Craig Romano - Urban Trails: Kitsap

URBAN TRAILS

KITSAP

URBAN TRAILS

KITSAP

Bainbridge Island Key Peninsula
Bremerton/Silverdale Gig Harbor

CRAIG ROMANO

Mountaineers Books is the publishing division of The Mountaineers, an organization founded in 1906 and dedicated to the exploration, preservation, and enjoyment of outdoor and wilderness areas.

1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201, Seattle, WA 98134 800.553.4453, www.mountaineersbooks.org

Copyright 2016 by Craig Romano

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in China

Distributed in the United Kingdom by Cordee, www.cordee.co.uk

First edition, 2016

Copy Editor: Jane Crosen

Design and Layout: Jen Grable

Cartographer: Lhones + Wright

All photographs by author unless otherwise noted.

Cover photo: View from Fort Ward Park across Rich Passage

Frontispiece: Signage at Twanoh Creek

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file

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ISBN (paperback): 978-1-68051-022-5

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-68051-023-2

LETS FACE IT: WHETHER YOURE a hiker, walker, or runner, life can get in the way when it comes to putting time in on the trail. Far too often, its hard for most of us to set aside an hournever mind a day, or even longerto hit the trails of our favorite parks and forests strewn across the state. But that doesnt mean we cant get out on the trail more frequently. Right in our own communities are thousands of acres of parks and nature preserves containing hundreds of miles of trails. And we can visit these pocket wildernesses, urban and urbanfringe parks and preserves, greenbelts, and trail corridors on a whimfor an hour or two without having to drive far. Some of these places we can even visit without driving at allhopping on our bikes or the bus insteadlessening our carbon footprint while giving us more time to relax from our hurried schedules.

Urban Trails: Kitsap focuses on the myriad of trails, parks, and preserves within the urban and suburban areas around Bremerton, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island, Gig Harbor, and the Key and Kitsap peninsulas. Youll find trails to beaches, old-growth forests, lakeshores, wildlife-rich wetlands, rolling hills, scenic vistas, meadows, historic sites, and vibrant communities. While often we equate hiking trails with the states wildernesses and forests, there are plenty of areas of natural beauty and accessible trails in the midst of our population centers. The routes included here are designed to show you where you can go for a nice run, long walk, or quick hike right in your own backyard.

This guide has two missions. One is to promote fitness and get you outside more often! A trip to Mount Rainier, North Cascades, or Olympic national parks can be a major undertaking for many of us. But a quick outdoor getaway to a local park or trail can be done almost anytimebefore work, during a lunch break, after work, or when we dont feel like fighting traffic and driving for miles. And most of these trails are available year round, so you can walk, run, or hike every day. If you feel you are not getting outside enough or getting enough exercise, this book can help you achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Mission number two of this guide is to promote the local parks, preserves, and trails that exist within our urban areas. More than four million people (60 percent of the states population) call the greater Puget Sound home. While conservationists continue to promote protection of our states large roadless wild cornersand that is still importantits equally important that we promote the preservation of natural areas and develop more trails and greenbelts right where people live. Why? For one thing, the Puget Sound area contains unique and threatened ecosystems that deserve to be protected as much as our wilder remote places. And, we need to have usable and accessible trails where people live, work, and spend the majority of their time. Urban trails and parks allow folks to bond with nature and be outside on a regular basis. They help us cut our carbon footprint by giving us access to recreation without burning excessive gallons of fuel to reach a destination. They make it easier for us to commit to regular exercise programs, giving us safe and agreeable places to walk, run, and hike. And urban trails and parks also offer for disadvantaged populationsfolks who may not have cars and/or the means to travel to one of our national parks or forestsa chance to experience nature and a healthy lifestyle too. As our urban areas continue to grow, it is all the more important that we support the expansion of our urban parks and trails.

Story wall at the Japanese-American Exclusion Memorial at Pritchard Park

Washingtons state flower, the Pacific rhododendron, grows in profusion around the Kitsap Peninsula.

So get out there, get fit, and have fun!

THIS EASY-TO-USE GUIDE PROVIDES YOU with enough details to get out on the trail with confidence, while leaving enough room for your own personal discovery. I have walked, hiked, and/or run every mile of trails described here, and the directions and advice are accurate and up to date. Conditions can and do change, however, so make sure you check on the status of a park or trail before you go.

This book includes thirty-six routes, or park trail systems, covering trails on the Key Peninsula, Kitsap Peninsula, and Bainbridge Island. Each one begins with the park and/or trail name followed by the agency responsible for managing it. Next is a block of information detailing the following:

Distance.