Pickering Passage is a strait

Strait

A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...

, in the southern end of part 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...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Washington. Entirely within Mason County, the Pickering Passage separates Hartstine Island

Harstine Island, Washington

Harstine Island is an unincorporated community in Mason County, Washington, United States, located on a similarly named island. The island is located west of Case Inlet in southern Puget Sound, north of Olympia. It has a land area of , and had a population of 1,002 as of the 2000 census...

 from the mainland, and connects Totten Inlet

Totten Inlet

Totten Inlet lies in the southern end of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. The inlet extends southwest from the western end of Squaxin Passage, and much of the county line between Mason and Thurston counties runs down the center of it. A spit extends west for about from Steamboat...

 with the north end of Case Inlet

Case Inlet

Case 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...

.

Pickering Passage flows past the mouths of Hammersley Inlet

Hammersley Inlet

Hammersley Inlet, in southwestern Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington, is an arm of water leading to Shelton, Washington and Oakland Bay. Hammersley Inlet is also known as Big Skookum.-Description:...

, Totten Inlet

Totten Inlet

Totten Inlet lies in the southern end of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. The inlet extends southwest from the western end of Squaxin Passage, and much of the county line between Mason and Thurston counties runs down the center of it. A spit extends west for about from Steamboat...

, and Eld Inlet

Eld Inlet

Eld Inlet is an inlet at the southern end of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies between Budd Inlet to the east and Totten Inlet to the northwest. Eld Inlet is about long.-History:...

. It is a nutrient rich area, producing oysters that grow very quickly.

History

Pickering Passage was named by Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes

Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...

 during the Wilkes Expedition

United States Exploring Expedition

The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...

 of 1838-1842, to honor Charles Pickering (naturalist)

Charles Pickering (naturalist)

Charles Pickering was an American naturalist.Born in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, the grandson of Colonel Timothy Pickering, he grew up in Wenham, Massachusetts and received a medical degree from Harvard University in 1823...

, one of the expedition's naturalists.

From 1922 to 1969, a ferry

Harstine Island ferry

The Harstine Island ferry connected Harstine Island with mainland Mason County, Washington across Pickering Passage in south Puget Sound until 1969 when the ferry was replaced by a bridge.-Course of service:...

 owned and operated by Mason County, Washington crossed Pickering Passage to link Harstine Island to the mainland. The ferry was replaced by a bridge in 1969