Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park facts for kids
Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park is a huge county park in Kitsap County, Washington. It opened in 2014 and is the biggest park in the county, covering about 3,493 acres! That's like having over 2,600 football fields of forest to explore. The park is also home to about 60 miles of trails, perfect for hiking, biking, and discovering nature.
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Discover Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park
Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park is a special place where you can enjoy the outdoors. It's a large forest area that offers many ways to connect with nature. Whether you love walking, riding your bike, or just want to relax among the trees, this park has something for everyone.
How the Park Started
The land for Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park was once owned by a company called Pope Resources/Olympic Resource Management. This company worked in forestry, which means they managed forests, often for cutting down trees.
To create the park, the county government bought some of the land directly. Other parts were bought by a non-profit group called Forterra. This group works to protect land. They raised money from donations and grants to help buy the forest, making sure it would be a park for everyone to enjoy.
Trails and Adventures
Even before it became a park, the forestry company had ideas for public trails in the Port Gamble area around 2007. People in the local community dreamed of a big trail system. They imagined a "String of Pearls" trail plan around 2011. This idea was inspired by famous park planners called the Olmsted Brothers.
The Sound to Olympics Trail
The "String of Pearls" idea aimed to connect water trails and land trails across the Pacific Northwest. One big part of this dream is the Sound to Olympics Trail. This trail would let people walk all the way across Washington State! It would stretch from the Pacific Ocean to the Idaho border. Kitsap County plans for a part of the Sound to Olympics Trail to run right through Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park. This means you could be walking on a trail that's part of a much bigger adventure!
