Penrose Point State Park
Madronas, big maples and sweeping views of Mount Rainier
Quick Facts:
Location: Key Peninsula
Land Agency: Washington State Parks
Round Trip: 2.5 miles of trails
Elevation Gain: 200 feet
Contact: Penrose Point State Park
Detailed Information: Urban Trails Kitsap (Mountaineers Books)
Notes: Discover Pass required, Dogs permitted on leash
Access: From Purdy (just north of Gig Harbor) head west on SR 302 for 5.2 miles bearing left onto Key Peninsula Highway. Proceed for 9 miles turning left onto Cornwall Road. In .4 mile turn right onto Delano Road and continue .9 mile. Then turn left onto 158th Avenue, and enter Penrose Point State Park and continue to Day Use parking area and trailhead.
Good to Know: kid-friendly, snow free winter hikes, interpretive, historic, birdwatching, beach walking, practice Leave No Trace principles, trail less traveled
One of the prettiest state parks on Puget Sound, most visitors who head to this old estate-turned-park head for the campground or the beach. This leaves the couple of miles of the 160-acre park’s hiking trails pretty quiet. From the Day Use Parking Area note a trailhead kiosk. This is the start of the main trail system where you can make a nice nearly 2 mile loop to Penrose Point and back. Connector trails allow you to cut the loop short if you’d like. Junctions are signed with letters and most posts have a trail map on them.
Through a forest of big maples and alders the trail climbs slightly on a bluff above Mayo Cove. When the tide is low you can walk along a spit protecting a lagoon and a sand bar extending into the cove. One of the highlights on this loop is the beach access on Delano Bay. Here enjoy a stunning view of Mount Rainier across Delano Bay. Framing the bay is Fox Island to the southeast, and Anderson Island to the southwest.
Upon completing the loop to Penrose Point check out the 0.2 mile A Touch of Nature interpretive trail and the 0.5 mile trail to picnic areas along Mayo Cove. In low tide look for Native American petroglyphs on an exposed spit in the inner cove. You can also hike around Penrose Point on the beach in a low tide. It’s slow going, but worth the opportunity to see contorted bluffs shaped by the tides and winter storms.
For detailed descriptions (including maps) for this trails in this park as well as others on the Key Peninsula, Kitsap Peninsula and Bainbridge Island, pick up a copy of my best selling Urban Trails Kitsap (Mountaineers Books).
