Port Orchard

Port Orchard is located on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound region of Washington state. Like many towns in the area Port Orchard used to be only accessible by boat, and the town grew around the harbor. Its downtown core has kept its original small-town character and is accessible by foot from the harbor.

Understand
It is 13 miles due west of West Seattle and connected to Seattle and Vashon Island via the Washington State Ferries run to Southworth.

Port Orchard has grown considerably from its beginnings and includes spread-out suburbs and big box stores. From the waterfront Port Orchard offers commanding views of the Sinclair Inlet and nearby Bremerton with its historic naval shipyard. The city is very family-friendly, with child-friendly parks, a library with activities for kids, and friendly neighborhoods. Port Orchard's identity is anchored in its connections to the past, and its vision of the future. Port Orchard began as a booming lumber town called Sidney and became Kitsap County’s first incorporated city in 1890. It wooed the county seat away from Port Madison on Bainbridge Island in 1893 and remains the center of county government.

By car
The main highways to Port Orchard are WA Highway 3 from Shelton, north through the county to the Hood Canal Bridge near the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. From Tacoma and Interstate 5, take WA Highway 16 north from Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, then follow Highway 16 through Gig Harbor then take one of the several exits marked for Port Orchard.

By boat
Arriving by water, you'll find a large, destination public marina making Port Orchard a favored boating venue. Marina Park, with its boardwalk and covered gazebo, offers beach access and is the site of the summer outdoor Farmers' Market and the center of town is within steps of the marina. There is a buffer zone around US Navy vessels and facilities to the north.



Get around
Although Port Orchard is quite spread out and as a whole is mostly appropriate for car travel. The historic downtown shopping area is small and very accessible on foot or bike and includes easy access from the foot ferry and marina.

See




Museums
Port Orchard has several small museums all within walking distance from downtown and the marinas. This is a great way to explore some local art or learn more about Port Orchards maritime history.



State parks




Events



 * April -Port Orchard Farmers Market Opens
 * May -Kitsap Harbor Festival: Bremerton.Port Orchard Marina
 * May -Annual Seagull Calling Festival - Port Orchard Waterfront Park
 * May- Concerts on the Bay (usually Thursday evenings)-Port Orchard Waterfront Park
 * June/July
 * June- Fathoms O’ Fun Grand Parade- Downtown
 * July 4th- Fathoms O’ Fun Grand Fireworks- Sinclair Inlet
 * July -Chris Craft Rendezvous- PO Marina
 * August - The Cruz Classic Car Show and Festival by the Bay
 * August - Olalla Bluegrass Festival- Olalla
 * Sept- Taste of Port Orchard- Port Orchard Waterfront Park
 * December- Festival of Chimes & Lights

Birdwatching
The Kitsap Audubon Society has been actively meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders actively tracking and sharing sightings since then. They also maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area.

The state Audubon Society developed 'The Great Audubon Birding Trail' which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. The Sinclair Inlet north of Port Orchard is one of only a handful of locations in the area along the trail and an excellent area for birdwatching.

Golf
Port Orchard is blessed with several of the top golf courses in the state some of which offer shuttle service to their courses from the marina for those arriving by boat.



Sea kayaking
Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Kitsap Peninsulas' nearly 400 miles of coastline and Port Orchard is a popular place to launch with its convenient downtown boat launch giving paddlers a closeup look of the harbor and the nearby naval shipyard. There is a buffer around military vessels and ferry traffic is common, but shipping lanes are easily avoidable by boating close to shore and there is still plenty to see and do. Port Orchard is also home to the Port Orchard Paddle Club organizing many local kayaking events.

Kayak trails
Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps of appropriate lengths and scenic travel destinations.



Scuba diving
Scuba diving the cold waters of the Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. The area offers some of the best diving in the world and many areas are accessible from the Port Orchard via boat. The state offers a guide to parks with launch sites HERE.

Dive areas
Watermans Wall is a well-known advanced dive accessible by boat near Port Orchard. When rounding Point Glover, you will see a very prominent navigational marker on a large concrete foundation on the shore to your left (mistaken for a lighthouse by some). Find the wall with a depth sounder on a straight line between this navigational marker and a little red house on the far shore that sits all by itself. This puts you just south of the marker, with the wall starting in about 75 yards offshore. Anchor in about 40 feet of water on the shelf above the wall, about 10 yards from the wall. The wall starts in about 50 feet of water.

The wall has some shear faces, lengthy ledges, boulders, rock piles, and some large crevices. Here you can find most of the famous marine creatures that make Puget Sound the marine-life Mecca that it is. Lots of little Pink Scallops and some big Rock Scallops, Giant Barnacles, a wide assortment of sea stars including Sunflower Stars. Brown Rockfish and Quillback Rockfish, Lingcod, Buffalo Sculpins and Orange, purple, and yellow sponges are in abundance, as are yellow Sea Lemons nudibranchs. Wolf Eels and Giant Pacific Octopus can be seen here also. However, the steep terrain and currents make this an advanced dive.

Conservation areas

 * Well-known to regional scuba divers, Orchard Rocks Conservation Area is located northeast of Manchester State Park in the waters and bedlands of Rich Passage within a 400-yard radius of Orchard Rocks day marker and accessible by boat from Port Orchard. The natural bedrock and boulders provide habitats for rock-associated fish and invertebrate species. Copper rockfish and quillback rockfish once were common at this site but now are rare. Brown rockfish are common as are lingcod, red Irish lord, buffalo sculpin, striped seaperch, and pile perch. Kelp greenling, painted greenling, and cabezon are consistently present in the reserve. Dominant invertebrates include red rock crab, spider crabs, red sea cucumber, and orange sea cucumber. Harbor seals frequently visit the site and are often seen hauled out on the exposed rocks at low tide. California sea lions are also commonly observed at the site and may be seen hauled out on nearby navigational buoys.

Buy
Port Orchard has expanded over the years to include strip malls, big box stores and chain fast food, however through these changes the historic downtown core which is accessible by foot from the marina has kept its small town character intact and is well worth exploring.



Eat
Like the rest of the area, Seafood is a specialty so look for seasonal specials and locally sourced ingredients. Dungeness crabs, clams, oysters, mussels, and of course, Salmon can all be found in abundance but look also for fresh produce from local farms. Blackberry season towards the end of summer usually means these tasty local berries will find their way into local dessert menus. Port Orchard offers a variety of dining options, including seafood, Italian, gourmet hot dogs and hamburgers and of course, pizza.



Coffee
Like the rest of Puget Sound, Port Orchard takes its coffee pretty seriously. Chain shops like Starbucks are prevalent but try these coffee shops for some local flavor.



Bars
Bars are scattered across the area. However, there are enough of them downtown close to the marina to be able to perform a mini bar crawl.



Camping
Nearby Manchester State Park offers 35 tent spaces, 15 utility spaces, and two restrooms/showers. Several campsites are reserved for non-motorized campers such as kayakers or bicyclists.

By car
Olalla and Gig Harbor are to the south, Manchester and Manchester State Park is to the east and Bremerton is to the north via Highway 3 to the west by driving around the inlet.

By boat
Located on the Sinclair Inlet, Port Orchard is an excellent starting point for exploring the area by water. Bremerton and its historic Naval Shipyard and convenient marina are directly across the water via boat or foot ferry. Bainbridge Island, Manchester State Park, and Blake Island State Park are also nearby to the east.