Kitsap Peninsula
Encyclopedia
The Kitsap Peninsula is an arm of land that is part of the larger Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
in Washington state (U.S.) that lies west of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
across 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...
. Hood Canal
Hood Canal
Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.-Geography:...
separates Kitsap Peninsula from the rest of the Olympic Peninsula. It encompasses all of Kitsap County
Kitsap County, Washington
Kitsap County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington, named after Chief Kitsap of the Suquamish tribe. As of 2011 state estimate, its population was 253,900. Its county seat is at Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton....
except Bainbridge and Blake Island
Blake Island
Blake Island is an island in Washington state in the United States. It lies in the middle of Puget Sound, north of Vashon Island, south of Bainbridge Island and east of Manchester....
s, as well as the northeastern part of Mason County and the northwestern part of Pierce County
Pierce County, Washington
right|thumb|[[Tacoma, Washington|Tacoma]] - Seat of Pierce CountyPierce County is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of Washington. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory...
. The highest point on the Kitsap Peninsula is Gold Mountain. The U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
, and Naval Base Kitsap
Naval Base Kitsap
Naval Base Kitsap is a U.S. Navy base located on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington state. It was created in 2004 by merging the former Naval Station Bremerton with Naval Submarine Base Bangor...
(comprising the former NSB Bangor and NS Bremerton) are on the Peninsula. Its main city is Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
.
Though earlier referred to as the Great Peninsula or Indian Peninsula, its current name comes from Kitsap County, which occupies most of the peninsula. It is thus the namesake of Chief Kitsap
Chief Kitsap
Kitsap or Ktsap was a war chief of the Suquamish Tribe. Born 1770/80-Died April 18, 1860. One source says that he was the most powerful chief on Puget Sound from 1790 to 1845...
, an 18th- and 19th-century warrior and medicine man of the Suquamish
Suquamish
The Suquamish are a Lushootseed-speaking Native American Tribe, located in present-day Washington in the United States.The Suquamish are a southern Coast Salish people; they spoke a dialect of Lushootseed, which belongs to the Salishan language family. Like many Northwest Coast natives, the...
Tribe. The Suquamish were one of the historical fishing tribes belonging to the Coast Salish
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
group of peoples, and their ancestral grounds were based on the eastern shores of the Kitsap Peninsula. Seattle is named after the tribe's most famous leader, Chief Sealth. The Port Madison Indian Reservation
Port Madison Indian Reservation
The Port Madison Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in northern Kitsap County, Washington. It occupies 30.273 km² on the western and northern shores of Port Madison, and is divided into two separate parcels by Miller Bay. The unincorporated towns of Suquamish and Indianola both lie...
, located between Poulsbo and Agate Pass
Agate Pass
Agate Pass or Agate Passage is a high-current tidal strait in Puget Sound connecting Port Madison and Port Orchard. It lies between Bainbridge Island and the mainland of the Kitsap Peninsula near Suquamish. It is the northern entrance to Port Orchard, extending about one mile in a straight,...
, is the modern Suquamish tribal center. The Kitsap Peninsula is also home to the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe
Klallam
Klallam refers to four related indigenous Native American/First Nations communities from the Pacific Northwest of North America. The Klallam culture is classified ethnographically and linguistically in the Coast Salish subgroup...
, another branch of the Coast Salish people, whose tribal center is the Port Gamble S'Klallam Indian Reservation at Little Boston located on the northwest coast of the peninsula.
The peninsula is connected to the eastern shore of Puget Sound by Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries
Washington State Ferries is a passenger and automobile ferry service owned and operated by the Washington State Department of Transportation that serves communities on Puget Sound and in the San Juan Islands. It is the most used ferry system in the world and the largest passenger and automobile...
, which run from Bremerton
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
to Downtown Seattle, from Kingston
Kingston, Washington
-External links:* *...
to Edmonds
Edmonds, Washington
Edmonds is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. Edmonds has a view of Puget Sound and both the Olympic Mountains and Cascade Range. The third most populous city in Snohomish County after Everett and Marysville, the population was 39,709 according to the 2010 census...
and from Southworth
Southworth, Washington
Southworth is an unincorporated community on Puget Sound in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is best known for being the west end of the Fauntleroy-Vashon Island-Southworth Washington State Ferries run. Landmarks include Southworth Grocery, a US Post Office, ferry terminal, clay cliffs...
to West Seattle
West Seattle, Seattle, Washington
West Seattle comprises two of Seattle, Washington's thirteen districts, Delridge and Southwest and encompasses all of Seattle west of the Duwamish River. It was incorporated as an independent town in 1902 and was annexed by Seattle in 1907. Among the area's attractions are its saltwater beach parks...
via Vashon Island
Vashon Island
Vashon is a census-designated place in King County, Washington, United States. It covers an island alternately called Vashon Island or Vashon-Maury Island, the largest island in Puget Sound south of Admiralty Inlet. The population was 10,624 at the 2010 census. At , it is about 60 percent larger...
