This area includes several historic towns.

• 47.9186-122.5541 Hansville — with beautiful beaches and the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound.
• 47.7514-122.5232 Indianola — quaint waterfront community, mostly residential.
• 47.7989-122.4993 Kingston — terminal for the ferry from Edmonds.
• 47.854167-122.5838894 Port Gamble — a historic lumber mill town established in 1853 and still company-owned.
• 47.739167-122.6391675 Poulsbo — known as "Little Norway", a popular destination for boaters.
• 47.7308-122.5646 Suquamish — home of the Suquamish people and burial site of Chief Seattle.

The most urbanized and populated part of the Kitsap Peninsula.

• 47.565361-122.6246947 Bremerton — the Kitsap Peninsula's largest town, built around a Navy base.
• 47.6556-122.6158 Brownsville — a secluded and snug harbor.
• 47.6117-122.7099 Chico — a small residential area along the west side of Dyes Inlet with beautiful water views and views of Mt. Rainier to the South.
• 47.5261-122.70410 Gorst — where you'll find the wonderful Elandan Gardens.
• 47.5578-122.97711 Holly — with an average of 68 in (1,700 mm) of rain a year, it is the greenest corner of the Kitsap Peninsula.
• 47.701944-122.61944412 Keyport — home to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.
• 47.552305-122.54998413 Manchester — known for its public boat launch and commanding views of Seattle.
• 47.531667-122.63833314 Port Orchard — county seat for Kitsap County, also a popular harbor with a convenient downtown.
• 47.6594-122.67715 Silverdale — shopping center for the Kitsap Peninsula.
• 47.6117-122.65116 Tracyton — on Dyes Inlet with amazing views of Puget Sound.

The most rural area of the peninsula and home to many state parks.

• 47.386-122.82617 Allyn — overlooking the shoreline of North Bay-Case Inlet of Puget Sound.
• 47.4506-122.82618 Belfair — gateway to many wilderness areas including the Theler Wetlands.
• 47.4181-122.62919 Burley — the name was adopted for the creek that runs past town at Burley Lagoon.
• 47.452315-123.07154420 Dewatto — this mostly residential the Hood Canal community's name comes from an Indian word meaning "home of evil spirits who make men crazy."
• 47.326944-122.58638921 Gig Harbor — southern gateway to the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas.
• 47.4292-122.54622 Olalla — picturesque rural community with many old barns, forests and rolling hills.
• 47.388889-122.62527823 Purdy — home of the Purdy Spit with a mile-long beach access.
• 47.6394-122.82924 Seabeck — a historic mill community still has few traces remaining of its early logging years.
• 47.512222-122.50055625 Southworth — terminal for the Seattle-Vashon Island state ferry.
• 47.3711-123.05626 Tahuya — tiny, southern-most town on the Kitsap Peninsula.

This remote southern region south of Purdy is a sub peninsula of the Kitsap Peninsula.

• 47.2769-122.76627 Home — this quiet seaside community was once one of the more radical and socially progressive areas in the state.
• 47.3406-122.74528 Key Center — this small town is the largest on the Key Peninsula.
• 47.2569-122.75829 Lakebay — one of the last mosquito fleet era docks still in operation.
• 47.2092-122.75630 Longbranch — home to the southern-most marina on the Kitsap Peninsula.
• 47.3442-122.76331 Vaughn — once served by the mosquito fleet, this area is home to the Key Peninsula Museum.

Several islands are accessible from bridges or ferries from the Kitsap Peninsula.

• 47.655278-122.53532 Bainbridge Island — a 35-minute ferry ride from Seattle
• 47.537601-122.4925833 Blake Island — a popular island state park between Seattle and the Kitsap Peninsula.
• 47.24389-122.6197234 Fox Island — a 5.2-square-mile island with a lighthouse.

English is the most common language spoken in the region.

The Suquamish people called Puget Sound 'WulcH, which simply means “place of clear salt water” in the Southern Lushootseed language that was originally spoken in the area. Many of the names in the area come from the Southern Lushootseed language, including 'Kitsap' which was named after their chief, and even 'Seattle' which was named after Chief Seattle.

