Catch the Fauntleroy Ferry
The terminal shares the neighborhood's name, and it is the main reason many visitors pass through. Boats leaving the Fauntleroy dock serve two destinations: Vashon Island and Southworth on the Kitsap side. Planning an island day trip or a shortcut west? This is the Seattle departure point most people use.
Sailing times, crossing lengths and fares shift with the season and the day of the week, so check the current Washington State Ferries schedule before you set out. With a real departure time in hand, you can plan your drive or bus ride along Fauntleroy Way to match.
Turn Your Wait Into a Beach Walk
Arrive early, or come back with time to spare, and the shoreline park just north of the terminal makes an easy addition. Instead of sitting in line, you can spend those minutes strolling along the beach before your boat.
Explore the Parks
For a residential area, Fauntleroy packs in a surprising amount of green space. Choose from a large waterfront destination or slip into small wooded pockets that mostly neighbors use.
Lincoln Park
Spend an afternoon at Lincoln Park on the West Seattle bluff, which stretches across 135 acres along Puget Sound. Wander the forest trails, follow the paved path beside the beach and, in summer, take a dip in the heated saltwater pool. Families also love searching for the giant troll tucked into the woods.
Fauntleroy Park and the Creek
Step into Fauntleroy Park's forest and wetland, 32.9 acres where Fauntleroy Creek begins its run down to the cove. This is a place for quiet walks, birdwatching and nature study rather than ball games, so pack binoculars instead of a soccer ball.
Downstream, the Fauntleroy Creek Ravine follows the water toward the Sound. Together, these spaces give the neighborhood a woodsy calm that feels a world away from the busy ferry dock.
Smaller Neighborhood Green Spaces
Kilbourne Park and Endolyne Park round out the small parks. String a few of them together for a relaxed loop through the neighborhood on foot.
The Story Behind the Name
The neighborhood, the creek and the park all take their name from the cove. Lt. George Davidson of the U.S. Coast Survey named it in 1857 for the family of his fiancée, Ellinor Fauntleroy of Indiana, and homes and streets began appearing around 1905.
Keep an ear out for the name Endolyne as you explore. In the early 1900s, a streetcar line ran out to Fauntleroy, and this part of the neighborhood was quite literally the end of the line. The name stuck, and Endolyne Park still carries it today.
Curious to dig deeper? Pick up Fauntleroy Legacy by Roy Morse and Richard Brown, published in 1989, or Clay Eals's West Side Story, published by the West Seattle Herald in 1987.
A cluster of institutions anchors daily life here. Fauntleroy Church, part of the United Church of Christ, stands alongside the Fauntleroy YMCA, and many people searching for the West Seattle and Fauntleroy YMCA are looking for this neighborhood branch.
Nearby, The Hall at Fauntleroy fills the building of the former Fauntleroy School. Inside, you will find a children's center, a caterer, an auditorium, meeting rooms for rent and several other businesses, so the old school is still a gathering place, just in a new form.
Neighbors Who Stay Involved
The all-volunteer Fauntleroy Community Association has tackled local issues since the early 1980s, with a focus on environmental quality, traffic and parking. Those last two matter a great deal in a neighborhood with a busy ferry terminal on its main road.
Plan Your Visit
Fauntleroy makes a lovely half-day outing or a scenic start to a ferry trip. Pair a walk in Lincoln Park with a quiet hour in the creek forest, then linger for the evening light over the Olympics. Before heading out, confirm ferry times and park details with official sources, since schedules and seasonal hours can change.
