Conditioning for progressively more strenuous day hikes, easy backpacks, and car camps. Participants who complete the series of 3 easy, 4 moderate, and 3 strenuous hikes with documentation (see punch card) before the October Annual Meeting will be entered into a drawing for a cool prize!

January - March Hikes:

Saturday, January 28 - Port Gamble
Saturday, February 11 - Skookum Flats
Sunday, February 26 - Fort Warden, Port Townsend
Saturday, March 3 - Lower Big Quilcene

Sign up for hikes on www.mountaineers.org.

Members and Guests: How to find scheduled activities and sign up online.

Look below on this page for the list of currently scheduled Kitsap Mountaineers hikes. Guests may register to attend up to two Kitsap Mountaineers hikes at no charge to introduce you to what we have to offer. Both guests and members may view the complete list of currently scheduled Kitsap Mountaineers activities by clicking on the following link. Those who have not completed Mountaineers scrambling, climbing, kayaking or snowshoe courses or equivalency may not register for those activities, for safety reasons. Guest and member online registration for our activities can be completed by following the instructions once you click on the Search Kitsap Mountaineers Activities link:

Search Kitsap Branch Activities

Following are the Kitsap Branch hikes scheduled for the next two months. Sign up for these hikes usually opens 2 to 3 weeks before the hike, so you may need to wait to sign up for some of the following hikes.  Not all of these hikes are listed yet on mountaineers.org.  Use the Search Kitsap Branch Acitivities link above to see if the hike is listed on mountaineers.org and whether it is open yet for sign up.  Please sign up using the Search Kitsap Branch Acitivities link above.

Feb. 4, Sat.  Kloshe Nanitch.  (Moderate).  USGS Snider Peak.  6.4 miles, 2200ft elevation gain.  Hike to a replica of the 1920’s fire lookout on Snider Ridge.  Views at the lookout of the Olympics and the Sol Duc valley.  Northwest forest pass required.  Depart Poulsbo Church of the Nazarene at 8:00 AM.   Leader Mark Thibault, 360-860-1037, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Feb 11, Sat. Skookum Flats to Buck Creek Road. Easy/Moderate - 10 miles RT with 500ft gain.  Forest hike on a trail shared with mountain bikes. Good dirt tread with some boardwalks and bridges over marshy areas. The trail is uphill from and follows the White River. From the Trailhead on Road 73 it is 2 miles to Skookum Falls, the source of Skookum Creek which flows down to the White River. There is a steep (sometimes muddy) side trail up for a closer view of the Falls. From the Falls it is 2 miles to Buck Creek and the site of the old suspension bridge that was taken out by falling trees in the fall storms of 2006. Buck Creek Road is another mile, making it 5 miles total one way. Elevation gain is about 500 feet, in several spates of ups and downs. There is a water crossing (usually wide and shallow) at Skookum Creek. The bridge at Buck Creek was out in April of 2010 leaving another water crossing - this one deeper and faster moving but doable. Also, in April, 2010, work is being done to move the trail further uphill away from the banks being eroded when the White River changes course.  Meet at Sacred Heart Church, 1614 Farrelly St., Enumclaw at 10 AM. Sign up on Mountaineer website or for more info contact Dianne Moore at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Mar. 11, Sun.  Dungeness Spit. Difficulty: Moderate.  11 miles round trip, 130 feet elevation gain.  USGS Dungeness. Superb beach walk along the shore of majestic Dungeness Spit,  extending over 5 miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca in the Sequim rain shadow area. Leave Poulsbo Church of the Nazarene Park and Ride at 8:00 AM.  Fee of $3 for individual or family.  Signup online at mountaineers.org. Leader:  Mark Thibault, (360) 860-1037.  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

(W) Walks: Short distance, social paced, for everyone including families with children and Mountaineers who have been slowed by time.
(E) Easy: Up to 8 miles R/T with less than 1200' elevation gain.
(M) Moderate: Up to 12 miles, or with 1200'-2500' elevation gain.
(S) Strenuous: Up to 14 miles, or  with 2500' to 3500' elevation gain.
(VS) Very Strenuous: over 14 miles, or with over 3500' elevation gain.

Pace of the trip is defined as:
(1) Leisurely pace: The slowest pace trips.
(2) Social pace: Less than 2 miles per hour. Suitable for conversation and observation.
(3) Normal pace: Approximately 2 miles per hour.
(4) Fast pace: Greater than 2 miles per hour.

Northern Olympic Peninsula hikes initially meet at the Park-n-Ride at the Poulsbo Church of the Nazarene, 22097 Viking Way NW, Poulsbo, WA. It is on Viking Way, north of Hwy 305, adjacent to the Washington State Patrol office (talk about secure parking!)
Southern Olympic Peninsula hikes meet at the Bremerton National Airport.
Port Townsend members anticipate meeting at Fat Smitty's in Discovery Bay.
Kitsap recommends taking the Kingston Ferry when coming from the mainland.

Mileage
For driver/passenger planning purposes, the one way distance from Poulsbo Church of the Nazarene to: Heart of the Hills Ranger Station, Heather Park, and Lake Angles trailheads is 63 miles. Hurricane Ridge Parking Lot is 75 miles. Camp Handy Trailhead is 59 miles. Tubal Cain Trailhead is 61 miles. Silver Lakes Trailhead is 62 miles.