Recreation

Recreational activities to enjoy in the Emerald Towns area include:

Biking, Bird Watching, Boating, Camping, Dining, Fishing and Shellfish Harvesting, Hiking, Hunting, Kayaking, Museums & Interpretive Sites, Parks, Rock Climbing, Shopping, and Scuba Diving.

Biking

The Quilcene/Brinnon area is popular with road and mountain bike enthusiasts alike. The area provides scenic roads and challenging mountain bike trails.  Whether you enjoy casually peddling along beach-side towns, down-hilling mountainous terrain, or touring the entire Olympic Peninsula you will find the Quilcene/Brinnon area to be an excellent biking environment. Visit the Port Townsend Bicycle Association website for complete information at www.ptbikes.org, or stop by the Olympic National Forest Visitors Center in Quilcene for free state, county, and back country biking maps.

Bird Watching

The Olympic Peninsula offers exceptional bird watching year round. Our mild winters support large numbers of ocean birds and waterfowl. The spring and fall migrations offer great diversity in species. Summer residents are numerous and varied due to a diversity in habitat including rainforests, meadows, and tidelands. The Dosewallips State Park’s wildlife viewing platform is located on the edge of a tidal marsh and provides a great place to view Bald Eagles, Great Blue Herons, gulls, waterfowl, Red-winged Blackbirds, wrens, and much more.  For detailed information visit the Olympic Peninsula Audubon Society website and stop by the Olympic National Forest Service Visitor’s Center in Quilcene for birding books and a Checklist of Birds of the North Olympic Peninsula.

The U.S. Forest Service Ranger asks that you report sightings of Clark’s Nutcrackers.  Forms are available at the U.S. Forest Service Visitor’s Center in Quilcene or e-mail sighting info to teresalorenz@fs.fed.us. Clark’s Nutcrackers are jay-sized gray birds sporting striking white and black markings and long, sharp-pointed bills.  Clark’s Nutcrackers are similar to woodpeckers, and prefer coniferous forests.

Boating

Quilcene and Brinnon are nestled on the shores of the northern Hood Canal and Dabob Bay.  Pleasant Harbor Marina in Brinnon offers deepwater slips and permanent moorage, fuel, a general store, and other services.  Herb Beck Marina in Quilcene offers slips and transient moorage.  Boat ramps in the area include Herb Beck Marina, Yelvik’s Boat Launch, Point Whitney, Pleasant Harbor WDFW Boat Ramp, and Triton Cove State Park.  Lake Leland offers freshwater boating opportunities and Seal Rock Campground offers carry-in boat launching.  Tidal conditions can be found at Saltwatertides.com.

Camping

Whether looking to camp on the beach, riverside, or deep within an old growth forest there are many national, state, county, and private campsites that offer backpacking, car camping, and RV camping opportunities in the area. 

Trails to the backcountry start in the Olympic National Forest just outside of Brinnon and Quilcene. These trails lead to camping areas within the Olympic National Park where one can camp in relatively undisturbed wilderness.  For more information on camping in the Olympic National Park, visit the park’s website or call the Olympic National Park Visitors Center at (360) 565-3130.

Nearby campgrounds within the Olympic National Forest include Collins Campground, Seal Rock Campground, Rainbow Campground, Falls View Campground, Hamma Hamma Campground, Lena Lake Campground and Elkhorn Campground.  Rustic camping areas within the National Forest also exist nearby. Check the Hood Canal Ranger District Recreation Report for further information or call the Hood Canal Ranger District office at 360-765-2200.

Dosewallips State Park offers RV and tent camping along the Dosewallips River in Brinnon.  Additional information on nearby camping in South Puget Sound State Parks can be found on the Washington State Parks website.

Jefferson County Parks provides camping opportunities at Lake Leland and Quilcene Campground.  Download a map of Jefferson County Parks here or call 360-385-9160 for further information.

The Halfway House RV Park in Brinnon offers RV camping between the Dosewallips River and the Halfway House Restaurant, and Windermere Hood Canal manages vacation rental homes - some with RV hook-ups. 

Dining

The Emerald Towns offer both fine and casual dining experiences.  The Timber House in Quilcene boasts a fine northwest menu and elegant yet comfortable surroundings.  The Halfway House Restaurant in Brinnon offers a large menu, excellent homemade pies, and an espresso bar.  Logger’s Landing in Quilcene serves huge breakfasts or enjoy a cold beer in their beer garden. At the Little Dinghy Deli at Pleasant Harbor Marina you can enjoy a harbor-side breakfast, sandwich or pizza.  The Twana Roadhouse in Quilcene makes the best pizza’s in town, and the Geoduck in Brinnon has one of the best views and outdoor deck to enjoy a meal, or drinks and hors d'oeuvres!

Fishing and Shellfishing

The Hood Canal (Marine Area 12) and nearby rivers and streams offer some excellent salmon and trout fishing opportunities.  The Quilcene National Fish Hatchery raises coho salmon that return to the Big Quilcene River.  Catch-and-release freshwater fisheries are common for other species of salmon and trout in the area.

