We started at the lighthouse and connected trails and roads along the bluff to make a loop past North Beach and through the park. See map here (https://strava.app.link/Ybapn49YIPb)

We saw two coyotes near the lake. They were unfazed by the presence of two humans. Definitely worth keeping a close eye on dogs in this area.

Took the Madrona Trail and connected to the Bluff Trail getting a nice view of Mt. Baker from the top. We circled around and walked by the old bunkers and also caught a view of Mt. Rainier before heading back down. 

We've always spent time at the beach at Fort Worden so it was nice to switch it up and check out these upper trails. 

We also enjoyed time in the sunshine with some warm drinks and sandwiches from Reveille Café (at the Fort Worden Commons). They are open 8-2 every day. We've seen a large herd of deer on the large lawn next to the Commons two separate times we've been here. This time there were even young ones!

Trip report for Sunday, July 7. Hike around and through Fort Worden SP.

This is such a great spot for a diverse landscape. We parked near the main entrance on a warm summer Sunday. Some type of convention (fiddles? String instruments?) happening on the campus. Need a Discover Pass for parking here.

We started by hiking down the hill to the beach alongside the road, then directly onto the beach. The lighthouse was beautiful against the blue sky and water. Since it was low tide, we continued all the way along the beach (for about a mile from the lighthouse to county park) to North Beach County Park. Found bits of sea glass as we got closer. Note….this section can only be hiked at low tide because of the extreme cliffs and no escape path from high tide so plan accordingly! We picked it on a beautiful low tide day.

From the NB County parking lot we hiked through the exposed meadow path to the wooded Peace Mile trail. The forested trails are soft pine and plenty of space for passerby’s. We also backtracked and followed the Mule Road trail then Searchlight Road, and  climbed up to the Bluff Trail looking down over the beach we just hiked.  Stunning views across to Whidbey Island, Mt Baker/Kulshan, the light house, and East / South toward Fort Flagler and Port Townsend. Views of Tahoma/Rainier also.

We finished by connected with JFK trail taking us back to the main campus near the Commons.

Restrooms accessible throughout the hike, down at the beach (in great shape and clean!) the camping areas, and a few pit toilets scattered on the trails.

This area has all the views and a variety of terrain. We clocked 6 miles in our circle with the backtracking in the wooded area. You can easily make this hike longer or shorter.  And bonus, if you have kiddos, the bunkers would be fun to explore.

From the parking lot was a short walk to Battery Kinzie, which my companions enjoyed but I found slightly eerie. We climbed the stairs up a few levels, where you could view Whidbey Island and also access the beach directly below. There were many wild roses blooming, which framed Whidbey Island nicely. Not shown here was a sign prohibiting visitors from gathering any seaweed.

We then headed to the lighthouse, and then along the beach towards the aquarium. We saw a few killdeer along the way and a belted kingfisher at the aquarium (which was closed for Memorial Day). Also, there were plenty of rocks that were suitable for skipping stones into the water along the beach, as well as lots of Bull Kelp.

The weather was slightly overcast, then became gorgeously sunny, but not too hot. We were a group of 6, and ran into one group of 2, and 1 trail worker (cheers to the Friends of Fort Worden for trail maintenance!)

We headed up to Memory's Vault around 10:00, and then on to the lookout for spectacular views of the fort, and Port Townsend. While descending toward the campground and Point Wilson Lighthouse, we looked out toward the water and saw 2 bald eagles swooping just above the bluff. Many deer on the meadows near Battery Stoddard.

The history buffs enjoyed exploring the Battery Stoddard and the bunkers. These have steep steps with no handrails, and help add to the cardio nature of the hike.

#hikethestate