, by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge
Tacoma Narrows Bridge
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge is a pair of twin suspension bridges in the U.S. state of Washington, which carry State Route 16 across the Tacoma Narrows strait of Puget Sound between Tacoma and the Kitsap Peninsula...
from Point Fosdick to Tacoma, and to the northeastern shore of the main Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
by the Hood Canal Bridge
Hood Canal Bridge
The Hood Canal Bridge is a floating bridge located in the U.S. state of Washington that carries Washington State Route 104 across Hood Canal and connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. At long, The Hood Canal Bridge (officially William A. Bugge Bridge) is a floating bridge located in the U.S....
.
For more information about visiting the Kitsap Peninsula, visit www.VisitKitsap.com.
Cities and towns
- Annapolis
- Bangor
- BelfairBelfair, WashingtonBelfair is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States. Located on the Union River, headwaters of the Hood Canal, a branch of Puget Sound, it serves as the commercial center of North Mason County. The population of the surrounding area swells in the summertime as...
- BremertonBremerton, WashingtonBremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
- BrownsvilleBrownsville, WashingtonBrownsville is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located north of Bremerton and due east of Silverdale and on the north side of Burke Bay on the Kitsap Peninsula....
- Colby
- Colchester
- ChicoChico, WashingtonChico is an CDP in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. Named in 1889 for a local Indian, Chico is located on the Dyes Inlet waterfront to the southeast of Silverdale. Most of Chico's residents commute to work in nearby Silverdale or Bremerton...
- East Port OrchardEast Port Orchard, WashingtonEast Port Orchard is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,919 at the 2010 census.-Geography:East Port Orchard is located at ....
- Erlands Point-Kitsap LakeErlands Point-Kitsap Lake, WashingtonErland's Point-Kitsap Lake is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,723 at the 2000 census....
- Gig HarborGig Harbor, WashingtonGig Harbor is the name of both a bay on Puget Sound and a city on its shore in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census....
- GorstGorst, WashingtonGorst is an unincorporated community at the head of Sinclair Inlet in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. Gorst, located on the shores of Puget Sound, is primarily a town consisting of stores, auto dealerships and the county's only strip club...
- HansvilleHansville, WashingtonHansville is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. Located at the northern end of the Kitsap Peninsula, it offers a view of Admiralty Inlet, Whidbey Island, and Puget Sound. Hansville is about east-southeast of Foulweather Bluff.The village has a store and...
- IllaheeIllahee, WashingtonIllahee is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, between Bremerton and Silverdale. It is home to the waterfront Illahee State Park, as well as the Illahee Preserve and the Rolling Hills golf course...
- IndianolaIndianola, WashingtonIndianola is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, located on the north shore of Port Madison on the Port Madison Indian Reservation, home of the Suquamish Indian Tribe. The population was 3,500 at the 2010 census...
- KeyportKeyport, WashingtonKeyport is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The community is located at the eastern terminus of State Route 308 on the Kitsap Peninsula, east of Subase Bangor. Keyport's ZIP Code, 98345, had a ZCTA population of 554 at the 2010 census, in addition to a...
- KingstonKingston, Washington-External links:* *...
- ManchesterManchester, WashingtonManchester is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,958 at the 2000 census.-History:...
- Navy Yard CityNavy Yard City, WashingtonNavy Yard City is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 2,477 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Navy Yard City is located at ....
- ParkwoodParkwood, WashingtonParkwood is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 7,126 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Parkwood is located at ....
- Port GamblePort Gamble, WashingtonPort Gamble is an unincorporated community on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is also a small, similarly named bay, along which the community lies, near the entrance to Hood Canal. The unincorporated communities of Port Gamble and...
- Port OrchardPort Orchard, WashingtonPort Orchard is a city in and the county seat of Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth...
- PoulsboPoulsbo, WashingtonPoulsbo is a city on Liberty Bay in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is the fourth largest city in Kitsap County and one of the main suburbs of Seattle in the Kitsap area. The population was 9,200 at the 2010 census....
