Eight of Saskatchewan's river ferries wait until 7 a.m.; Clarkboro starts at 5 a.m. and keeps going until midnight, free of charge. When the Highway Hotline last refreshed its list, at 09:00 on 19 October 2026, it was open for normal operations, carrying its full 31,500 kg. No closing date for the 2026 season had been announced.
Hours from the ministry's Clarkboro page and the Highway Hotline, checked 23 October 2026. Usual season April to November; the 2026 end date depends on ice and had not been posted. Government of Saskatchewan – Clarkboro Ferry · 2026-10-23
Line up the province's river ferries side by side and Clarkboro wins on almost every count that matters to a driver. More than 70,000 vehicles a year cross here, by the ministry's own count — more than double Paynton or Riverhurst, at about 30,000 each, and roughly seven times Hague, its nearest neighbour downstream at about 10,000.
It also opens earliest. The Hotline lists Hague, Cecil, Fenton, Weldon, Wingard, Lancer, Lemsford and Estuary from 7 a.m., St. Laurent from 6:30 a.m. and Paynton from 6 a.m.; Clarkboro begins at 5 a.m. The only provincial crossing with longer hours is the Riverhurst ferry on Lake Diefenbaker, which runs through the night.
What Clarkboro does not have is size. The deck is 18.2 m by 6.0 m and takes six cars, the same as several quieter crossings. Its 31,500 kg limit matches Cecil and St. Laurent, the highest on the Hotline's list for 19 October apart from Riverhurst at 82,000 kg.
Nobody collects a toll here. In the Hotline's list of provincial vessels, the single one described as charging a fee is the barge on Wollaston Lake in the far north. Clarkboro is not it.
| Car and driver | Free |
| Passenger, cyclist or pedestrian | Free |
Free as of 23 October 2026 Saskatchewan Highway Hotline – ferry list · 2026-10-23
The ferry carries Grid 784 over the South Saskatchewan River north-east of Saskatoon, between the RMs of Corman Park and Aberdeen. The same river, much further upstream and on the far side of Lake Diefenbaker, is crossed by the small Lemsford ferry, a south-western boat with a far lower weight limit and a fraction of Clarkboro's traffic.
Downstream, towards Prince Albert, the Hague and St. Laurent ferries handle the next crossings. They open later in the morning than Clarkboro: 07:00 at Hague, 06:30 at St. Laurent.
Coming from Warman or Highway 11, follow Grid 784 east until it drops to the river. This is the Corman Park side; there is no fare, so nothing to buy before boarding. The ferry runs on demand: if the deck is at the Aberdeen bank, wait at the ramp for its next trip across.
The Aberdeen-side ramp sits in a different rural municipality, Aberdeen No. 373. The vanished hamlet of Clarkboro, which gave the ferry its name, stood a little south-east of this landing, according to the Clark's Crossing Gazette; a heritage plaque now marks the spot.
05:00 is two hours ahead of most provincial cable ferries. Handy if you are heading for Saskatoon from the Aberdeen side before sunrise.
Lunch and supper breaks mean the deck can sit idle for half an hour from noon and again from 6 p.m.
Over 70,000 vehicles a year in loads of six means a full deck is possible; if so, you wait for the next trip.
The rated limit, and the one posted on 19 October 2026. Low water can bring it down without notice.
No date is set in advance. When ice takes the river, the Hotline status changes and the crossing is shut until spring.
Traffic has climbed steadily. In 1999 the province counted 52,185 vehicles on Clarkboro, already the highest of its twelve ferries that year; today's figure is over 70,000. The local paper, the Clark's Crossing Gazette, reported that the 2026 season, the ferry's sixtieth, began at 6:05 a.m. on 27 April after a late-April snowstorm held up the launch by a few days.
The name comes from Clarkboro, a railway hamlet that has since disappeared, and from Clark's Crossing on the west bank. The Gazette traces both names to one settler, John Fowler Clark, who took up a homestead nearby in 1882. The boat itself, built by the Dominion Bridge Company, has been working the river since 1967.
At 09:00 on 19 October 2026 the Hotline had it in normal operation at 31,500 kg. Look again on the day, because the season ends with freeze-up rather than on a set date.
The ministry does not say, but the hours are published: 05:00 to midnight. With over 70,000 vehicles a year it carries far more traffic than any other Saskatchewan cable ferry.
Six. The deck is 18.2 m long and 6.0 m wide.
Typically for half an hour at noon and half an hour at 6 p.m., when the operators eat, and not at all between midnight and 05:00.
Grid 784, from the RM of Corman Park No. 344 on the Warman side to the RM of Aberdeen No. 373 on the Aberdeen side.
The Hotline's posted figure that week was 31,500 kg, the ferry's full rating. Anything heavier needs another crossing; any reduction appears on the Hotline first.
Monday 27 April 2026 at 6:05 a.m., per the Hotline as quoted by the Clark's Crossing Gazette, after a snowstorm delayed the launch.
Yes: 306-253-3401 reaches the crossing. Road questions beyond the ferry go to 1-844-754-4929, the Ministry of Highways line.