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Fay Bainbridge Park

4.2 (50 reviews)

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View from park and close to edge of beach which is a "private beach"
Janet D.

The drive was a little longer than expected. I came to Bainbridge on a family trip, just to explore the island for the day. The Park is about 15min drive from the ferry terminal, so no something I would feel comfortable walking to. The drive there took us through neighborhoods and woods, so be careful when driving! There's not many sidewalks too, so be even more careful when driving by walkers/bikers. The park itself wasn't that awe-inspiring. The whole beach was covered in driftwood. It was definitely something fun to jump around and do a balancing act on. There are some benches to sit on and view the horizon. The view was alright as well. I would not bring small children here since it'll be pretty easy to get a splinter if you're not careful and the beach doesn't feel all that clean (the sand). There are restrooms located close by the parking lot and someone was hosting a barbeque or event at a sheltered area also close by the parking lot. I think I would come again, but I wouldn't stay for that long.

Fay drift wood

Great views and activities for the kids but very rocky and lots of logs to maneuver around.

View from our RV spot #5
Alexa H.

We camped here over the weekend and will definitely come back. The RV spots are a little small, but the view makes up for it!

Kim T.

What's not to like about this place. It's a free place that has beautiful views and a playground for the kids. The water is crystal clear and calm. The location is pristine and beautiful. If I lived in Seattle or had more time, it would be a great place to just sit and take in the surroundings.

Such a pretty place with a pretty view of Seattle and mt Rainer . Park has a playground you can also go camping here

Sarah M.

Stayed here last night. It was very family friendly! Not necessarily what my boyfriend and I were expecting... There were more private camp sites up the exit ramp that were cheaper and quiet, but we didn't see them until we were leaving. We had a good time and met a great couple that didn't know about the top camps either. If we come back this way on our road trip we would definitely stay at one of the top camps instead of the bottom ones. But it was really nice.

Fay park Bainbridge Island just beautiful.
Brenda G.

This is a beautiful park for camping on the waterfront or a day trip. Right on the puget sound , nice beach walk. If your rv camping they don't have dump.

A little History
Michael L.

Very nice little Park with Camping, Hiking, picnic tables, grilling pits, nice restrooms, Volleyball set-up & Beach access to a gorgeous view of the Puget Sound. Lots of logs & various driftwood pieces to maneuver before actually getting to the Beach but gives it that cool scenic natural look. There is even some playground equipment and a picnic shelter on the lower part of the park near the beach. I wondered why it was named Fay Bainbridge Park so looked it up and found out that Washington purchased the land for the park for $5,000 from the estate of Temple S. Fay in 1944. When purchased the Fay Estate wanted to make sure the name "Fay" was maintained, hence the name "Fay Bainbridge Park". Mr. Fay was a neurosurgeon who introduced the use of hypothermia in medical and surgical illnesses and actually taught for a bit at the University of Washington. Also a little interesting piece of History as you enter the park there is a display of a Bell donated by the Kitsap County Historical Society. It was brought to the area from San Francisco in 1883 by Jeremiah Farnham. In 2011 the park was transferred by the state to the Bainbridge Island Metropolitan Park and Recreation District so you don't need that Discover Pass here.

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Beautiful park on the water with views of Mt. Rainier and Seattle. Super fun playground for kids and outstanding camping options

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Review Highlights - Fay Bainbridge Park

I went to the beach, propped my feet up on some driftwood and read a book while looking out over the water at Seattle.

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Fort Ward Park - beach side

Fort Ward Park

4.1(21 reviews)
8.0 mi

There are two parking lots to this Park, one at the upper level and one at the lower level…read more I usually drive south from Lynwood Center along Pleasant Beach Drive NE and park at the lower level. Here you directly accesses a put-in for recreational boats and kayaks. The long, flat, paved trail is waterside and goes from the (lower) parking area to the erstwhile army cabins of this U.S. military installation. It is a pleasant waterside walk, which is incredibly hard to find on Bainbridge Island as every inch of it is cordoned off with hostile "Private Beach" signage of the rich who believe they can fortress themselves away... I enjoyed this walk because it was one place on the island to have wide open views (otherwise you are claustrophobic covered in trees). Across the water is a spit of land in Bremerton (the residential part) and further to the western horizons are the Olympic mountains. Periodically the Seattle to Bremerton ferry (or reverse direction) plies the channel closer to the Bremerton side. Then the quiet water channel will see some surging mini-waves. I love watching the seals playing in the water. A remnant set of wood pilings in the water makes for a stunning perch for a gaggle of cormorants...aquatic fowl with elegant necks that are bendy like ballerinas. Bird watching here is superb. I've seen great ducks on the rocks at the sea-kelp and sea-lettuce strewn water's edge. Other than the barnacle rocks on the beach, the main trail of this park is ideal for those with limited mobility. The upper parking lot has a steep trail down to the water, and it is not recommended for people with mobility issues (nor on slippery wet and icy days). All in all one of the best water access points on this otherwise rather tightly locked-away island.