• Washington State Ferries (WSF) operates the following from Kitsap County (Kitsap Pennsula) to King and Snohomish Counties on the other side of Puget Sound:

• Edmonds and Kingston
• downtown Seattle (Pier 52) and Bremerton
• downtown Seattle (Pier 52) and Bainbridge Island
• West Seattle (Fauntleroy) to Vashon Island and Southworth

All Washington State ferries are for both vehicles and passengers.

• Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry is operated by Kitsap Transit which operates the following passenger only ferries from Pier 50 in Downtown Seattle to:

• Bremerton From Bermerton they operate another smaller and slower moving passenger only ferry to Port Orchard.
• Kingston
• Southworth No stops in Vashon Island.

From ferry terminals, passengers can transfer to Kitsap Transit buses to go onward without a car.

With its nearly 400 miles of coastline, boating is a major tourist draw on the Kitsap Peninsula and many businesses cater specifically to boaters. Some restaurants and shops provide their own docks for easy access and some golf courses offer shuttles from major marinas. Larger marinas can be found in Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Brownsville, Gig Harbor, Poulsbo and Port Orchard, and some smaller towns such as Lakebay offer marinas with services and fuel. Even some of the state parks, such as Blake Island, offer docks with restrooms and picnic shelters.

• Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, ☏ +1 360 902-8500. Has the largest state-managed mooring system in the United States. The commission manages more than 40 marine parks in Puget Sound that provide more than 8,500 feet of public moorage space. 

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA ^IATA), universally nicknamed "Sea-Tac", is across Puget Sound near Seattle. Domestically it's a major hub for Northwest and West Coast destinations, and internationally handles especially frequent trans-Pacific routes, as well as direct flights to the major European airports.

Sea planes are a popular way to travel around Puget Sound. Several airlines based in Seattle have chartered flights to the Kitsap area, including Kenmore Air serving areas all around Puget Sound and Canada.

Without a ferry, there are three ways to drive onto the Kitsap Peninsula:

• State Route 16 (WA-16) from Tacoma, west across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge to Gig Harbor.
• State Route 104 (WA-104) from the Olympic Peninsula, east across the Hood Canal Bridge to Port Gamble: from US-101, turn off 3 mi/4.8 km south of Discovery Bay (where US 101 intersects WA-20). WA 3/104 crosses the floating Hood Canal Bridge.
• State Route 3 (WA-3) from Shelton, through the narrow and rural connection to the "mainland" to Belfair: turn off US-101 from south of Shelton and drive through Shelton.

Here are the best ways to reach the Kitsap Peninsula from the major cities across the Puget Sound, along Interstate 5 (I-5):

• Olympia, via US-101: take I-5 Exit #103. Follow US-101 to WA-3 intersection. Follow WA-3 through Shelton (as a local street) and up along WA-3 into Bremerton. Or go west on WA-302 from WA-3 (21 mi/33 km north of Shelton) to get to Purdy and Gig Harbor.
• Tacoma, via WA-16: take I-5 Exit #133. WA-16 goes across the Narrows Bridge to Gig Harbor (toll to cross the Narrows Bridge from Gig Harbor to Tacoma, no toll going the other way). The highway continues to Bremerton where it merges into WA-3.
• Downtown Seattle, via the Bremerton Ferry: take I-5 Exit #164 onto I-90 westbound. I-90 ends into 4th Ave by Safeco Field. Follow signs to ferry terminal.
• Mountlake Terrace, via the Edmonds Ferry: take I-5 Exit #177 (going north) or #178 (going south). Follow signs to 'Edmonds Ferry'. From the ferry terminal go on WA-104 which becomes WA-307 (past the WA-104 turn-off going north towards Hood Canal Bridge via Port Gamble). Continue west on WA-307

• Kitsap Transit Foot Ferry, ☏ +1 360 373-2877. Shuttles passengers between Port Orchard, Bremerton and Annapolis ferry terminals using two passenger only ferries, 'Admiral Jack' and the 'Carlisle II' a historic Mosquito Fleet era boat that is nearly 100 years old. Foot ferry service is a great way to tour a historic boat and get an up close and personal view of the marinas and the harbor. $2. 

