Hiking at Point No Point Lighthouse on the Kitsap Peninsula

Want to spend more time on the Kitsap Peninsula?
Head to Kitsap Memorial State Park, where you can camp or rent a rustic cabin.

CURRENT INFO

General information and updates about Point No Point, including how to rent the Historic Keeper’s Quarters, are available on the Kitsap County website. Information about hiking at Point No Point is available on the WTA (Washington Trails Association) webpage. A great description of the park is included in the book Urban Trails: Kitsap by Craig Romano.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Parking is free at Point No Point.
• Dogs on leash are welcome.
• Vault toilets are located at the parking lot near the lighthouse.
• If you just want to visit the lighthouse and spend time on the beach, park there. If you plan to hike, you may prefer parking at the south end of the trail at the intersection of Hillview Lane NW and Thors Road NE (see map above). This allows you to hike to the lighthouse instead of away from it, giving your hike a more exciting destination. In our case, we started at the lighthouse, and it was still fun.
• If this looks like a good spot to linger, take note: one half of the lighthouse keeper’s quarters and another small cottage are both available for rent!
• The lighthouse is open to the public on weekend afternoons April through September.
• If you’re coming from the North Seattle area, the most direct route to the North Kitsap Peninsula is via the Edmonds/Kingston ferry. This is one of the busiest ferry routes in the state, so be prepared to wait, especially for weekend trips. You can check the best times to travel online here.

HIGHLIGHTS

The charming lighthouse and beautiful sandy beach steal the show at Point No Point, and you don’t have to be a hiker to enjoy this place. With easy access to the lighthouse and the beach, this is a perfect spot for all ages and abilities. Keep an eye out for marine mammals — we saw harbor seals and otters! If you’re lucky, you may also spot porpoises playing in the waves.

THE KIDS’ TAKE

Sandy beaches like this one are relatively rare in Puget Sound, so it was no surprise that the kids were immediately drawn to the shore. With driftwood galore, previous visitors created a variety of forts, teepees, and more, just waiting to be explored. Plus, did I mention the seals and otters? We hit the jackpot here!

WHILE YOU’RE HERE

We visited Point No Point while staying overnight at Kitsap Memorial State Park, a great little park overlooking Hood Canal. Twenty minutes southwest of Point No Point, the historic company town of Port Gamble is a picturesque place to ramble. In addition to the adorable village, the Port Gamble Forest Heritage Park offers quiet trails through the woods.

The quaint town of Kingston is also just twenty minutes south of Point No Point. It’s a convenient stop for anyone taking the ferry between Kingston and Edmonds. Kingston’s inviting “downtown” offers a number of good eateries and a beautiful picnic spot overlooking the ferry dock. On our last visit we got food to go from the Kingston Ale House. Next time, we hope to try Hot Dogs at the Cove.

After spending a rainy day in and around Port Angeles, we woke to cloudy but dry skies. It was perfect weather for a mini-hike, so after packing up and bidding farewell to the cabins at Kitsap Memorial Park, we drove north to Point No Point.

Point No Point is best known for its historic lighthouse. Situated on a flat promontory overlooking Puget Sound, its short tower looks a bit like a lighthouse that hasn’t quite decided what it wants to be when it grows up. Don’t let its diminutive size fool you; it is in fact the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound, and is still in use today.

Although we intended to hike, it was the beach that first captured our attention. This was doubly true when someone spotted the first of several seals bobbing in the water just north of the lighthouse. The kids ran down the beach to check it out, and we noticed more heads appearing and disappearing in the swells.

Rounding the corner, the wide, sandy beach begged to be explored. Rather than start off on the trail through the wetlands, we decided to follow the beach and join the trail further south. Driftwood of all shapes and sizes lined the length of the shore. The boys discovered a wooden teepee and claimed it for “kids only”.

As we continued south, someone let out another cry, “Otters! There are otters on the rock!” Again the kids came running, in time to see one of the otters slide into the water with a splash. The other stayed atop the rock, completely nonplussed by the humans on the shore. Alternating between grooming and just relaxing, it obviously knew this rocky perch was a safe one.

After the initial excitement over the otter sighting, the kids discovered the best fort yet. Built against the shelter of the bluff, it was downright palatial by driftwood fort standards. J imagined how he could actually live in a fort like this, sheltered from the wind and rain. The boys also discovered the perfect wizarding staffs among the debris, which they marched back up the beach. A special staff was given to Buddy. “We have a wizard in the family!” J proclaimed as the dog pranced down the sand holding the stick in his mouth.

We left the beach at the point where a long stairway climbs the bluff. At the top of the stairs, the trail continues through the woods for roughly half a mile, where it stops abruptly at a small parking area. Admittedly, it’s not much of a destination, but the path through the woods was peaceful and filled with the fragrance of cedar and fir. In some spots, you can see large homes and sweeping manicured lawns on the other side of the trees, a reminder that you haven’t quite left civilization behind.

As we headed back toward the lighthouse, I lingered on the trail, waiting for my younger son, T. Of the three kids in our group, he was the only one to keep his “wizarding staff” with him for the entire walk along the bluff. It was taller than him, but no matter. With this stick, he was strong and powerful. And when you’re strong and powerful, a little hike like this is a walk in the park.

Back down the stairs, we followed the trail through the wetlands to the lighthouse. This is an important area for birds, a sign next to a viewing platform informed us. Sure enough, we saw a heron standing stock still at the edge of a pond, waiting for a bite. Near the lighthouse, wild rosebushes lined the path. In winter, they were bare and brown except for the muted red of rosehips still clinging to the branches. I imagined what it must be like to walk here in summer surrounded by fragrant pink blossoms.

Back at the parking lot we discussed our lunch plans. I took a last look at the water, thinking of the seals and otters swimming silently beneath the rippling waves. Perhaps we’ll visit again in summer, when the wild roses are in bloom. Maybe a curious seal will again raise its head to the surface, quizzically eyeing the humans who pass by. Perhaps an otter will be sunning itself on the rock, blissfully unconcerned with the two-legged visitors on shore. And if you ever come to Point No Point, keep a careful watch over the waves; you never know who might be there to meet you.