Our family has a beach place on Stretch Island that we typically spend holiday weekends with the extended family. Driving there via Tacoma and the Narrows Bridge takes at least an hour and a half with no traffic. Traffic in Tacoma usually makes the trip much longer. I would prefer to always bike but we often have a lot of groceries and other stuff to bring out. This 4th of July we hit the Fred Meyers in Gig Harbor on the way out, but on way home I biked home to Seattle while my wife drove our car.
Stretch Island is just a bit over a mile long and is attached to the mainland by a small bridge. It actually isn’t an island at low tide. If the wind and tides are OK I try and ride a kayak around the island which is 3.4 miles and it takes about an hour. I really like the days when I can get in a kayak ride and a bike ride. Anyway, the best bike route goes through Bremerton and requires a ferry ride. It is about 26 miles and takes 2 hours or so. The ferry ride is an hour long and the car ferry is free going Eastbound. There is also a passenger ferry that only takes 30 minutes but that doesn’t run on the weekends so I have only taken it once. The route from Stretch is relatively flat but there isn’t a great shoulder for most of the ride.
The first part is on Grapeview Loop Road to Allyn which has wide shoulders and very little traffic. In Allyn, the route goes on Highway 3 to Belfair and also sufficient shoulders to ride on. Belfair is where the traffic starts.
A couple of years ago, Belfair repaved the main drag (hwy 3) through town and put in sidewalks and a bike lane in each direction (although it isn’t labeled as a bike lane). Traffic is crazy during busy weekends and plans are in place for a new highway to be built to bypass Belfair in 2024-6. They have been talking about it for years but I am not will actually happen. I’m also not sure how it will affect Belfair. There aren’t any real houses in Belfair. It is just a car only town with grocery stores, thrift stores and just a few businesses. If the majority of traffic leaves the town, I still think it would be years before it is a proper walkable small village. I’m also not convinced that the majority of cars would bypass Belfair. For now, biking is doable but not pleasant. The toughest part is turning left in the center of town. It is not bike or ped friendly.
After Belfair, I prefer to ride on the Old Belfair Highway to Gorst instead of staying on highway 3. Way less traffic although the shoulders are fairly small. I basically ride on the white line the whole time.
At the intersection with highway 16 in Gorst, you need to turn right on a short cutoff road (Sam Christopherson Avenue) so you can hit the overpass over the freeway. It is easy to miss.
The overpass puts you on the water side of the freeway heading to Bremerton. There is a strange protected pedestrian lane on the bridge but for some reason they don’t want bikes to be protected. After the overpass, you end up having to ride on the wide shoulder on the freeway for a mile and a half. It is safe but not very pleasant
When I ride from Bremerton to Stretch, this section is a little tough. You can see the overpass that you need to bike on going the other way so you can go over highway 16. It is doable but it just seem weird riding on a freeway overpass.
After 16 goes away up the hill, the route continues along the water past the naval base. There are bike lanes in places but always end at intersections to allow slip lanes and other car speed improving tactics.
To go over the hill to the ferry dock, I usually find a neighborhood street. This time I just followed the ferry signs and went on Burwell and rode on the sidewalk. Probably not the best option and I need to try another route next time. If someone knows the best route, please leave a comment below.
At the ferry dock, you can just go through the car pay booths and go to the front of the car lines. Nobody is paying going East. If there is a long wait for the next ferry, there are some bike racks to the left where you can lock up and go get a beer and a chili dog at the Valholl Outpost towards the marina. Bikes are loaded first on the ferry and you there are ropes along the railings up front to tie up or lock your bike during the trip.
After the ferry ride, it was just a 2.5 mile ride through the ID back to Beacon Hill. This was a much more enjoyable trip than my poor wife had driving our car home through Tacoma. I feel a little guilty but not enough to not try it again next time. Hopefully riding both directions.