The Local Motion Island Bike Ferry opened for the season on Friday, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend.

The ferry links cyclists from the greater Burlington area to the Champlain Islands, and offers scenic views of the Adirondack mountains, Green Mountains, and of Lake Champlain.

Ferry rides start at 10 a.m. and run until 5 p.m. on Fridays, and 6 p.m. on Saturday’s and Sunday’s.

Ferry officials found that cyclists travel from thirty-two different countries, and over seventeen thousand people ride the ferry each season, according to a survey.

“You go onto the causeway, and you’ve never seen anything like it. You’ve got to the west the high peaks of the Adirondacks, and to the east, you’ve got the Green Mountains, and then you’ve got all of Lake Champlain that you’re looking out on. They’ll take the ferry across over to South Hero and it’s another 4 miles into the village. They can have lunch and ice-cream and then they can come back down,” said Director of Services and Marketing for Local Motion, Tom Clark.

The ferry will only be open on weekends after Memorial Day and up until Father’s Day.

In a bid to provide accessible transportation, the ferry offers free rides to passengers.

To sustain its operations, the ferry authorities gladly accept donations. They emphasize that these contributions play a crucial role in keeping the ferry free for all users.

For those interested in supporting this cause, a donation link can be found here.