Skip to main content

Canal Street-Algiers Point Ferry (New Orleans, LA)

Image
By

 

The Canal Street-Algiers Point Ferry is one of two crossings of the Mississippi River located at downtown New Orleans, connecting the foot of Canal Street in town with the Algiers Point section of the city on the river’s west bank. Like its neighboring ferries downriver, this crossing requires the payment of a toll and ferries depart from each landing every 30 minutes on most days. Unlike the other ferries, this crossing is not open to vehicles and is a pedestrian-only river crossing. The ferry is located at the deepest part of the Mississippi River, where the depth is about 210 ft across from Jackson Square. At this point, the typical flowrate is 600,000 cubic feet per second. That volume is roughly the equivalent of seven Olympic-sized swimming pools for every second that passes.

The initial French settlement of New Orleans in 1718 was centered around what’s now Jackson Square and the historic French Quarter neighborhood in the city. The area around Algiers Point was first developed as a plantation in 1719 and an informal ferry service was started and remained present in the following 100 years. The commercialization of the ferry service at this location was made official in 1827, making this ferry one of the longest-running commercial operations on the Mississippi River. The ferry became essential as time went on, as Algiers grew in the 19th Century as its own community, and following the annexation of the area into the city of New Orleans in 1870. It was not until the 1950s when the construction of the Greater New Orleans Bridge (nowadays known as the Crescent City Connection) enabled residents to directly access both sides of the city by vehicle.

Algiers is sometimes also known as the 15th Ward, one of the city’s 17 Wards and the only such subdivision located on the west bank of the river, while downtown and the remainder of the city limit is located on the river’s east bank. Since the Mississippi River flows due north for a substantial distance in this area, an anomaly along the lower river, the river’s west bank is in fact located compass east of downtown and the river’s east bank, and vice versa.


The Canal Street Ferry operates on a passenger-only catamaran-style vessel like the one pictured here bound for the Algiers ferry terminal.

This ferry is my personal favorite of the services on the lower Mississippi River. The ride across the river affords passengers the opportunity to take in the sweeping views of downtown, the French Quarter, and the Crescent City Connection and along with the city’s famous streetcar lines, is a quintessential New Orleans transportation experience that should not be passed up if you ever get the chance to visit.

The following pictures from my visits to the Canal Street Ferry in February 2024 showcase the Algiers Point Ferry Terminal on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the historic Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans. Click on each photo to see a larger version.


The following pictures from my visits to the Canal Street Ferry in February 2024 showcase the Canal Street Ferry Terminal on the east bank of the Mississippi River in downtown New Orleans. Click on each photo to see a larger version.


The following pictures from my visits to the Canal Street Ferry in February 2024 showcase the round trip voyage on the ferry, including the interiors of the ferry itself and the surrounding scenery. Click on each photo to see a larger version.


The following pictures from my visits to the Canal Street Ferry in February 2024 showcase general views of the ferry and its surrounding scenery on the Mississippi River. Click on each photo to see a larger version.

How To Get There:

Bridges, Crossings, and Structures of the Lower Mississippi River
Next Crossing upriver: Crescent City Connection Bridge (New Orleans, LA)
Next Crossing downriver: Chalmette-Lower Algiers Ferry (Chalmette, LA)
Return to the Bridges of the Lower Mississippi River Home Page
__________________________________________________

Labels:
Location: New Orleans, LA, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

By
After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...
4 comments
Read more

Finding the Pre-Emption Road of New York State

By
  The Pre-Emption Road (or rather a series of roads named Pre-Emption Road) follows a survey line called the Pre-Emption Line, drawn in the early days of the United States. The story begins with Massachusetts and New York having competing land claims to modern day Western New York State that have their roots in colonial charters granted by the British. After the Revolutionary War ended, this land became the frontier of the nation and its settlement became a priority for the new American government. During this era, there were a lot of competing land claims that needed to be settled. It was no different with the land claims between New York State and Massachusetts. On November 30, 1786, Massachusetts and New York sent representatives to Hartford, Connecticut to resolve their competing land claims. In less than three weeks, the representatives had reached a compromise. Massachusetts would receive pre-emption rights, meaning the right to sell the land after the Indian title ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

By
  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...
Post a Comment
Read more