- PurdyPurdy, WashingtonPurdy is a small unincorporated community north of the city of Gig Harbor, on the northern boundary of Pierce County, Washington. It is located on the shores of Burley Lagoon and Henderson Bay of the Carr Inlet...
- RetsilRetsil, WashingtonRetsil is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located on the Puget Sound, and is known for its veterans facilities. Retsil is located within the Parkwood CDP....
- SeabeckSeabeck, WashingtonSeabeck is a former mill town in Kitsap County, Washington, United States, on Hood Canal.- History :The name Seabeck comes from the Twana /ɬqábaqʷ/, from /ɬ-/, "far", /qab/, "smooth, calm", and /-aqʷ/, "water"....
- SilverdaleSilverdale, WashingtonSilverdale is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, in the United States. The population was 19,204 at the 2010 census.Despite many attempts at incorporation, Silverdale remains an unincorporated community....
- SouthworthSouthworth, WashingtonSouthworth is an unincorporated community on Puget Sound in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is best known for being the west end of the Fauntleroy-Vashon Island-Southworth Washington State Ferries run. Landmarks include Southworth Grocery, a US Post Office, ferry terminal, clay cliffs...
- SuquamishSuquamish, WashingtonSuquamish is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 4,140 at the 2010 census. Located within the Port Madison Indian Reservation, it is the burial site of Chief Seattle.-Geography:...
- TracytonTracyton, WashingtonTracyton is a census-designated place in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. Its population was 5,233 at the 2010 census. Tracyton was named for 19th century Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F...
Bays and Inlets
- Agate PassAgate PassAgate Pass or Agate Passage is a high-current tidal strait in Puget Sound connecting Port Madison and Port Orchard. It lies between Bainbridge Island and the mainland of the Kitsap Peninsula near Suquamish. It is the northern entrance to Port Orchard, extending about one mile in a straight,...
- Anderson Cove
- Appletree CoveAppletree CoveAppletree Cove is a bay and estuary on the Kitsap Peninsula. The cove is fed by Carpenter Creek; its estuary is a tidal flood zone that fills and empties at high and low tides....
- Big Beef Harbor
- Burke BayBurke Bay (Washington)Burke Bay is a small bay between Bainbridge Island and the Kitsap Peninsula, between Brownsville, Keyport, and Agate Pass, near Silverdale on the Kitsap Peninsula in western Washington state, USA....
- Carr InletCarr InletCarr Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula and Gig Harbor Peninsula. Its southern end is connected to the southern basin of Puget Sound. Northward, it separates McNeil Island and Fox Island as well as the peninsulas of Key and Gig...
- Case InletCase InletCase Inlet, in southern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water between Key Peninsula on the east and Hartstine Island on the west. Its northern end, called North Bay, reaches nearly to Hood Canal, creating the defining isthmus of Kitsap Peninsula. Case Inlet is the boundary...
- Chico Bay
- Clam Bay
- Colvos PassageColvos PassageThe Colvos Passage is a tidal strait within Puget Sound in the American state of Washington running west of Vashon Island between the island and the Kitsap Peninsula. It lies just north of the Tacoma Narrows. One of the more interesting things about the Colvos Passage is that it has a permanent...
- Coon BayCoon BayCoon Bay, also known as Sheltered Bay, is a small, nearly landlocked harbor, which opens to the Hood Canal about 2.5 miles south of Foulweather Bluff. Although non-member space is limited, the harbor offers excellent protection for small boats during periods of rough weather. The privately...
- Dogfish BayLiberty BayLiberty Bay is a narrow inlet extending about 4 miles in a northerly direction from the northwest part of Port Orchard, adjacent to the Kitsap Peninsula in western Washington, USA....
- Dyes InletDyes InletDyes Inlet is an inlet on the Kitsap Peninsula in western Washington State, USA. Silverdale, WA is located on the north shore of the inlet and has a marina, waterfront park, boat ramp, and boardwalk. The west shoreline is part of Chico, WA and the east shoreline is Tracyton, WA...
- Hood CanalHood CanalHood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the state of Washington. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.-Geography:...
- Liberty BayLiberty BayLiberty Bay is a narrow inlet extending about 4 miles in a northerly direction from the northwest part of Port Orchard, adjacent to the Kitsap Peninsula in western Washington, USA....
