Fort Ward parkrun

Bainbridge Island is served by a car and passenger ferry from downtown Seattle (https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries).

On Saturdays, Bainbridge Island is served by BI Ride, which is an on-demand, shared, public bus service; however, service currently does not begin until 9:00 AM. Private rideshare services exist but are not widespread on the island, and taxis do not always wait at the ferry terminal. This means that the best way to utilize public transportation is to pre-arrange a taxi to get to Fort Ward Park before the event then take BI Ride back to the ferry (or elsewhere on the island), or to pre-arrange a taxi in both directions.

Taxi companies:
Viking Cab Co., (360) 244-4420
Taxi & Tours, (206) 842-7660

BI Ride:
Kitsap Transit, (844) 424-7433 (https://www.kitsaptransit.com/service/routed-buses/bi-ride)

The closest place to Fort Ward Park that buses will stop is the intersection of Fort Ward Hill Rd and Belfair Ave, near the Upper Fort Ward parking lot.

Bainbridge Island is served by a car and passenger ferry from downtown Seattle, which also accepts bicycles (https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries).

Fort Ward Park is located 5.7 mi/9.1 km from the ferry terminal. Although the island has a growing network of hiking trails (https://biparks.org/parks-trails-finder/) and bike infrastructure (https://www.squeakywheels.org/maps/), there is not currently a direct, safe way to walk or run from the ferry dock to the park, and not all roads along the route have bike lanes - please take care if arriving on foot or by bike!

The Fort Ward to Blakely Harbor Trail runs between Blakely Harbor Park and the Upper Fort Ward parking lot.

Please note that there are no bike racks at the Upper Fort Ward parking lot or near the start/finish area.

Fort Ward Park is on the Cascadia Marine Trail (https://www.wwta.org/water-trails/cascadia-marine-trail/), which is a water trail through Puget Sound. Please be careful if paddling to the park!

GPS: “Upper Fort Ward parking lot”.

Access to Bainbridge Island by car is via the ferry from downtown Seattle (https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries) or the Agate Pass bridge.

From Bainbridge Island ferry terminal:
After driving off the ferry, turn left at the second stoplight onto Winslow Way. After 0.5 mi, turn right onto Grow Ave, then turn left at the stop sign onto Wyatt Way. Continue for 3.4 mi, then turn right onto Country Club Rd. Take the next right onto Fort Ward Hill Rd, and continue for 0.8 mi. Turn right at the sign for Fort Ward Park at Belfair Ave.

From Kitsap Peninsula:
Head south on Highway 305. 4.6 mi south of the Agate Pass bridge, turn right at the stoplight at Sportsman Club Rd. After 1.6 mi, turn left onto Finch Rd, then turn right at the next stop sign onto Wyatt Way. Continue for 2.9 mi, then turn right onto Country Club Rd. Take the next right onto Fort Ward Hill Rd, and continue for 0.8 mi. Turn right at the sign for Fort Ward Park at Belfair Ave.

Ample parking is available at the upper parking lot, located to the west of the intersection of Fort Ward Hill Rd and Belfair Ave. There is a short (0.25 mi/400 m) but very steep hill to walk down to get to the start area. Unless you are unable to negotiate the hill, please do not park in the lower parking lots at the end of Pleasant Beach Dr, so that we can leave them free for the general public and for boat launch users. Please contact us if you have any concerns about the steep trail. We thank you for your cooperation!

Please allow at least 15 minutes to walk from the upper parking lot down to the start line

Every week we grab a post-parkrun coffee: The Marketplace at Pleasant Beach (4738 Lynwood Center Rd NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110) where we also process the results. Please come and join us!

Every week we grab a post parkrun coffee at The Marketplace at Pleasant Beach (4738 Lynwood Center Rd NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110) where we also process the results - please come and join us!

Fort Ward parkrun is a fun, free event organised by volunteers for the benefit of everyone. We wish to make the event as safe as possible, so participants, spectators and helpers are asked to take care about the following:

• Please be considerate to the park and other park users at all times.
• Children under the age of eleven must be accompanied (within arm's reach) throughout the event by a parent, guardian or appropriate adult of the parent's choice.
• Please arrive by foot, by pedal-power or by public transport if you can - your efforts help to reduce our impact on the park and the planet.
• We invite everyone to consider volunteering at parkrun. Your support helps your parkrun events remain sustainable and free for all in your community, and it’s also a wonderful way to improve your own health and happiness. Please visit the volunteer page for more information.
• Take care near roads and car parks – some vehicles drive very quickly. Please congregate away from the cars and be careful in particular if you have children. If you’re driving to the event, please drive carefully.
• Take care on uneven surfaces – whether on grass or on tarmac. Watch out for cyclists, other participants, pedestrians, children, dogs, wildlife, park animals, vehicles, park maintenance work, falling branches, bollards, posts and other obstacles around the course.
• Please ensure that you are fit enough to walk, jog, run 5k (3.1 miles) with us.
• If you see someone with a serious problem, please stop to help them out and get help as soon as possible.
• If you’re watching, keep clear of participants on the course, and look after any children and dogs you may have with you.
• It is not permitted to run with a pushchair and a dog at the same time.
• Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection spread to humans by infected ticks. Consider protecting yourself by wearing repellent when at parkrun events in grassy or wooded areas. See lymediseaseuk.com for further details.
• You are welcome to take part with one dog by your side, within reach at all times, on a short, handheld, non-extendable lead. The use of waist harnesses is prohibited. Please also see this Support Site entry for further details about parkrunning with dogs.
• parkrunners pushing buggies are welcome, but please take care of others around you and do your best to start at an appropriate place in the field for your pace.

We hope these tips help to ensure that Fort Ward parkrun is fun and safe for everyone.

All parkrun events use Age Grading to help parkrunners compare results.

parkrun events use Age Grading to help parkrunners see progress and compare results.

For more information, please see our Support page.

All parkrun events are organised by volunteers - email fortward@parkrun.com to help.

parkrun is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk. For our full safeguarding processes and policies please see our Safeguarding Hub.

To report a safeguarding concern please email safeguarding@parkrun.com.