Fort Ward Park is park located along

Rich Passage Rich Passage is a tidal strait in Puget Sound, allowing access to Bremerton, Washington, the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Sinclair Inlet, and Dyes Inlet. It separates Bainbridge Island from the Manchester area of Kitsap Peninsula. The Seattl ...

on the southern end of

Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 24,825 at the 2020 census, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County. The island is se ...

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

, United States. Fort Ward Park is part of the

Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District Bainbridge may refer to: People *Bainbridge (name) Places * Bainbridge Township (disambiguation) United States * Bainbridge Island, Alaska * Bainbridge, Georgia * Bainbridge, Indiana * Bainbridge (town), New York ** Bainbridge (village), New Yor ...

, on land which the former military base, Fort Ward, was located. It was a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

from 1960 to 2011 but is now locally managed. Covering of dense forest and underbrush,

clam digging Clam digging is a North American term for a common way to harvest clams (edible infaunal bivalve mollusks) from below the surface of the tidal sand flats or mud flats where they live. It is done both recreationally (for enjoyment or as a ...

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

and

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

are some of the activities available for park visitors.

History

In 1903, Fort Ward was officially commissioned as a seacoast fort with the primary objective of protecting the Bremerton Naval Shipyard. Two gun batteries are located in the park. During World War II, the Navy used the fort as a radio station and training school for communication personnel and installed a submarine net across Rich Passage. In 1958, the Navy decommissioned the fort, and State Parks purchased Fort Ward in 1960. The park still includes two remnant gun batteries. Ownership of the Park was transferred to the Bainbridge Island Metro Park & Recreation District in the Spring of 2011.

Facilities

Fort Ward Park has a public

boat ramp A slipway, also known as boat ramp or launch or boat deployer, is a Inclined plane, ramp on the shore by which ships or boats can be moved to and from the water. They are used for building and repairing ships and boats, and for launching and ...

and a parking lot for about 25 cars and boat trailers. The boat launch is concrete, donated by the Bainbridge Island Rotary Club. There are

vault toilet A toilet is a piece of sanitary hardware that collects human waste (urine and feces) and sometimes toilet paper, usually for disposal. Flush toilets use water, while dry or non-flush toilets do not. They can be designed for a sitting posi ...

s located in the parking area near the boat launch ramp. The park has 4,300 feet of saltwater shoreline. There are two picnic areas located in the park. The lower picnic area along the beach is accessible only by foot or bicycle and has eight picnic sites. The upper picnic area is accessible by car and also has eight picnic sites. Each picnic area has vault toilets as well as potable water.

References

External links

Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation Fort Ward page
Bainbridge Island, Washington Parks in Kitsap County, Washington Protected areas established in 1960 1960 establishments in Washington (state) Former state parks of Washington (state) {{KitsapCountyWA-geo-stub