch pass, walk-on or bike | $55 |
At the ferry, you can pay with cash or a check only. It does not take cards. You can buy punch passes online with a debit or credit card. At $80 for 20 car crossings, each trip costs $4 instead of $5. If you cross often, that also means one less reason to keep bills in the glovebox.
What stops the boat
The county lists three reasons the ferry won't run during normal hours:
- Holidays. New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Fourth of July, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
- High water. Service stops when the river level hits 70 feet or higher.
- Special events. The county can also close the ferry for an event.
Two of those holidays are coming up soon. Veterans Day falls on Wednesday, November 11, and Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 26. Plan on driving around both days.
High water is harder to plan for, because no date marks it. The county gives the 70-foot cutoff but doesn't say which gauge it uses. Don't try to match it to the river readings you'd find online. NOAA's Willamette River below Falls at Oregon City gauge works on a completely different scale, with flood categories between 25 and 40 feet. That page is useful for seeing whether the river is rising. It can't tell you whether the boat is running.
The county's answer to that question is the Canby Ferry Information Line, 503-650-3030. The ferry page also has an email sign-up for updates. A call takes thirty seconds. If the boat isn't running, it saves you the drive to the landing and back.
In 2019, OPB reported that the ferry also doesn't run in bad weather. It described November through March as the slower season for ridership. That's the stretch we're heading into now.
The river has closed this crossing before
The Willamette has a track record here. The county's ferry history, compiled from records by Canby historian Myra Weston, reads largely as a story about water.
- July 1914. The first ferry was bought in Newberg. It was pushed by a splashboard driven by the river's current and held on course by a cable. The first ferryman, Clem Dollar, was paid $10 a month by the City of Canby.
- January 1946. Heavy rain and a flooded river swept the ferry off its moorings, and pieces of it went over Willamette Falls.
- 1946 to 1953. No ferry. In June 1952, the Canby Chamber and Lions Club gave the Clackamas County Court 8,000 signatures asking for service to return.
- February 1996. Severe flooding closed the ferry. It stayed closed while the docks were rebuilt.
- June 20, 1997. Service came back with the current six-vehicle boat, built at Diversified Marine in Portland.
Twice since 1946, floods shut this crossing down for more than a year. After the first closure, it took a petition with 8,000 signatures to bring the ferry back. The boat you ride today is named for Millard Jerome Lee. The first M.J. Lee carried passengers for 43 years, from 1953 to 1996.
The ramp that shifted
The county's newest ferry project focuses on the landings. Its Canby Ferry Ramp Improvements page, updated September 28, 2026, says plainly: "The northern Ferry ramp has shifted over time." The shift could disrupt service, and it has already damaged the bottom of the boat.
The plan is to replace the northern ramp, repair part of the road embankment, and check how stable the southern ramp is. Here's the published schedule:
- Design: spring 2027 to spring 2028
- Construction: summer 2028 to winter 2028
- Estimated cost: $550,000, paid for with federal Ferry Boat Discretionary Program funds and county road funds
Right now the county is writing a request for proposals and looking for a firm to handle design and permitting. That timing matters if you cross regularly. The page says to "expect delays or closures to ferry operations during construction," and construction isn't scheduled until 2028. This winter and next, the ferry should run as it always has, holidays and high water aside.
The project's stated purpose is "continued, reliable Ferry operations." The page doesn't say what caused the shift.
Who keeps it running
The ferry gets steady use. Clackamas County's service guide counts 49,304 vehicle rides in calendar year 2025. That number counts vehicle trips, not riders, so walk-ons and bikes are on top of it.
Fares don't cover the cost. In 2019, OPB reported that tolls fell short of costs by about $300,000 to $400,000 a year, and the county road fund made up the difference. That year a car crossing cost $5 and a walk-on or bike crossing cost $2. Those are 2019 figures. When the county announced its July 2025 fee changes, it said only that the new rates reflect the cost of providing services.
Crossings weren't always paid. Rides were free until 1986, when the county set a one-way toll of $1. Oregon State Parks says this is one of only three ferries still running on the Willamette.
Pair the crossing with Molalla River State Park
On a dry fall afternoon, the ferry pairs well with the park right next to it. According to Oregon State Parks, Molalla River State Park sits where the Willamette, Molalla and Pudding rivers meet, about a quarter mile upstream of the ferry. It has one of the largest blue heron rookeries in the Willamette Valley.
What to know before you go:
- Entrance: Use the main entrance at River Park Place, near NE 37th Avenue and N Holly Street in Canby. Entering from Eilers Road is not allowed.
- Dogs: There's a pet exercise area where dogs can run off leash.
- On the water: There's a boat ramp. Oregon State Parks says to wear a life jacket for any swimming, floating, paddling or boating.
- Parking: You need a day-use parking permit, which you can buy at the park. It's open year-round.
If the river has been running high, call the ferry line before you plan a loop that includes a crossing.
Closer to the holidays, Canby's First Thursday Night Market runs downtown on November 5 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Clackamas County Winter Fair runs November 27 through December 19 at the Event Center. The fair opens the day after Thanksgiving, so the ferry is closed the day before opening and back in service on opening day, water permitting.
Living near a river and a ferry gives you local know-how that's worth sharing, whether that's which crossing to use or when to call the info line first. If you'd like to talk through the Canby side of Clackamas County or life near Dietz Airpark, Stacey McGhehey is happy to help. Let's Connect. Smile! Relax! Enjoy!
