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Gig Harbor is located on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

Gig Harbor, the southern gateway to the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas, lies just across the dramatic Tacoma Narrows Bridge from Tacoma. This tucked-away town sits on a scenic inlet framing a postcard-perfect view of Mount Rainier. Gig Harbor's strong Scandinavian and Croatian heritage has always influenced its nautical lifestyle and fishing-village character. Today specialty shops, creative boutiques, art galleries and waterfront restaurants add to its appeal and make it a wonderful get-away.

Get in

By car

A car is really quite requisite to see the Gig Harbor area as a whole. Gig Harbor is easy to get to by car from the rest of the Puget Sound area. From Interstate 5 take the Washington State Hwy. 16 west across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The first four exits after the bridge are all Gig Harbor exits.

By boat

  • Jerisich Park, 3323 Harborview Dr, ☏ +1 253 851-1793. most popular guest moorage is about a quarter of the way up the south shore of the harbor. The long guest float extends from the park’s flagpole. Moorage is free, with a maximum stay of 48 hours. On shore are a few picnic tables and restrooms with showers. 
  • Arabella's Landing Marina, 3323 Harborview Dr (look for black pilings topped with dunce caps), ☏ +1 253 851-1793. offers boating accommodations for day excursions and overnight trips including restrooms, showers, laundry facilities, wheelchair accessibility, storage lockers. 
  • The Shoreline Restaurant at the head of the bay and the Tides Tavern toward the entrance offer floats for patrons.

By bus

Bus services to Gig Harbor are limited but doable as there are regular buses in Gig Harbor between 45th St Ct SW & Point Fossdick and Purdy Park & Ride (P&R), on the east side of Hwy 16 which includes downtown Gig Harbor. Except some shopping centers along Point Fossdick betweent 45th St Ct SW and Olympic Dr and along 144th St NW near Purdy P&R there are no regular bus services to anywhere west of Hwy 16 or to anywhere towards Fox Island and Key Peninsula.

  • 1 Sound Transit, Tacoma Dome Station, E Parking Bldg @ 610 E Puyallup Ave (Stops in Purdy and Kimball Dr P&R.), ☏ +1 888 889 6368. Operates express buses up to downtown Seattle from Gig Harbor(Rt #595)
  • Rt #595 goes up to downtown Seattle via Tacoma Community College during the morning rush hours and returning to Gig Harbor in the afternoons, no weekend service.
  • Rt#590,594 goes straight up to downtown Seattle from downtown Tacoma and the Tacoma Dome during the middle of the day and weekends. Take the #100 bus to Tacoma Community College (TCC) and transfer to #1 or #2 bus to get to downtown Tacoma. 
  • 2 Pierce Transit, ☏ +1 253 581-8000, toll-free: +1-800-562-8109. operates local routes on buses that run on natural gas and connect with other regional transit systems. Pierce transit can also be tracked with a free smartphone app from One Bus Away that provides easy access to real-time transit information for the Puget Sound region and beyond. They offer service to Gig Harbor from Tacoma on:
  • Rt#100 Goes from Tacoma Community College (S 19th & Mildred) to Gig Harbor as well as local service through Gig Harbor (between Point Fossdick Dr & 45th to Purdy P&R)
  • 101 runs the same route through Gig Harbor except it does not go to Purdy P&R but rather end at Peacock Hill.
  • 102 Express bus along Hwy 16 to Gig Harbor from downtown Tacoma and the Tacoma Dome. Goes to Gig Harbor during the afternoon rush hour and to Tacoma in the mornings. adult $2, youth $0.75 and is part of the regional Orca payment system.. 

Get around

The town name suggests that this is a harbor town. Boaters can moor in the harbor itself, a part of Puget Sound, and explore the many shops, cafes, and galleries downtown.

Those coming in on four wheels can struggle to find parking in downtown, but once they do, exploring the town by foot is well worth it.

By bike

  • Cushman Bike Trail. this popular paved bike trail connect not only various points of interest downtown but also crosses forested and wetland areas making for a nice varied ride through the area. Also has access to street parking and bathrooms. 

By bus

  • Pierce Transit, ☏ +1 253 581-8000, toll-free: +1-800-562-8109. operates local routes on buses that run on natural gas and connect with other regional transit systems. Pierce transit can also be tracked with a free smartphone app from One Bus Away that provides easy access to real-time transit information for the Puget Sound region and beyond. adult $2 youth .75 and is part of the regional Orca payment system.. 

See

Besides Gig Harbors maritime town center located around the harbor there are many things to see in the nearby area.

