The Kitsap Peninsula lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kitsap County except Bainbridge and Blake Islands, as well as the northeastern part of Mason County and the northwestern part of Pierce County. The highest point on the Kitsap Peninsula is Gold Mountain. The U.S. Navy's Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, and Naval Base Kitsap are on the peninsula. Its main city is Bremerton.
Hood Canal is a fjord forming the western lobe, and one of the four main basins, of Puget Sound in the US state of Washington. It is one of the minor bodies of water that constitute the Salish Sea. Hood Canal is not a canal in the sense of being a man-made waterway—it is a natural waterway.
The Big Quilcene River is a river on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises in the Buckhorn Wilderness near Marmot Pass, south of Buckhorn Mountain, and near Boulder Ridge. It flows generally east through the Olympic Mountains and the Olympic National Forest. After flowing south briefly the river is joined by Tunnel Creek and again flows east. It cuts through the Quilcene Range of the Olympic Mountains in which it collects a number of tributaries, including Mile And A Half Creek. Near Rainbow Campground the river turns north and is paralleled by U.S. Route 101. In its last few miles the river turns east and flows by the south side of Quilcene before emptying into Quilcene Bay, part of Hood Canal. The Little Quilcene River enters Quilcene Bay less than a mile to the north.
State Route 3 (SR 3) is a 59.81-mile-long (96.25 km) state highway in the U.S. state of Washington, serving the Kitsap Peninsula in Mason and Kitsap counties. The highway begins at U.S. Route 101 (US 101) south of Shelton and travels northeast onto the Kitsap Peninsula through Belfair to Gorst, where it intersects SR 16 and begins its freeway. SR 3 travels west of Bremerton, Silverdale and Poulsbo before it terminates at the eastern end of the Hood Canal Bridge, signed as SR 104. The highway is designated as a Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET) corridor under the National Highway System as the main thoroughfare connecting both parts of Naval Base Kitsap and is also part of the Highways of Statewide Significance program.
The Skokomish River is a river in Mason County, Washington, United States. It is the largest river flowing into Hood Canal, a western arm of Puget Sound. From its source at the confluence of the North and South Forks the main stem Skokomish River is approximately 9 miles (14 km) long. The longer South Fork Skokomish River is 40 miles (64 km), making the length of the whole river via its longest tributary about 49 miles (79 km). The North Fork Skokomish River is approximately 34 miles (55 km) long. A significant part of the Skokomish River's watershed is within Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park.
Union or Union City is a small census-designated place in Mason County, Washington, United States. The community lies along the southern shore of the Great Bend of the Hood Canal, near the mouth of the Skokomish River, which flows from the nearby Olympic Mountains. The U.S. Census reported a population of 631 inhabitants in the 2010 census. The ZIP Code for Union is 98592.
Belfair is a census-designated place in Mason County, Washington, United States. Located at the mouth of the Union River at Hood Canal, it serves as the commercial center of North Mason County. The population of the surrounding area grows in the summertime, as the Canal and the Olympic Peninsula are popular with tourists. The population was 3,931 as of the 2010 census.
The Little Quilcene River is a river on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises in Clallam County, near Mount Townsend of the Olympic Mountains. The river flows generally east through the Olympic National Forest. After exiting the higher mountains and the national forest the Little Quilcene River flows east and southeast through rolling terrain. It enters Jefferson County and flows more directly south to Quilcene, where it empties into the northern end of Quilcene Bay, part of Hood Canal. The Big Quilcene River enters Quilcene Bay less than a mile to the south.
The Tahuya River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates at Tahuya Lake in western Kitsap Peninsula and flows south, emptying into Hood Canal near the Great Bend.
The Dewatto River is a stream in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in western Kitsap Peninsula and flows south, emptying into Hood Canal. The name "Dewatto" comes from the Twana placename [duʔwátaxʷ], which implies the presence of spirits causing mental derangement near the stream's mouth.
The East Twin River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca just east of West Twin River.
The West Twin River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca just east of East Twin River.
The Sail River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northern Olympic Mountains and flows north, emptying into the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The Waatch River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacific Ocean. The name "Waatch" comes from the Makah village name /waʔač'/, said to mean "bundling up cedar to make a torch".
The Sooes River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacific Ocean.
The Ozette River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacific Ocean.
The Big River is a Big River on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. A principal tributary of the Ozette River, the Big River originates in the northwestern Olympic Mountains and empties into the Ozette Lake.
Gold Mountain is a 1,761-foot (537 m) summit in the Blue Hills on the Kitsap Peninsula of Washington state, in the United States' Pacific Northwest. It is the highest point on the Kitsap Peninsula and the highest point in Kitsap County, Washington, and nearby 1,639-foot (500 m) Green Mountain is the second-highest point.
The Blue Hills just west of Bremerton, Washington, also called the Bremerton Hills, Bald Hills, and Wildcat Hills, consist of Gold Mountain, Green Mountain, and several informally named hills. Reaching an elevation of 1761 feet, a thousand feet above the glacial till that fills the Puget Lowland, they form a prominent landmark visible around the region. They are formed of uplifted blocks of marine basalts, the steep-walled canyons between the various summits being the fissures between the blocks. In addition to Gold Mountain and Green Mountain are several other prominent peaks unofficially named according to their elevation :