- Little Beef Harbor
- Little Clam Bay
- Miller Bay
- Mud Bay
- Nesika Bay
- Olalla Bay
- Orrs Cove
- Ostrich Bay
- Oyster BayOyster Bay, Washington-Reference:* Findlay, Jean Cammon, and Paterson, Robin, Mosquito Fleet of South Puget Sound, Arcadia Publishing ISBN 0-7385-5607-6....
- Phinney BayPhinney BayPhinney Bay is a small bay, 0.8 miles long, near and just off the north end of the Port Washington Narrows in the Kitsap Peninsula in western Washington. The city of Bremerton, Washington is just south of the bay....
- Pilots Cove
- Port Gamble
- Port MadisonPort MadisonPort Madison, sometimes called Port Madison Bay, is a deep water bay located on the west shore of Puget Sound in western Washington. It is bounded on the north by Indianola, on the west by Suquamish, and on the south by Bainbridge Island. Port Madison connects to Port Orchard via the Agate Pass...
- Port OrchardPort OrchardPort Orchard, part of Washington state's Puget Sound, is the strait that separates Bainbridge Island on the east from the Kitsap Peninsula on the west. It extends from Liberty Bay and Agate Pass in the north to Sinclair Inlet and Rich Passage in the south...
- Port Washington NarrowsPort Washington NarrowsThe Port Washington Narrows is a tidal strait located in Bremerton, Washington. The northwest entrance is marked on the west side by Rocky Point, and the southeast entrance is located at Point Turner on the west side and Point Herron on the east side....
- Races Cove
- Rich PassageRich PassageRich Passage is a tidal strait in Puget Sound, allowing access to Bremerton, Washington, Port Orchard Bay and Dyes Inlet, and separating Bainbridge Island from the Manchester area of the Kitsap Peninsula. Due to the activities at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Rich Passage has a high volume of...
- Seabeck Bay
- Sinclair InletSinclair InletSinclair Inlet is an arm of Puget Sound in Kitsap County, Washington, USA. It is the southwestern extension of Port Orchard, and it touches the shores of three of Kitsap County's four incorporated cities: Bremerton, Bainbridge Island, and Port Orchard. It is connected to Dyes Inlet by the Port...
- Skunk Bay
- Stavis Bay
- Stiles Lagoon
- Tacoma NarrowsTacoma NarrowsThe Tacoma Narrows , a strait, is part of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. A navigable maritime waterway between glacial landforms, the Narrows separates the Kitsap Peninsula from the city of Tacoma....
- Yukon Harbor
Headlands
- Anderson Point
- Apple Cove Point
- Bass Point
- Command Point
- Elwood Point
- Erlands Point
- Foulweather BluffFoulweather BluffFoulweather Bluff is a cliff which lies on the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula along Puget Sound, on the east side of the entrance to the Hood Canal. It is one of the most prominent cliffs in Puget Sound....
- Hood Point
- King Spit
- Lemolo Point
- Madrona Point
- Manette PeninsulaManette PeninsulaThe Manette Peninsula is a headland that is part of the larger Kitsap Peninsula, located on the eastern flank of the Olympic Peninsula, in western Washington , USA.- Geography :...
- Middle Point
- Norwegian PointNorwegian pointNorwegian Point is low and rounding, about 0.2 mile northwest of Hansville, Washington in Kitsap County, Washington, located at the northern end of the Kitsap Peninsula, affording sweeping views of Admiralty Inlet, Whidbey Island, and Puget Sound....
- Orchard Point
- Pearson PointPearson PointPearson Point is a point forming the southwest extremity of Bird Island, off the west end of South Georgia. The name appears on a 1921 British Admiralty chart....
- Pilot Point
- Point Bolin
- Point Glover
- Point Herron
- Point Jefferson
- Point Julia
- Point Misery
- Point No PointPoint No PointPoint No Point is an outcropping of land on the northeast point of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington, the United States. It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty. It was named by Charles Wilkes during the United States Exploring Expedition of Puget Sound in 1841...
- Point SouthworthPoint SouthworthPoint Southworth lies on Kitsap Peninsula on the western side of the northern entrance to Colvos Passage in Puget Sound. The point is high and wooded....
- Point Turner
- President Point
- Rocky Point
- Ross Point
- Ruby Point
- Salisbury Point
- Sandy Hook
- Teekalet BluffTeekalet BluffTeekalet Bluff is a cliff located on the Kitsap Peninsula along Hood Canal, near Port Gamble, Washington....
- Tekiu Point
- Twin Spits
- University Point
- Virginia Point
- Waterman Point
- Windy Point, Puget Sound