Located across Puget Sound from Seattle and next to the Olympic Peninsula, Washington’s Kitsap Peninsula is full of hidden gems. This patchwork of bustling seaports, pristine forests, and historic hamlets is almost entirely surrounded by water, offering an island-like escape. A great way to get the most out of your visit is to explore the region by car. This Kitsap Peninsula road trip itinerary covers around 120 miles and can be enjoyed in as little as one day, but plan to stay overnight in a city or two to fully experience all the museums, lively downtowns, quiet trails, and beautiful beaches.
Travel Tip: While this route suggests starting in the south and working your way up the peninsula, you can easily make the trip in reverse by starting in Seattle and taking a 35-minute ferry ride to Bainbridge Island. In fact, several ferry crossings connect the peninsula with the mainland. Check out this guide to Washington’s ferry routes for more information.
Kitsap Peninsula Road Trip
Tacoma
Dynamic Tacoma is a fun place to begin your Kitsap Peninsula road trip. With so much to do, you’ll likely want to set aside a couple of days to explore the city’s attractions, like the world-class Museum of Glass and the fast-growing dining and craft beer scene. Be sure to check out Point Defiance Park, home to Owen Beach, the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, and the serene Japanese Garden. Nearby, you’ll find the bustling Point Ruston Waterfront brimming with restaurants, shops, a cinema, and an upscale hotel. Dine along the water at WildFin American Grill before heading to Ice Cream Social for inventive flavors like roasted banana and almond poppy seed.
From Tacoma, you’ll take Highway 16 across the scenic Tacoma Narrows Bridge. This pair of mile-long structures are the fifth-longest suspension bridges in the country and offer sweeping views.
Gig Harbor
After crossing the bridge to the Kitsap Peninsula, it’s a 10-minute drive via Highway 16 to enchanting downtown Gig Harbor. Filled with sailboats and yachts and extremely popular with paddlers, Gig Harbor abounds with restaurants and activities. Try NetShed No. 9, set on a wharf inside a restored early 1900s net shed, and 7 Seas Brewing, with its beer garden on the water.
Bremerton
Continue up Highway 16 through the pine-dotted countryside toward Bremerton, a welcoming Navy town packed with family friendly attractions and a growing number of stellar dining options. Explore the fascinating exhibits of the Puget Sound Navy Museum or tour the historic USS Turner Joy, a decommissioned 1950s naval destroyer that’s now a museum on the lively harbor. Feast on local seafood with water views at Anthony’s at Sinclair Inlet, or try one of the Manette neighborhood’s noteworthy restaurants, such as the Boat Shed, the James Beard–nominated bakery Saboteur, and the intimate farm-to-table eatery Restaurant Lola.
Other memorable draws include the quirky yet endearing Bug and Reptile Museum (where you can take a photo of yourself with Boris the Spider), and the 12-minute foot-ferry ride across Sinclair Inlet to Port Orchard, with its pedestrian-friendly waterfront and colorful Port Orchard Public Market.
Optional: Side Trip to Hood Canal
As your Kitsap Peninsula road trip continues north toward Poulsbo, you can make an easy detour west to one of the peaceful green spaces along Hood Canal, such as Scenic Beach State Park in Seabeck and Olympic View Park in Silverdale. The mossy, fern-shaded trails and pebbly beaches of these uncrowded parks offer dazzling vistas across Hood Canal, which is actually a narrow fjord that extends for 50 miles south from Puget Sound, separating the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas. On clear days, you’ll see the jagged peaks of the Olympic Mountains.
Poulsbo
Follow Highway 3 north around Liberty Bay to captivating Poulsbo. En route, you can stop by the excellent U.S. Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport to view the 88-ton Trieste II submarine and see exhibits about oceanography and submarine technology.
