Washington / Dalco Passage /

Point Defiance Boat Launch

Point Defiance Boat Launch is a public boat ramp on Dalco Passage near Ruston, Washington.

Aerial view of the ramp lanes, long docks and the parking area beside a marina, August 2017
Aerial view of the ramp lanes, long docks and the parking area beside a marina, August 2017 Photo: USDA Farm Service Agency, NAIP · Public domain · via USGS The National Map

Status not reported No closure has been posted for this launch, but its agency does not publish open or closed status. Check with the managing agency before you tow.

At the launch

Type
Boat ramp
Tidal
Yes
Website
parkstacoma.gov
Coordinates
47.30543, -122.51341

Directions (Google) Apple Maps

Boating rules

  • No-discharge zone: WAC 173-228 bans vessel sewage discharges, whether treated or not, in the No Discharge Zone. It became effective May 10, 2018. · all of Dalco Passage rule

From the boating rules map of Washington Department of Ecology, read October 20, 2026. A map of rules is a guide: the regulation's text and the posted signs govern.

Conditions

Marine advisories

Advisories in effect load here; without them, see the NWS zone forecast below.

National Weather Service marine zone PZZ135, Puget Sound and Hood Canal. Zone forecast: winds, seas, warnings.

Tides

Predicted highs and lows at NOAA's Tahlequah, Neil Pt., Dalco Passage, Vashon I. station, 1.9 mi from this launch, in local time above MLLW. Predictions, not observations: wind and weather move the real tide. Full predictions at NOAA.

Tide predictions, Mon Nov 2 to Sun Nov 8
Mon Nov 2 Low 4:08 am 0.2 ft · High 11:59 am 12.1 ft · Low 6:31 pm 6.0 ft · High 10:51 pm 8.4 ft
Tue Nov 3 Low 5:17 am 1.3 ft · High 12:48 pm 12.2 ft · Low 7:27 pm 4.5 ft
Wed Nov 4 High 12:34 am 8.5 ft · Low 6:26 am 2.4 ft · High 1:28 pm 12.3 ft · Low 8:11 pm 2.9 ft
Thu Nov 5 High 2:01 am 9.1 ft · Low 7:31 am 3.4 ft · High 2:00 pm 12.3 ft · Low 8:48 pm 1.5 ft
Fri Nov 6 High 3:11 am 10.0 ft · Low 8:29 am 4.4 ft · High 2:28 pm 12.2 ft · Low 9:21 pm 0.3 ft
Sat Nov 7 High 4:09 am 10.8 ft · Low 9:22 am 5.4 ft · High 2:54 pm 12.0 ft · Low 9:51 pm -0.7 ft
Sun Nov 8 High 5:00 am 11.5 ft · Low 10:11 am 6.3 ft · High 3:19 pm 11.7 ft · Low 10:21 pm -1.3 ft

On Dalco Passage

Sound in Washington. All launches on Dalco Passage.

Community

Where people who use Dalco Passage talk about it.

Nearby launches

Sources

Why it is listed as public: www.parkstacoma.gov: Open year-round from sunrise to sunset, this 8-lane launch ramp located next to the Vashon Ferry Terminal at Point Defiance Park. Something wrong, or is this launch private? Send a correction; it goes to a person.