[5] The ferries depart from Port Defiance and head north across the Dalco Passage to the community of Tahlequah on Vashon Island.

[6] WSF operates the ferry every day with 19 crossings,[7][8] as a $5 toll for adult passengers is charged with prepaid Wave2Go cards being accepted.

[12][13] The corridor was previously a part of the Pacific Highway from 1913 to 1923,[14][15][16] and later became a branch of State Road 5 in 1925.

[22] Regular ferry service on the Dalco Passage between Point Defiance in Tacoma and Tahlequah on Vashon Island started with the MV Skansonia in June 1951 during the creation of the WSF,[26][27] and served the route until the completion of the MV Hiyu in 1967.

[30] The Hiyu briefly returned to the route twice, in June 2008 and in September and October 2008,[31] while the Rhododendron was loaned out to Pierce County for the Steilacoom–Anderson Island ferry.