Fort Gates Ferry - Florida
N 29° 25.948 W 081° 39.894
17R E 435509 N 3256084
A nice way to see the St Johns River.
Waymark Code: WM2VCB
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 12/25/2007
Views: 173
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The Fort Gates Ferry is an antique ferry that crosses the Saint Johns River just north of Lake George. The ferry's east dock is located in the Gateway Fish Camp in Fruitland, Florida. The west dock is at the end of the dirt Salt Springs Road in the Ocala National Forest.
The ferry has been in service in some form or another since the Seminole and Civil Wars. Its name comes from Fort Gates that was located on the west bank during the Civil War. As far as I know, all remains of Fort Gates are now gone but the ferry is still running. As for the ferry itself, it isn't the typical modern day ferry. It consists of an old bashed up barge and a tiny tug boat that is attached to the barge on a pivot. The tiny tug boat pulls the barge carrying two cars at a time from one shore to the other. Once docked, a rusty old ramp is lowered down onto the ferry for the cars to get off and the tug boat swings around on its pivot to change direction.
The whole thing is a really cool system. As far as I know, it is the only ferry still operating on the St. Johns River that actually brings passengers from one shore to the other as a means of transport. There are two other ferries that I know of, but they both provide transportation to islands rather than river crossings. The Fort Gates Ferry is also a time saver for crossing the river. It is in the middle of a national forest on one shore, so if you wanted to cross the river by bridge, you would need to travel between 40-60 miles. Or pay the $10 and cross the river the fun and interesting way...