• Kitsap Transit, ☏ +1 360 479-6962, toll-free: +1-800-501-7433, [email protected]. Kitsap Transit offers transit services throughout the area including pickup from all ferry terminals to Bremerton, Silverdale, Kingston, Poulsbo, Silverdale, Bainbridge Island and Port Orchard on multiple routes with the following being the main routes for travelers to get across between Purdy (or Southworth) to Kingston (or Bainbridge Island): Full fare $2. It is part of the regional ORCA network system.  

• Bus route 86 Southworth Ferry Terminal to Port Orchard Ferry Terminal
• Bus route 301 Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo
• Bus route 307 Poulsbo - Kingston Ferry Terminal
• Bus route 390 Poulsbo - Bainbridge Island Ferry
• The Purdy Connection bus connects Port Orchard to Purdy P&R, north of Gig Harbor. Transfer to Pierce Transit #100 or 595 to continue to Tacoma and the Kitsap Ferry from Port Orchard to Bremerton.
• Kitsap Fast Ferries go to downtown Seattle from Kingston, Bremerton and Southworth on three separate routes while the slower Foot Ferries go across from Bremerton to Port Orchard and Annapolis on two separate routes.

Click here for a list of additional Kitsap Transit bus routes to get around by bus.

• Pierce Transit, ☏ +1 253-581-8000. Operates local and regional public transit bus routes in Pierce County. Communities within the county served by this operator's routes include Fife, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Puyallup, Steilacoom, Tacoma with the following going into the Key Peninsula: They operate the following to Gig Harbor on the Kitsap Peninsula from Tacoma (updated Jun 2023)

• bus route 100 Tacoma Community College - Gig Harbor - Purdy Park and Ride.
• bus route 101 is a local bus route between Gig Harbor and Purdy Park and Ride during the summer months only. There are no additional bus routes to go beyond Gig Harbor to Key Peninsula.
• Sound Transit Route 595 Downtown Seattle - Tacoma Dome - Gig Harbor - Purdy Park and Ride

• Mason Transit, 790 E Johns Prairie Rd, Shelton, WA 98584, ☏ +1 360 532-2770. ... operates local buses in/around Shelton and to Belfair, Bremerton, & Olympia with the following routes going into or near the Kitsap Peninsula. Free ride.  

• bus route 1 Shelton-Allyn-Belfair (NE Clifton Ln @ Bill Hunter Pk)
• bus route 3 Belfair (NE Clifton Ln @ Bill Hunter Pk) -Bremerton Ferry Terminal
• bus routes 21 & 23 run the same routes as the above except as early morning owl routes at around 3AM. Check schedules.

The Kitsap Peninsula is a great destination for bicycles with its rolling hills and spectacular scenery. During the summer you'll find bike rentals near the ferry dock on Bainbridge Island. Be forewarned that it may be some distance between pit stops so plan accordingly.

Lighthouse viewing on the Kitsap Peninsula is an excellent way to explore the area. Many lighthouses are accessible to the public, and some offer tours and can even be stayed at overnight.

• Fox Island Lighthouse is the southern most lighthouse in the area, on Fox Island near the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
• The Gig Harbor Lighthouse, which, at only 15 ft (4.6 m) tall, is one of the smaller lighthouses in the region but nonetheless plays an important role marking the opening to Gig Harbor.
• The Point No Point Lighthouse, built in 1879 near Hansville, is the oldest and most historically important lighthouse on Kitsap Peninsula.
• The Skunk Bay Lighthouse is on Skunk Bay at the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula near Hansville.

Museums offer visitors a welcome change of pace and an opportunity to learn more about the Kitsap Peninsula's maritime history.

The Harbor History Museum in Gig Harbor explores the history of the Gig Harbor Peninsula, its maritime industries, and a well preserved school house.

The Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport shows what life is like under the sea.

In Bremerton, the Puget Sound Navy Museum collects, preserves, and interprets the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest from 1840 to the present and has more than 18,000 objects in its collection; and the Kitsap Historical Society and Museum exhibits the diverse culture, heritage and history of Kitsap County. The USS Turner Joy on the Bremerton Boardwalk is a Vietnam-era destroyer you can tour to see how life would have been for the 17 officers and 275 enlisted men it took to run the ship.

