Day Hike - Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park

This is a brisk (2.5+ mph) conditioning hike through the Port Gamble Forest & Trails area. We'll be covering some of the lesser traveled trails.  Be prepared for a bit of mud along the way, a few bushes, and a little bit of semi-off trail hiking.

There are, unfortunately, no large hills in the park, just a lot of up 'n down that eventually adds up to 950' cumulative gain. However, we will be passing by Peak 500, North Kitsap's majestic mountain that towers six, maybe even eight feet above the surrounding landscape. To the untrained eye, Peak 500 looks a lot like a pile of dirt scraped up in previous logging operations, but geologists assure us that it is actually a mound left by the Saber Tooth Moles that inhabited the area shortly after the last ice age.

This will take about four hours if we go the entire distance. Bring a snack, but don't expect much in the way of a sit-down lunch. We'll stop only as necessary.

If you want to make this a little more challenging, carry some extra weight. At minimum, you don't need a lot. This isn't exactly wilderness. Dress appropriately for the weather, and don't forget a jacket. Also, due to the fact that we have one or two sections that are off trail, I don't advise wearing shorts. 

Meet at 09:00 at the Stottlemeyer Rd. Trailhead. 

Here's a link to a map that isn't very useful for hiking, but it will allow you to locate the trailhead: https://www.kitsap.gov/parks/Documents/Port%20Gamble_map%202024.pdf.