Merrimac ferry open for the season

April 2, 2008

The Colsac III, the free ferry that carries travelers and their vehicles across the Wisconsin River between Columbia and Sauk Counties, is open for the season. The ferry operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week as part of WIS 113.

The Colsac III, commonly referred to as the Merrimac Ferry, is Wisconsin’s only free ferry. The craft holds 15 vehicles at a time, in addition to bicycles and pedestrians. A single crossing takes about seven minutes. Passengers board the ferry at Okee on the south bank of river and Merrimac on the north bank.

The ferry typically resumes operations in the springtime when the river becomes free of ice.

The ferry has operated free of charge since 1933. Prior to that, private toll ferries were used dating back to 1844.