Shellfishing is immensely popular in the Hood Canal where families and commercial growers enjoy bountiful harvests of oysters, clams, shrimp, and crab.  Crab and shrimp pots are built and sold locally, and buckets, shovels, rakes, and other shellfish harvesting equipment can be found in local stores.  Brinnon also hosts the annual Hood Canal ShrimpFest which occurs over Memorial Day weekend.  Fishing and shellfish licenses can be bought at the Brinnon General Store on Hwy 101 in Brinnon.

Check the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife website for seasons, gear restrictions, and regulations.

Hiking & Viewpoints

The Emerald Towns are nestled between the beautiful Hood Canal and the Hood Canal Ranger District of the Olympic National Forest.  This unique location leaves endless opportunities for hiking and visiting viewpoints.  One-hundred and ten miles of trails and viewpoints exist within the Hood Canal Ranger District of the Olympic National Forest and are accessible from the Emerald Towns area.  Details and current trail conditions and viewpoints can be found by browsing the Hood Canal Ranger District Recreation Report or visit the Olympic National Forest Ranger District Information Center in Quilcene. Many local trailheads lead to backpacking trails in the Olympic National Park. To enter the Olympic National Park from the Emerald Towns area one must pass through the Olympic National Forest and hike westerly to the park boundary.

Hunting

The Quilcene/Brinnon area is rich in wildlife species. Unique to this region are Roosevelt elk that make their home on the Olympic Peninsula. Hunting for black tail deer and upland birds are also popular on the peninsula.  Visit the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife hunting page for further information.

Kayaking

The Hood Canal’s protected waters are ideal for kayaking beginners, novices, families, and seasoned paddlers alike.  Many sheltered coves, bays, and inlets provide calm waters, serene beaches, and beautiful landscapes.  Popular launch sites include Point Whitney, Pleasant Harbor, Seal Rock Campground, Yelvik's Boat Ramp, Dosewallips State Park, and Triton Cove, among others.  Broad Spit County Park is an undeveloped, boat-in only, “leave no trace” kayaking destination that permits camping on the east side of the Bolton Peninsula.  For more information regarding the kayak park please call Matt Tyler of Jefferson County Parks and Recreation at (360) 385-9129. Hood Canal Kayak provides kayak rentals and tours and will deliver kayaks to locations between Potlatch and Quilcene.

Museums & Interpretive Sites

The Quilcene Museum displays photos, historic artifacts, and other educational displays highlighting the area’s logging and pioneer past.  Many interpretive sights and nature walks can be found throughout the Emerald Towns area including Interrorem Nature Trail, Dosewallips State Park Beach Trail, and Quilcene River Park.  One can also take a self guided tour through Whitney Gardens in Brinnon to brush up on native and ornamental plant identification.  Visit the Quilcene/Brinnon Chamber of Commerce / Olympic National Forest Visitor’s Center in Quilcene for more information.

Parks

The Quilcene/Brinnon area hosts a diverse array of community, county, and state parks.  These parks provide opportunities for camping, picnicking, hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing and many other activities.  Our parks provide a great opportunity to enjoy the area’s beautiful beaches, forests, rivers, lakes, and meadows. The Quilcene/Brinnon area also hosts the world renowned Olympic National Park.  You can find out more information by visiting the following websites:

Olympic National Park

Dosewallips and Pleasant Harbor State Parks

Triton Cove State Park

For information and maps for the following County parks stop by the Quilcene/Brinnon Chamber of Commerce / Olympic National Forest Information Center in Quilcene or download a map here.  For further questions and park information call Matt Tyler of Jefferson County Parks and Recreation at (360) 385-9129.

Jefferson County Parks: Quilcene River Park; Lake Leland County Park; Riverside County Park (Big Quilcene River access); East Quilcene Park; Broad Spit County Park (Bolton Peninsula – boat in only); Quilcene Sports Park

Rock Climbing

Rock formations are generally shale, sandstone, soft basalts and pillow lava. While offering excellent remote alpine climbing, the rock is often fragmented and loose. Always wear a helmet, and beware of rock fall. The Climber’s Guide to the Olympic Mountains, by Olympic Mountain Rescue, is available through the Northwest Interpretive Association. This is the standard work on climbing. Ranger stations offer current conditions on the Peninsula or visit www.kitsapmountaineers.org

Shopping

Art galleries and antique stores within the Emerald Towns offer unique finds and treasures.  The Olympic Art Gallery boasts it’s fine pottery, photography, and woodwork.  The Brinnon Liquor Store, Halfway House Espresso & Gifts, and Pleasant Harbor Marina offer an array of gift items, and local antique stores (Walker Mountain Trading Post and Wildwood Antiques) boasts unique reminders of our area’s pioneer past.

Scuba Diving

The Hood Canal is well known among scuba divers for its gentle currents and curious rock formations. Travelers throughout the world come for the chance to dive with the giant Pacific octopus, wolf eels, rockfish, and plumose anemones that reside in our clear waters.  Mike’s Beach Resort in Lilliwaup is a full service dive center in our area providing lodging, classes, and an oxygen fill station.  Pacific Adventure in Brinnon offers dive instruction and chartered dive tours out of Pleasant Harbor.  See Pacific Adventure’s comprehensive website on local diving, lodging, and other useful information for divers.