Of Sea and Shore Museum in Port Gamble is dedicated to the study of natural history, especially mollusks and other invertebrates and includes one of the largest sea shell collections in the world.

At the Suquamish Museum in Suquamish, you can learn more about the first people of the Kitsap Peninsula, their wooden canoes and their traditions.

Two bridges connect the Kitsap Peninsula to the mainland: the Hood Canal Floating Bridge which is the third-longest floating bridge (the longest over tidewater), and the Tacoma Narrows Bridges, majestic side by side bridges.

The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility in Bremerton was established in 1891 as a Naval Station. During World War I, the Navy Yard constructed ships, submarines, and 1,700 small boats. During World War II, the shipyard's primary effort was the repair of battle damage to ships of the U.S. fleet and those of its allies. During the Korean War, the shipyard was engaged in the activation of ships. In the late 1950s, it entered an era of new construction with the building of a new class of guided missile frigates. The shipyard is a National Historic Landmark. The historic district includes 22 contributing buildings, and 42 contributing structures.

The Kitsap Peninsula's 14 state parks are the coveted jewels of the area. Offering miles of public access beaches and forested trails, many also offer camping and moorage opportunities and are well distributed throughout the area. These parks are described in the articles for towns and villages listed above.

There are two State Forests: Green Mountain State Forest, a few miles west of Bremerton, offers horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, camping, and other uses; and Tahuya State Forest on the southeastern portion of the Hood Canal west of Belfair in Mason County, offers off-road vehicle riding (ORV), horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, and camping.

The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island is a garden that is so popular that reservations are required.

The Kitsap Audubon Society has been meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders tracking and sharing sightings since then. They 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. Point No Point County Park near Hansville at Kitsap County's northern tip is particularly important for birds migrating the Pacific Flyway. The Audubon Society designated it an IBA or an Important Bird Area but there are six other areas along the trail that are also important. Penrose Point State Park near Lakebay, the Sinclair Inlet north of Port Orchard, Lions Park in Bremerton, the Old Mill Park in Silverdale, Liberty Bay near Poulsbo and Fort Ward Park on Bainbridge Island.

Puget Sound offers some of the best cruising on small craft in North America. Breath taking views of the snow capped Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges along with glimpses of Mount Rainier mingle with thick forests and clear bays and streams to create a humbling cacophony of natural sights.

Carved by ancient glaciers, Puget Sound's intricate and complex waterways provide endless opportunities for exploration while the many harbor towns built on protective bays cater to boaters and provide a wide array of services, restaurants and shops.

For visitors, the Kitsap Peninsula is uniquely situated amongst Puget Sound with its convenient proximity to Seatac Airport and major urban centers, it nonetheless offers a rural boating experience with many state and county parks located right on the water and miles of forests reaching into the Puget Sound. The well distributed harbor communities on the Kitsap Peninsula were mostly built before roads and tend to be centered around the docks, offering boaters easy access to amenities and historic retail areas. Even small towns tend to have a country store with access to a dock.

Major ports can be found in Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Brownsville, Gig Harbor, Kingston, Port Orchard, Poulsbo and Silverdale while dozens of other communities have smaller areas to rest and resupply. Many State Parks offer secluded moorage closer to nature.

Washington State Parks has the largest state-managed mooring system in the United States. The commission manages more than 40 marine parks in Puget Sound including several in Kitsap that together provide more than 8,500 feet of public moorage space.

Visitors to the area will often be treated to the sight of a flotilla of sailboats on Puget Sound as local yacht clubs organize events that sometimes attract hundreds of sailors. These ‘races’ such as the Gig Harbor Yacht Club Islands Race are often informal events that are more of an opportunity for fraternization and attract many types of sailboats and many different skill levels of sailors.

Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Kitsap Peninsula's nearly 400 miles of coastline allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings. Thick forests of majestic pine and deciduous trees and hundreds of creeks and estuaries dot the coastline. Or just explore Kitsap's many harbor towns that cater to kayakers with shops and restaurants accessible from the water. Harbor seals, otters, sea lions, bald eagles and blue herons are common sites, while the occasional viewing of an orca or grey whale is not out of the question.

