The Hansville Greenway Association and Kitsap County Parks and Recreation Department will dedicate the Sid Knutson Puget Sound-to-Hood Canal Trail in a ceremony at Norwegian Point Park in Hansville at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16.
The recently completed trail fulfills Knutson’s 1991 vision of a greenway and trail system crossing the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula from Puget Sound to Hood Canal, according to Ken Shawcroft of the Hansville Greenway Association.
Kitsap County Commissioner Josh Brown and state Rep. Christine Rolfes will attend.
A short dedication ceremony will be followed by an opportunity to walk the trail. The route is approximately four miles from end to end, through the Hansville Greenway. While portions of the trail are flat and wide, some are more like backcountry mountain trails with rough footing and short up and down sections. A list of suggested routes with varying “degrees of difficulty” will be available. Hansville Greenway volunteers will be stationed along the route to guide hikers and answer questions. A shuttle bus may be available to provide transportation between various points of the trail.
Knutson has led the effort to establish the Hansville Greenway and trail system since he first proposed its creation in 1991, Shawcroft noted. At 83, Knutson is still active in trail planning and construction and serves as the treasurer of the Hansville Greenway Association.
At a recent Hansville Greenway Association gathering, where he learned that the trail was to be named in his honor, Shawcroft said Sid pointed to his wife, Jeanne, and said that she is the one who has made it possible for him to pursue this dream by supporting and encouraging him all along.
For more information on the Hansville Greenway, go to www.hansville.org.
