I mentioned I’ve been making a point of writing trip reports over at the Washington Trails Association (WTA) site. I had to run some errands in Port Townsend the other day and so had some time to check out a short beach hike. Here’s the trip report.

Pro-tip for transit trekkers planning a day trip from Seattle or Edmonds: You don’t have a ton of time if you want to make use of the Kitsap Fast Ferry–Kingston Express or Edmonds-Kingston ferry combo. Two things you can do:

1 — Help solve that schedule dilemma by letting Jefferson Transit know you’d love increased frequency – earlier or later runs – to make visits easier. Take their survey here. I checked all the boxes for more service all the time. Unrealistic at current funding levels but there’s no reason to not ask. Be sure to use the comment box at the end of the survey to say thanks, and tell them if you think you would be more likely to use the Kingston Express if there were more frequent connections and if there was at least one earlier and one later Kingston Express run so a day trip would not require being quite so conscious of time.

2 — For Seattle-based folks, you can enjoy a longer day trip by taking the Jefferson Transit route 7 to North Viking Transit Center and catching the Kitsap Transit 390 to the Bainbridge Ferry. Also for your consideration: is there really ever an off-season for visiting Port Townsend? I personally don’t think so, but there are some fairly reasonable lodging options in town during the official off-season to allow an overnight (or longer) visit. NB that many are in old hotels that have not been retrofit for any kind of mobility access in mind. Some of the contemporary motels near the ferry terminal should be more accessible and also have decent rates.

Another pro-tip: when the tides are low enough (and you WILL want to consult tide tables), you can extend a hike from Point Wilson all the way to McCurdy Point, about 4 or 4.5 miles west, with an option to exit the beach at North Beach County Park, where you will still have access to Fort Worden State Park trails.

Note! This post was edited a bunch of times shortly after I initially published it to clean up all kinds of little errors, clarify a few points, and add that last bit about McCurdy Point.