Founded by Norwegian immigrants in the 1880s, Poulsbo is a terrific town to explore on foot. Dozens of galleries, boutiques, and eateries line the narrow streets, which converge on breezy Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park. You can rent kayaks and canoes at Olympic Outdoor Center Poulsbo Rentals and explore the touch tanks at the small but engaging SEA Discovery Center. North of downtown, Fish Park is an enjoyable spot to stretch your legs with a stroll alongside the wildlife-rich wetlands.
Pick up a cardamom braid pastry or fruit roll at Sluys’ Poulsbo Bakery, which has been doling out Scandinavian treats since the early 1900s. The Brass Kraken Pub is a convivial spot for cheese curds and veggie burgers and offers fine bay views, while the candlelit Burrata Bistro is a romantic destination for authentic Spanish tapas. Poulsbo is also home to the intimate nine-room Hotel Scandi, a stylish boutique inn.
Port Gamble
Next, it’s a brief drive along the northwest side of the Kitsap Peninsula to one of Washington’s oldest towns. Port Gamble contains several 19th-century buildings designed in a classic New England style. Visit the Port Gamble General Store & Cafe with its quirky museum containing 25,000 seashells and exhibits on local natural history. For a bite, House 11 Taproom serves craft beer and tasty snacks, while Butcher & Baker Provisions offers contemporary brunch and dinner fare.
Travel Tip: Just west of Port Gamble, Highway 104 crosses the Hood Canal Floating Bridge and connects with the Olympic Peninsula, providing a gateway to historic Port Townsend and the spectacular scenery of Olympic National Park.
Hansville to Suquamish
From Port Gamble, follow Highway 104 around Port Gamble Bay to reach the 15-acre Heronswood Gardens, operated by the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe. Explore the verdant greenery before continuing to tiny Hansville to visit Point No Point Lighthouse (the oldest on Puget Sound) with its impressive views of Whidbey Island.
Return south through the Port Madison Reservation to visit the superb Suquamish Museum, a beautifully designed LEED-certified building with wood carvings, canoes, and engaging exhibits about the Suquamish Tribe. Be sure to venture up the hill to see the gravesite of Chief Sealth, the Indigenous leader for whom Seattle is named.
Bainbridge Island
To conclude your Kitsap Peninsula road trip, cross the Agate Passage Bridge to Bainbridge Island, a 28-square-mile oasis of rolling meadows, towering pines, and driftwood-strewn beaches. Head to Bloedel Reserve, a 150-acre botanical park laced with easy hiking trails, before continuing south toward the island’s center. Several vineyards produce first-rate pinot noir, pinot gris, and less common varietals like seigerrebe and Müller-Thurgau.
Drive to Sakai Park to admire Pia the Peacekeeper, one of the region’s five troll sculptures created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. From here, it’s a short drive to the poignant and powerful Bainbridge Island Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, which commemorates the local Japanese Americans who were required to leave their homes and move to internment camps during World War II.
End your visit with a walk through the picturesque village of Winslow, with its whimsical shops and galleries. See what’s on exhibit at the free Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, and savor a meal at Ba Sa for creative and contemporary Vietnamese food or Seabird for artfully plated and locally sourced seafood. Walk toward the Eagle Harbor waterfront, stopping to pick up a creamy latte at Pegasus Coffee House.
Ferry to Seattle
From Winslow, you can wrap up your Kitsap Peninsula road trip by catching one of the frequently scheduled ferries across Elliott Bay to Seattle, disembarking at the newly updated ferry terminal at Colman Dock along the city’s redeveloped waterfront.
About the Author
Freelance editor and writer Andrew Collins is based in Mexico City but returns frequently to the Pacific Northwest, where he is the editor of both the official Washington State Visitors’ Guide and the Visit Seattle Official Visitors’ Guide. He regularly updates several Washington chapters of Fodor’s Pacific Northwest guidebook and is the author of Ultimate Road Trips US and Canada. Collins writes about travel for The Points Guy and several other publications. You can read his work at AndrewsTraveling.com.
Featured image credit: Weekend Sherpa