During the fall, winter, and spring, like most boaters in our area, we stay fairly close to home. Sometimes that means not leaving the slip. Other times, it could include traveling to a nearby urban area where we can stay at a guest dock and take in the local sights. It’s never crowded, and there’s still no shortage of winter wonders on the water and when exploring on foot. Here are some of our favorite local destinations for a town walk and possibly a hike through the woods, weather permitting.
THE TOWN OF BAINBRIDGE ISLAND
Due west of Seattle, Eagle Harbor has a public dock, several private marinas, yacht club outstations, and room to anchor. We’ve been here many times over the years and usually try for the public dock first before checking out other nearby options. Wherever you park your boat, it’s only a short walk to town and the amenities of an urban setting.
In addition to shopping of all kinds, we like the many restaurants and the wonderful art museum. If it isn’t raining, we sometimes pick up the trails west of town that join some small parks and short roads leading out toward the head of Eagle Harbor. A trail east of town leads to views of Puget Sound. A popular path goes through park land starting from the road near the ferry dock, going to the public dock, and continuing to marinas and waterfront restaurants. Altogether it’s a rewarding urban destination.
POULSBO
The town of Poulsbo, on Liberty Bay, is an ever-popular destination for Seattle area boaters. To get there from Puget Sound, you need to travel to the west side of Bainbridge Island through either Rich Passage on the south or Agate Passage on the north. Both of these passages can have currents up to 5 knots so, having a slower vessel, we always plan our trips taking that into account.
Liberty Bay is large and shallow; anchoring is so easy that it’s a great place to go if you want to practice your technique. And there is a sizable public dock, being expanded this year, with great access to the town’s shops and restaurants. Their fuel dock often seems to have some of the best prices in the area, but don’t quote me on that.
The town prides itself on its Norwegian heritage and the Sons of Norway Hall is right on the water near the marina. On some Saturday nights, you can hear their music across the bay. There are a number of nice restaurants and a very popular bakery in the center of town that always seems to draw a crowd. Along the waterfront is a boardwalk, then trail, then sidewalk that leads to another park at the head of the bay.
On the way into Liberty Bay you will pass the US Naval Undersea Warfare Center—stay well off their site—then the town of Keyport public dock. From that dock it is only a short walk inland to the US Naval Undersea Museum, which is open to the public and should be fascinating to any boater. We either park our boat temporarily at the public dock or dinghy over from Poulsbo and thoroughly enjoy spending an afternoon there. It’s definitely worth more than one visit.
PORT GAMBLE
Visiting Port Gamble by boat means first avoiding the shallow waters near the entrance by carefully navigating the narrow channel marked with buoys. At one time, we would anchor in Port Gamble Bay close to town, go ashore at the old mill and walk to town. Then the old mill became a closed superfund site and it was hard to get to town due to the steep bluffs everywhere except the mill. But now it’s cleaned up and there is easy access from the anchorage in the nearby bay.
This historic former company town is a small group of well-kept buildings that includes Port Gamble General Store and Cafe with its wonderful collection of seashells in glass cases; it’s also a good place to get an ice cream cone on a warm day. If it’s a Saturday in the summer, there might even be a wedding. We were here once for a classic car show. Port Gamble is a popular destination by land as well as sea.
The main attraction for us is the vast network of hiking and mountain biking trails. Several trails start at a grassy field just south of town, which is also a flying site for remote control airplane enthusiasts. The trails extend many miles to the south through a forest area, but we have hiked only a small portion of them. We have seen various trail maps, including one posted in town, but none of them have been particularly accurate or complete. The last time we were there we followed a trail that my map showed was a shortcut back to town. It actually ended at a fence with cows on the other side. We had to backtrack. These little setbacks are all part of the game. Or so I told the friends with us who, up to that point, had thought I knew where I was going.
PORT TOWNSEND
Port Townsend is a town with a maritime history stretching back to the nineteenth century and much of that history is on display for visitors. We love strolling the town and looking at the Victorian buildings, sampling the shops to be found there, and enjoying live music. In the past, we have anchored in front of town but can’t recommend it as the pleasure boat and ferry traffic keeps the water pretty choppy even in calm weather.
In addition to a public dock, there are two marinas; Point Hudson is closer to town but Boat Haven is closer to the boatyard where older wooden vessels are often being repaired or restored; it’s usually a worthwhile visit if you love wooden boats. The best hiking opportunities are just north of town. Combinations of trails and roads around Fort Worden State Park that go to both the Point Wilson light and North Beach, with its beautiful rugged beach exposed to the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We usually plan our itinerary based on the weather but are always tired after a day of walking in and around Port Townsend.
LA CONNER
La Conner is located on the Swinomish Channel, which joins Skagit Bay and Padilla Bay near Anacortes. It’s a boating destination with challenges. First off, it’s a long way from Seattle and, because of this, I expect many boaters only visit La Conner on their way to or from the San Juan Islands. Secondly, the Swinomish Channel is a shallow and narrow waterway requiring careful piloting, even with the many lighted buoys and beacons. Thirdly, there can be a substantial current that can make for challenging docking. In spite of those complications, La Conner also makes a fabulous destination anytime of the year, and the comparatively small waterway can make it a nice option in rougher winter weather. There is a small public dock right in town, in the current, but we usually head for the La Conner Marina’s South Basin guest dock a few blocks north of town. The dock is long and the inside has much less current than the outside, so we usually try to find space there. It lowers our docking stress considerably.
The marina is close to town, and the town itself is only a few blocks long, so the amount of walking is not great. But there is lots to see and do here. We enjoy the Museum of Northwest Art, which has an interesting museum store as well. A number of shops have high quality crafts. My personal favorite is one selling fine woodworking. I always stop in to get ideas of what I might be able to make if I were actually a better woodworker (and for Karen to get ideas of what my next project should be). And there are lots of restaurant choices for eating out, including a nice park at the east end of the Rainbow Bridge for having a picnic. We’ve always enjoyed our visits here.
Whether you’re braving bigger cruises and longer hikes than we typically undertake in the winter months, or just untying for a daytime or weekend jaunt, these stopovers give you a terrific chance to stretch your legs and experience both the natural wonders near Puget Sound’s seaside towns and the wonders of civilization unique to each one.
Michael and Karen have been cruising the Salish Sea and beyond for more than 20 years, hiking every chance they get. For more resources for hikers visit their website at https://mvmischief.com/library/
