For John Kuntz, owner of Olympic Outdoor Center, it all began with a paddling trip he and a friend made in 1996 from Belfair to Allyn.
The trip inspired Kuntz to make a paddling trail out of the route. In 2008 he joined the North Kitsap Trails Association helped work on a land and water trail. Those efforts eventually wound up leading to a national designation for the water trail.
“So we applied for it about two years ago and last June we actually received a designation that puts us into a pretty elite crowd,” Kuntz said.
“We’re only one of 17 trails in the in the whole United states. Not every trail becomes a water trail … they have to be an exemplary trail which means they’re special in a certain way.”
An allience of Mason, Kitsap and Pierce counties as well as 20 cities/communites, five tribes and 13 port districts helped the trail become a reality.
“This is one of most spectacular water trails in all the United States and also the world,” Kuntz said.
A water trail is a series of trailheads where “beachable craft” such as a kayak or canoe can be landed. A map helps guide the boaters along the water trail, and also keeps them away from private lands. The landing trailheads will be marked with large, numbered signs.
The signs will show a big image of the sun with a silhouetted kayaker on the water.
“The water trail is 371 miles but there’s actually 13 different trails inside that. That’s the beauty of a trail system.”
Trailheads could be owned by the county, a port district or private owner.
The vision is that the water trail will provide single or multi-day trips for safe and responsible boaters along a spectacular marine environment along 371 miles of coastline.
“This will mean a lot for economic development coming up,” said Kathleen Knuckey, executive director at Silverdale Chamber of Commerce. “We want people to see that natural side of the Puget Sound.”
To celebrate the trail, a Water Trails Festival will be held at the Silverdale Waterfront Park on June 27 and at Brownsville and Keyport on June 28.
A gunny sack race, scuba diving, adult-size tricycles, car show and ship tour will be some of the activities at the event. A formal dedication ceremony with federal and state officials will be hosted at 1 p.m on June 27.
“I just think this is so exciting,” said Stacey Saunders, a member of the Central Kitsap Community Council. “It’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen in our area since I’ve lived here for 15 years,” she said.
Learn more at www.watertrailsfestival.com.