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

• Cascadia Marine Trail. This inland sea trail is a National Recreation Trail and designated one of only 16 National Millennium Trails by the White House. Suitable for day or multi-day trips, the Cascadia Marine Trail has over 50 campsites to visit. People can boat to the campsites from many public and private launch sites or shoreline trailheads including Hood Canal. 
• Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails. The National Parks Service named the this 'Trail of the Month' in the entire USA for the month of December 2012, PDF copies of the water trails map are available 
• Key Peninsula Marine Trail. A 40-mile Peninsular Marine Trail with 14 legs between 15 points of interest during a paddling journey around the Key Peninsula (updated Mar 2019)

There are several companies that rent kayaks around the Kitsap Peninsula, including Poulsbo and Port Gamble, and offer classes from beginner to expert.

What Puget Sound beaches lack in white sand and warm water is more than made up for in the amazing scenery as the clear waters play against wild coastlines and snow peaked mountains scatter on the horizons. Kitsap's many State Parks are an excellent place to start a beach combing adventure offering miles of beaches from the rugged to the sandy smooth. Small crabs, moon snails, sea stars and sand dollars are common sites and tide pools can offer hours of exploration.

Sea shells and driftwood are considered part of the natural environment and should not be removed, however the often rocky and wild shores are havens for creating and revealing beach glass and anything artificial found is fair game for removal. Be respectful of private property and gentle with sea creatures. Keep a wide distance away from nesting birds, seals and other shore animals and always put back anything removed from the shoreline.

Sport crab fishing is popular in the area with most fishermen looking for the elusive and meaty Dungeness Crab, but other less popular crabs are plentiful in the area. Crab season starts with a two-day opener July 1st and 2nd and follows up with crabbing every Thursday through Monday through Labor Day weekend. A wide array of crab traps are available from a variety of area sporting goods stores and the red and white buoys marking the traps are a common site on the water during the short crabbing season. Fishing permits are required and can be purchased from a variety of local stores, more information is available from the Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife.

Shellfish are prized resources of the Puget Sound, the cool, clean waters provide some of the finest shellfish habitat in the world. Washington State is the nation’s leading producer of farmed bivalve shellfish (clams, geoduck, mussels and oysters) and with Kitsap Peninisula's dozens of Public Clam and Oyster Beaches and miles of coastline it is a popular place for individuals to find these elusive and sought after shellfish. Maps of public shellfishing areas and health warnings and updates can be found online at the Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife. As with all fishing in Puget Sound, permits are required and can be purchased online or in some sporting goods stores.

Scuba diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. The area contains some of the best diving in the world. Many dive sites are completely covered with colorful sea creatures that defy description. Giant Pacific Octopus are common, along with friendly wolf eels. Colorful sponges, sea cucumbers, sea stars, soft corals, anemones and fish can be seen on nearly every dive. Sound Dive Center in Bremerton offers diving gear and classes.

The Kitsap Peninsula has several of the top rated golf courses in the state, especially near Port Orchard. If you are arriving by boat, several courses offer transportation from popular marinas.

The Suquamish Clearwater Casino Resort in Suquamish and The Point Casino in Kingston have restaurants and bars.

The Bremerton Raceway hosts NHRA Division 6 Championship drag racing.

See also: Dangerous animals

Though many animals in the area are used to seeing humans, keep wildlife wild and do not feed or disturb animals. Stay at least 100 yards (91 metres) away from black bears, and 25 yards (23 metres) from all other wild animals. Look for postings at trailheads and parks for recent activity.

Don't disturb resting seal pups, and keep children and dogs away. Seal pups 'haul out' to get much needed rest when they are young and are often alone for many hours. They are extremely vulnerable at this time and should be left alone. Only about 50% of Puget Sound seal pups make it through their first year so please help to protect their health.

While boating, keep a distance from whales and other marine mammals. Regulations for orcas require that boaters stay 200 yards (180 metres) away and keep the path of the whales clear. These federal regulations apply to all vessels (with some exceptions) in inland waters of Washington.