hood canal Parks
Spread a blanket, fire up the barbecue and enjoy togetherness at one of Hood Canal's beautiful parks. With a park around every bend, explore the protected forests of Skokomish Park, gather armloads of shellfish on the beaches of Potlatch State Park, or have a barbecue and kick the soccer ball around Walker Park. Download the Mason County Parks Brochure PDF
Potlatch has year-round moorage off of its 5,700-foot shoreline. The typically calm Hood Canal waters are a popular place for swimming, boating, paddling, water skiing, crabbing and fishing (with a permit).
A hidden gem only reached by watercraft, Hope Island Marine State Park is a special place to those who live in the area. Visitors may explore the trails, catch a glimpse of seals in the water, watch eagles soar in the sky or have a picnic under historic fruit trees.
This community park is open year round and hosts children’s play area, day use picnic area, small covered shelter as well as a small baseball field and basketball court. The park is a favorite location for group picnics and family celebrations. Shelter reservations are recommended for events. Restrooms open when shelter is reserved.
The views the Olympics are spectacular from this salt water access point to Hood Canal. This is a very busy boat launch during marine fishing openings and a great spot to launch kayaks for Canal and Skokomish River delta exploration. Open year round. Low tide advisory for launching/loading. No parking or restroom facilities at this site.
Views of the Olympic Mountains and Hood Canal. It is open year-round. Popular with kayakers, picnickers, and photographers, this small park accommodates a covered gazebo, picnic areas, and a boat launch (hand-carry boat/kayak).
Open year-round, this 8-acre undeveloped park is a good place to walk, hike, and gain access to open spaces and Jiggs Lake.
Beach access, playground, restrooms, picnic shelter and basketball court. No shellfish harvest. No passes required.
This year-round 35 acre undeveloped natural open space provides water access to Oakland Bay
.16 acres. Parking: Facility adjacent gravel parking with space for approximately 4 vehicles. Amenities: Picnic shelter, creek access
.62 acres. Parking: No designated parking exists onsite. Amenities: Playground facilities, picnic benches
.26 acres. Parking: 20 street parking stalls exist directly adjacent to the park, with ADA options available in front of the Post Office on Mark E. Reed Way. Amenities: Picnic tables, park benches
2.53 acres. Parking: Pull-out parking with space for approximately 4 vehicles. Amenities: Log and bandsaw monuments, overlook benches
Adjacent to the State of Washington boat launch with vault toilets, this small (.4 acre) park is open year-round, daylight to dusk. The passive day-use area features a small picnic area.
81.87 acre nature preserve. The park hosts limited trails with access to Malaney Creek and Oakland Bay. Open March through October, this heritage property is the site of the Malaney homestead.
1.67 acres. Parking: No parking available. Currently serviced by Mason Transit Authority. Amenities: Open lawn, forested areas
The 40-acre Recreation Park features covered batting cages (4 stations; 2 softball, 2 baseballs), ball fields, children’s play areas, picnic areas, walking trails, restrooms, an on-site caretaker. The Park office is open year-round, Monday – Friday (8AM – 4:30PM). Batting cages open February through October (9AM – dusk). Ball fields open March - Oct. Seasonal Concession open March-August. Reservations are required for ball field use.
6.85 acres. Parking: 21 parking stalls, 1 reserved ADA stall. Parking is shared between Loop Field guests and Evergreen Elementary School. 18 additional stalls are available on West Franklin Street. Amenities: Baseball diamond, unpaved perimeter trail, soccer field, picnic shelter, play equipment, restrooms, ADA accessible facilities, drinking fountains
basketball/pickleball court located in downtown Shelton. Members of the public can check out basketballs or pickleball equipment (nets, balls, paddles) at the Customer Service desk in the Civic Center during business hours on a first-come, first-served basis.
Boat launch open year round with access to Pickering Passage, Case Inlet and South Puget Sound. Small park (.59 acre) features picnic tables, boarding float for launch, beach access, and sanicans.
