Fay Bainbridge State Park is located on the northeast tip of Bainbridge Island, Washington

Bainbridge Island, Washington

Bainbridge Island is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, and the name of the island in Puget Sound on which the city is situated...

, immediately south of the Point Monroe

Point Monroe, Bainbridge Island, Washington

Point Monroe is a unique neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Located on the northeastern end of the island, just north of Fay Bainbridge State Park, Point Monroe, also known as "the Sandspit," is a thin strip of land that wraps around a saltwater lagoon...

 sandspit

Spit (landform)

A spit or sandspit is a deposition landform found off coasts. At one end, spits connect to land, and extend into the sea. A spit is a type of bar or beach that develops where a re-entrant occurs, such as at cove's headlands, by the process of longshore drift...

. The park comprises 16.84 acres (68,149.1 m²) of land, including 1,420 feet (432 m) of saltwater shoreline along Puget Sound

Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...

.

In 1944, the state of Washington purchased the land for the park for $5,000 from the estate of Temple S. Fay. The land was purchased from the Fay estate with the stipulation that the Washington State Park System

Washington State Park System

The Washington State Park System is a set of state parks owned by the state government of Washington, USA. They are managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. As of 2011, the parks are primarily funded through the state's general fund, augmented by usage fees...

 maintain the name Fay. Temple S. Fay was a neurosurgeon who introduced the use of hypothermia

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is a condition in which core temperature drops below the required temperature for normal metabolism and body functions which is defined as . Body temperature is usually maintained near a constant level of through biologic homeostasis or thermoregulation...

in medical and surgical

Surgery

Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...

 illnesses, and he developed rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation

Physical medicine and rehabilitation , physiatry or rehabilitation medicine, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities. A physician having completed training in this field is referred to as a...

 procedures based upon analysis of phylogenetic movements. Fay also taught at the University of Washington

University of Washington

University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...

. His two children honored their father's desire to make the area a park.

The park offers sweeping views of Puget Sound

Puget Sound

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...

, the Cascade Mountains and two volcanoes: Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is a massive stratovolcano located southeast of Seattle in the state of Washington, United States. It is the most topographically prominent mountain in the contiguous United States and the Cascade Volcanic Arc, with a summit elevation of . Mt. Rainier is considered one of the most...

 and Mount Baker

Mount Baker

Mount Baker , also known as Koma Kulshan or simply Kulshan, is an active glaciated andesitic stratovolcano in the Cascade Volcanic Arc and the North Cascades of Washington State in the United States. It is the second-most active volcano in the range after Mount Saint Helens...

. The park is popular for beachcombing

Beachcombing

Beachcombing and beachcomber are words with multiple, but related, meanings that have evolved over time.A beachcomber is someone who "combs" the beach, and the intertidal zone in general, looking for things of value, interest or utility....

, boating

Boating

Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels , focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, such as fishing or water skiing...

, camping

Camping

Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...

, fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

, crabbing and scuba diving

Scuba diving

Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....

.

At the park entrance is a display of a bell donated by the Kitsap County Historical Society. This bell was purchased for the community by Port Madison

Port Madison, Bainbridge Island, Washington

Port Madison is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington. It is located on the northeast part of the island. Port Madison's boundaries are ill-defined, altlhough it generally is limited to the eastern part of Port Madison...

 citizens through public subscription to be used as a "town crier" to proclaim important events. At he request of G.A. Meigs

George Anson Meigs

George Anson Meigs was a prominent entrepreneur, businessman and shipbuilder in Washington Territory.He was the eighth child of Whiting Meigs and Charlotte Meigs...

, the bell was brought from San Francisco around 1883 by Captain Jeremiah W. Farnham

Jeremiah W. Farnham

Jeremiah W. Farnham was an American merchant sailor and sea captain.Captain Jeremiah W. Farnham, is a well-known resident of Seattle, Washington, with a great interest in all public affairs...

, allegedly to become the school belfry. As Port Madison

Port Madison, Bainbridge Island, Washington

Port Madison is a community of Bainbridge Island, Washington. It is located on the northeast part of the island. Port Madison's boundaries are ill-defined, altlhough it generally is limited to the eastern part of Port Madison...

 needed to provide a courthouse on short notice, they converted the nearly-finished school and the bell was placed on the old public community hall on mill property. It was later moved to A.R. Lintner's Historical Association, and it was moved to the park on March 23, 1953.

Facilities

Fay Bainbridge State Park has 36 overnight campsites, each with a picnic table and outdoor grill.even has a large area undercover eating area.
The day-use area of the park includes picnic

Picnic

In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...

tables, two kitchen shelters with electricity, playground equipment, a swimming beach and a restroom/bathhouse with hot showers.
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