Why would anyone pay to cross the Mississippi when bridges are free? Because around Ste. Genevieve there is no bridge to use. The ferry's operators describe their boat as the only Mississippi crossing between Chester to the south and the St. Louis area to the north, and put the alternative at a detour of 45 minutes or more. For farmers working land in both states, for truckers and for cyclists following the Great River Road, the run from Little Rock Landing to Modoc is the short way over.
And who keeps a river ferry going without a state highway budget behind it? Here the answer is the New Bourbon Regional Port Authority, a Missouri port body whose contact address is the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission's office in Perryville, with day-to-day operations handled by Ste. Genevieve/Modoc Ferry Inc. In February 2025 the authority asked riders to fill in a survey, and the City of Ste. Genevieve said plainly why: funding help was dwindling and the future of the operation was under review. A new rate schedule followed on May 1, 2025.
So will it be running when you arrive? Three things decide it: which weekday it is, the season and the river. The operator posts a summer pattern and a shorter winter one, never sails on Mondays or Tuesdays, and sends anyone unsure to the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center for the day's status.
Five days a week for now, three once the winter hours begin
Summer and winter hours as published by the operator; the 'currently running' banner was read on October 13, 2026, a Tuesday, when the ferry does not sail Ste. Genevieve – Modoc Ferry — Hours & Rates · 2026-10-13
A $20 car fare, half price to come back, $5 on foot or by bike
What you pay depends on the size of what you bring. A car, pickup or van no more than 8 feet wide and 30 feet long pays $20 one way; longer rigs pay $40 or $60. Buy the return trip when you first cross and it costs half the basic fare, so an ordinary car does the round trip for $30. Loads wider than 8 feet pay a flat price per trip with no return discount, and anything over 65 feet long is turned away.
Bring cash or a checkbook. The port authority's page says the ferry does not take credit cards.
| Up to 30 ft long | $ 20 |
| 31 to 55 ft long | $ 40 |
| 56 to 65 ft long | $ 60 |
| Up to 30 ft long | $ 10 |
| 31 to 55 ft long | $ 20 |
| 56 to 65 ft long | $ 30 |
| 8 to 12 ft wide, up to 30 ft | $ 30 |
| 8 to 12 ft wide, 31 to 55 ft | $ 60 |
| 8 to 12 ft wide, 56 to 65 ft | $ 90 |
| Over 12 ft wide, up to 30 ft | $ 40 |
| Over 12 ft wide, 31 to 55 ft | $ 80 |
| Over 12 ft wide, 56 to 65 ft | $ 120 |
| Motorcycle, one rider | $ 7 |
| Motorcycle, two riders | $ 10 |
| ATV | $ 10 |
| Bicycle, horse or horse-drawn wagon | $ 5 |
| Pedestrian | $ 5 |
| School group, per person, return included | $ 1 |
Rate schedule effective May 1, 2025; checked October 13, 2026 Ste. Genevieve – Modoc Ferry — Rate Schedule; SEMO RPC rate sheet · 2026-10-13
Little Rock Road on the Missouri bank, Levee Road at Modoc
Little Rock Landing
The Missouri ramp sits at the end of Little Rock Road, outside the old French town. The federal ferry terminal census, compiled in 2019, credits the landing to the City of Ste. Genevieve and records parking there.
Modoc landing
On the Illinois side you come ashore on Levee Road at Modoc, a ramp the same census attributes to the Illinois Department of Transportation. From here the operator points visitors towards Fort de Chartres, the Pierre Menard Home and Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site.
Ten to fifteen minutes across the Mississippi between Missouri and Illinois
Seen from above, the two ramps nearly face each other, yet the operator allows 10 to 15 minutes for the trip on this broad reach of the river. The fixed crossings it saves you from are the bridge at Chester downstream and those of the St. Louis area upstream, which is also why the Great River Road sends its cyclists over on this boat.
Tolls on Mississippi ferries vary enormously. Far downstream in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, a port-run boat crosses at Pointe à la Hache for $2, and most residents there pay nothing at all: a very different arrangement from the $20 asked of every driver at Modoc.
Crossing between Missouri and Illinois without a wasted drive
- Call the Welcome Center on the day
573-880-6970 is the number the operator gives for open or closed status. The Welcome Center itself is at 66 S Main St in Ste. Genevieve.
- Early-week days are off
Under both schedules nothing sails on Monday or Tuesday, and in winter Wednesday and Thursday are added to the days off.
- No cards
Card payments are not accepted, according to the port authority. An ordinary car round trip bought up front costs $30.
- Keep an eye on the river
Service is year-round except when the river makes it unsafe. Late on October 12, 2026 the National Weather Service gauge at Chester read 16.79 feet, far below the 27-foot minor flood stage; the operator publishes no level at which it stops, and its own history mentions a drought-era suspension of more than a year.
- Cyclists and riders welcome
Bicycles, horses and horse-drawn wagons pay $5 a trip, the same as someone on foot.
- 65 feet means 65 feet
Measure trailer rigs before you set out: the operator refuses anything longer, with no exceptions.
From a 1798 petition to a 2025 rider survey
The operator and the town's tourism office both date the crossing to at least 1798; the tourism office adds that residents asked for the service in a petition written in French. In the twentieth century the Missouri-Illinois Railroad ran a car ferry at this spot from 1904, rolling freight wagons onto a cradle of rails, until Missouri Pacific moved its trains to the bridge at Thebes in 1961. The present service for vehicles and passengers began, according to the operator, in 1997.
The recent story is about money and water. The port authority's rider survey ran from February 15 to March 7, 2025, and its results are posted on the authority's page. In Illinois, by contrast, the state pays for its own free 24-hour ferries on the Illinois River, among them Kampsville; the Ste. Genevieve boat has neither the state budget nor the hours, which is exactly why its fares and its five-day week deserve attention before you set off.
Questions to settle before heading to Little Rock Landing
Is the Ste. Genevieve ferry running today?
Never on a Monday or Tuesday. On October 13, 2026 the operator's site said it was running Wednesday to Saturday 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; to check the day's status, including closures for river conditions, call the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center on 573-880-6970.
What does a round trip with a car cost?
$20 for the outbound crossing with a vehicle no wider than 8 feet and no longer than 30, and $10 for the return if you pay for it at the same time: $30 in all.
Are foot passengers and bikes allowed?
Yes. Pedestrians and cyclists pay $5 a trip, and so do riders on horseback and horse-drawn wagons.
Does the Modoc ferry take credit cards?
No. The New Bourbon Regional Port Authority says the ferry accepts cash or check and does not currently take credit cards.
What changes in winter?
The winter schedule is Friday and Saturday 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no service Monday to Thursday. No changeover date is given.
Who operates the crossing?
Ste. Genevieve/Modoc Ferry Inc. runs daily operations for the New Bourbon Regional Port Authority, whose general line is 573-547-8357.
Will a long trailer rig fit?
Up to 65 feet in total, at $40 one way for 31 to 55 feet and $60 for 56 to 65 feet when no wider than 8 feet. Longer vehicles are not carried.