4.07 acres. Parking: 37 parking stalls, 2 reserved ADA stalls. Amenities: Covered pavilion, picnic tables, play equipment, paved trails, ADA accessible facilities, half-court basketball, off-leash dog area, open grass fields
Located on Harstine Island, Jarrell Cove is a saltwater haven with excellent opportunities for swimming, and overnight boat moorage. This park is rife with with opportunities for bird and wildlife watching, and walks through dense tree stands and along placid, opal-colored water.
This year round park (2.8 acre) supports a small boat launch providing salt water access to Hammersley Inlet (low tide advisory for launch/load of boats).
8.27 acres. Parking: Large gravel lot located south of park, spill-over parking on West E and West G Streets. Amenities: Community garden, Baseball diamond, half-court basketball, play structure, bathroom facilities, picnic shelter and tables, BBQ stands, paved walking path
.28 acres. Parking: No facility-specific parking. Adjacent street parking exists with 13 stalls, 9 of which are reserved for neighboring destinations during business hours. Amenities: Picnic tables
Parking: No facility-specific parking. Adjacent street/shoulder parking for about 5 vehicles. Mason Transit Authority has a bus stop on East Poplar Street. Amenities: Half-court basketball, designated picnic areas
Year-round 35-acre park with picnic tables, BBQ grills, vault toilets, a covered shelter, and nature trails.
Ingvald J. Gronvold is owned by the Port of Hoodsport. It offers a public boat dock with beach access and picnic tables. Two sets of concrete stairs lead down to the beach from the sidewalk along Highway 101.
Open March – October (9 AM to dusk), this mostly undeveloped 80 acre park features a children’s play area, playing field, basketball court, and restrooms. There is an on-site caretaker. With a view through the trees of Hood Canal below, this park is appropriate for family or business picnic as well as field games (reservations recommended).
Boat Launch is open all year while restroom facilities are open March-October. Picnic and wooded areas near the boat launch. 17.36 acre park. Parking for vehicles with trailers.
Check out Hood Canal’s many spots for Birding, Camping, Hiking and Waterfalls.
Waterfall Road Trip
Cascading waterfalls tucked into hidden nooks are simply and quintessentially Hood Canal. Sure, we love summer, but winter is truly a marvel in our corner of the world. We daresay we prefer it when it comes to admiring the majestic cascades tumbling from the woods.
The traditions of clam digging and oyster harvesting run deeply through the historical veins of the Olympic Peninsula. Check out this easy itinerary from Shelton to Oakland Bay on South Puget Sound’s Hammersley Inlet.
Itinerary #8: Spring Adventuring
There is a host of romantic notions about staying inside all winter, putting on fuzzy socks against the cold, and hibernating beneath a blanket. Instead of letting a little rain stop us from getting after it, we choose adventures that are even better with a little atmosphere!
Picture this: the full moon slowly rises over the placid Hood Canal, illuminating the rugged Olympic Mountains as you slowly exhale and relax into your tree pose.
Tromping through the park and the surrounding areas is admittedly our favorite thing to do, but sometimes asking for directions can be tricky. Especially when we slip up and ask for a “geo-duck” (geoduck). Reduce your noob status and read on to ensure that when you have to flag a local down, you don’t get a suppressed giggle along with directions.
Even someone as determined as John Muir couldn’t have poked around every nook in the 876,447 acres of this boundless wilderness haven. Here are our 5 reasons why you can’t afford to miss it—especially if you’re a Seattleite.
Though there are many factors that come together to make a good photographer—gear, dedication, understanding of theory, etc.—the one elusive quality that boosts George Stenberg’s craft into the upper echelon is timing.
A weekend warrior is a 21st century beast whose population seems to be exponentially growing. As the “rolley chair blues” epidemic proliferates across the Pacific Northwest, so does the drive to combat it with an epic 48-hour adventure.
The fall colors on Hood Canal are heralding the close of summer. Time to head to the hills to embrace the much needed rains in the Olympic National Park as the hills and valleys go back to the Technicolor spectrum of green.