A fun historical place to hike, or kayak or paddle boarding, beautiful day for all the above (…read moredefinitely need to get a paddle board) shady trails with spectacular views of the mountains, both the Olympic and Cascade, along with peeks of Rainier. Easy fun trails, gave me some time to spend on the rocky beaches, listening to waves and taking in the relaxing smells of ocean salt water on the light breeze. A fun way to explore a little of the many hiking trails on the peninsula. Close enough to the ferry to hear the horns blowing during arrivals and departures. Exploring new adventures! Cheers!

Photos
Fort Ward Park - Buttercup are blooming!

Buttercup are blooming!

Fort Ward Park - Fall at Fort Ward

Fall at Fort Ward

Fort Ward Park - The beach, Sound, and Olympics

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The beach, Sound, and Olympics

Grand Forest - Our dog loves this hike!

Grand Forest

4.3(20 reviews)
4.0 mi

Two enclaves of land preserved from suburban encroachment, which has not spared Bainbridge Island,…read moreare the East and West Grand Forest. Here, trees have grown back from the violent hacking and destruction of ancient groves during the 1870s-1890s Euro-colonizer "frontier" evisceration of life. The island was razed entirely. Not a tree left standing, nor the life they sustained, that emerged from millions of years of earthly intelligence unique to this place, with thousands of years of stewardship by indigenous cultural groups. A mere hundred years ago, Euro-colonizers cared more about production lumber than the glorious trees of the Pacific Northwest and the life they held in balance. Today in the same vein, fortressed mega- mansions of the new rich warn anyone off with "private property" signs around this patch where trees are left standing, ironically referred to as "The Grand Forest." A more apt moniker would be "Hint of what was once a Grand Forest." Still the average public, now confined to the suburban and urban rectilinear hard-surface prison existence would appreciate the respite of being inside the green bower. If you are attuned to communities of trees you will perhaps note that this forest doesn't have "death", or large fallen logs that feed the cycle of life and regenerate other trees with their nutrition. You'll see just a crowded jumble of trees that have regrown having not selected amongst themselves how to thin their shared canopy, allow the light in to nurture other trees, and to fully support an integrated life system. Indeed this forest is metaphorically on life-support itself and even so, it sustains the evapotranspiration that helps keep Bainbridge Island cool while nearby concrete capitalist metropolises bake and swelter. The forest helps retains moisture during the winter which recharges groundwater aquifers that are being sucked dry at a much more rapid rate by all the sad suburban cookie cutter edifices with their sprawling Bermuda Grass lawns. As you walk along the nicely laid out paths, I wish you only the best reveries of a kind, gracious form of life that sustained myriad other life in all directions, which is what the forest will be saying to you. Cross over from the West- to the East-enclave and find the old barn of a rich lady (Prue) who donated her family's property to create a connecting corridor between the two sections. Never mind the busy recreation-chasing groups of mountain bikers and sometimes horse riders. This is a place to reconnect your soul to the signals of the life force that brought you to be, notwithstanding your current capitalist industrial trappings. Viva el bosque.

We started at the Grand Forest West loop and connected halfway to the Hilltop Trail to the…read morebeginning of the Grand Forest East loop. There were parking areas at both loops, but we took an Uber, so we didn't loop back. The West loop goes along the road on one side, so we could hear cars. There are tall trees and fairly dense vegetation, pretty flat and we saw a few bikers. When we started going across to the Hilltop Trail, it was a bit steep, but we got away from the road and it's a bit more serene. There was a pond on the map, but it was a bit underwhelming. A pretty easy hike for a nice stroll, but a pretty boring hike otherwise.

Photos
Grand Forest - Wild mushrooms

Wild mushrooms

Grand Forest - Trail head

Trail head

Grand Forest - Pond in the Grand Forest West loop

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Pond in the Grand Forest West loop

Fay Bainbridge Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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