Trip Report
Kitsap Memorial State Park
Our first Kitsap Park S24O bikepacking trip was a success! Great weather, great small team, great conversations, good biker campsite at Kitsap Memorial SP and a route that could be improved but overall offered some challenge and variety! Timed the ferry perfectly and Edmonds-Ferry to Edmonds-Ferry was under 22 hours
Emma Agosta
- Wed, Jul 13, 2022 — Thu, Jul 14, 2022
- Kitsap Memorial State Park
- Bikepacking
- Successful
-
- Road suitable for all vehicles
-
Route included ferry transport from Edmonds to Kingston and travel on some paved roads to and through Kitsap Heritage Park and through Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park to Kitsap Memorial State Park. The worst section was on paved Gunderson Road which is has NO shoulder. Would not repeat this section. The rest of the route can be tweeked to maximize gravel and singletrack but overall was fine. Other stretches of pavement offered large shoulders and overall acceptable conditoons for bikes. A short hike-a-bike section on a steep downhill and overgrown singletrack to exit Port Gamble Forest to the west and join Bow Valley road might be avoided if a different exit is found.
A fun short overnight (S24O =sub-24 hours overnight) for week-day overight trip that allows for half day of work at each end.
Our group of 4 met at the Edmonds ferry at 2:45 (some biked there from their homes- I had more work to do and caught a ride). We boarded the 3:15 ferry first in line and use ferry time for our "trail talk".
We followed loosely the track of the XWA route on the Kitsap peninsula going through Kitsap Heritake Park (nice easy singletrack and double track here (with maximum diffuculty of an easy blue trail).
Exited the park and joined Bay Miller Road (paved) and then took Gunderson road (paved) for a few miles of pavement to connect to Stottelmeyer Road and enter Port Gamble Heritage Forest. Gunderson Road is very hilly and has NO shoulder. Would not repeat this section.
Once in Port Gamble Forestr Heritage Park we enjoyed a mix od double and singletrack rides, climbed a big hill and then exited to the west to join Bow Valley Road and reach our destination for the night, Kitsap Memorial SP.
The connection involved a short section of steep downhill and overgrown singletrack which we walked. Quick section of pavement on Bow Valley to interset Highway 3 and reach Kitsap Memorial SP.
Good bike sites here ($12 cash or check only). Large site that easily accomodated our 4 tents. Showers at the park (with tokens-machine changing at kiosk). Nice views from the bluff. Enjoyed a great sunset.
Started at 8 AM the next day and took Highway 3 north to 104 and Port Gamble. This paved section is only about 6 miles and has a nice shoulder. Went quickly and felt reasonably safe. In Port Gamble, after a quick stop at the waterfront, we had a "second breakfast" of great coffee and baked goods at "Butchers and Bakers" and then entered Port Gamble Forest Heritake Park from the North.
Did a combination of Service Road and Single track and enjoyed a couple of hours os exploration. Navugation was not too hard but a bit time-consuming with a combination of printed maps (available at kiosks at the entrance) and GPS. Exited the park on east side of Highway 104 and rode it south and east back to the ferry. Caught the noon ferry, back on Edmonds at 12:30 PM. Just under 22 hours trip!