Gig Harbor Lighthouse and Colvos Passage
  • 360 Park, 10905 144th St NW. As you may have guessed, this is a 360 acre wooded county park near Purdy. A popular loop trail leads around the perimiter with smaller trails crossing through the center. It is popular with mountain bikers, hikers and equestrians. 
  • Harbor History Museum, 4121 Harborview Dr, ☏ +1 253 858 6722. Experience the history of the Gig Harbor Peninsula including its maritime industries and even a well preserved school house. 
  • Gig Harbor Lighthouse. At only 15' tall this is certainly one of the smaller lighthouses in the region but nonetheless plays an important roll marking the opening to Gig Harbor. Directions: from Highway 16, exit onto Pioneer Way. When the road tees, turn right on Harborview Drive and continue to its end where you will find a small park from which you can view the lighthouse. 
  • Joemma Beach State Park. On the Key Peninsula near Gig Harbor, is a 122-acre marine camping park with 3,000 feet of saltwater frontage on southeast Kitsap Peninsula. Aside from the natural beauty of park and surroundings, the area is an excellent place for fishing, boating and crabbing. Provides a boat launch and water trail campsites. 
  • Kopachuck State Park, 10712 56th St. NW. is a 109-acre marine park with 5,600 feet of saltwater shoreline on Henderson Bay. One portion of the park, Cutts Island (or "Deadman's Island") is a half mile from shore and reachable only by boat. 

Do

Boat rental

  • Gig Harbor Rent a Boat, 8829 N. Harborview Dr, ☏ +1 253-858-7341. Gig Harbor, WA 98332. rent a kayak, canoe, pedal boat or even a power boat to explore the harbor and beyond. 

Boat launch

  • Horsehead Bay Public Boat Ramp (Horse Head Bay Dr NW & 38th St NW). 

Boat tours

  • Destiny Harbor Tours, 4430 Holly Ln. NW, ☏ +1 253 225 6306. Harbor Tours, Sightseeing, Charters and Eco Tours of Tacoma Narrows Bridges, Gig Harbor, Salmon Beach, Point Defiance, Thea Foss Waterway and the Port of Tacoma 

Sea kayaking

Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore Gig Harbor and the Kitsap Peninsulas nearly 400 miles of coastline allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings and making Kitsap one of the most popular areas to kayak in Puget Sound. Thick forests of majestic pine and deciduous trees and hundreds of creeks and estuaries dot the coastline. Or just explore Kitsaps many harbor towns like Gig Harbor that cater to kayakers with shops and restaurants accessible from the water such as the Tides Tavern. With kayak rentals available nearby Gig Harbor is a popular place to spend a few hours exploring or set off or restock on a major expedition.

Kayak trails

Organized 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 including several close to Gig Harbor such as The Narrows Park which is a safe haven at the midpoint of the Tacoma Narrows. At night it's great to watch the vehicle lights on the Narrows Bridges from the serenity of the park. The white dome of Mt. Rainier is visible over Tacoma, especially on moonlit evenings. 
  • Key Peninsula Marine Trail. is a forty mile Peninsular Marine Trail near Gig Harbor with fourteen legs between fifteen points of interest during a paddling journey around the Key Peninsula 

Scuba diving

purple seastar found on Colvos Passage

Scuba diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than other warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. The area contains some of the best diving in the world and many areas are accessible from the Kitsap Peninsula. 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. The state has offers a guide to parks with launch sites HERE

Conservation areas

  • 1 Colvos Passage Marine Preserve Area, 10015 Sunrise Beach Drive Northwest, Gig Harbor WA 98332 (accessible from Sunrise Beach Park). this protected marine area is considered one of the best shore accessible diving areas in Puget Sound. Known for its many friendly Wolf Eels and its 25 foot high rugged rock wall that runs along the shoreline for about 200 feet. There are also sightings of Giant Pacific Octopus, Ratfish, Copper, Brown, and Quillback Rockfish, Lingcod, Greenlings, many varieties of sculpins, Green Sea Urchins, scallops, Rock Sole, Starry Flounder, countless sea stars, warbonnets, gunnels, different varieties of nudibranchs just to name a few. 
  • Well-known to regional scuba divers, Z's Reef Marine Preserve is a designated conservation area on the shores of Fox Island just south of Gig Harbor. A variety of fishes typically associated with rocky habitats congregate at the site and in such quantities that are presently unusual for southern Puget Sound. The dominant fishes include copper rockfish, brown rockfish, and quillback rockfish. Other common fishes include lingcod, kelp greenling, painted greenling, wolfeel, and striped seaperch. Pregnant rockfishes are observed at the site during the spring indicating that at least some fishes use the site for reproduction. Other marine organisms include sea stars, encrusting organisms such as giant barnacles, red sea cucumbers, shrimp, and red rock crabs. Seastars are common including sunflower seastar and gumboot chitons are also frequently observed.

Shellfishing

clams are plentiful on Kitsaps rural beaches

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 Peninisulas 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 state's Fish and Wildlife website as with all fishing in Puget Sound permits are required and can be purchased online or in some sporting goods stores.

Public shellfishing area

  • Sunrise Beach Park, 10015 Sunrise Beach Drive Northwest, Gig Harbor WA 98332. Open year round for both clams and oyster fishing. Please note that Colvos Passage Marine Preserve lies south of the County Park. Marine preserve restrictions do not apply within Sunrise Beach County Park 

Buy

Gig Harbor has many locally owned and operated shops in its downtown area, ranging from dress shops to music stores and jewelry studios. There are quite a few art galleries and other stores that sell art of various types.

  • Gig Harbor Farmers Market, Uptown location: 4701 Pt. Fosdick Drive fri 1-5 Downtown: Skansie Brothers Park 3207 Harborview Drive, Wed & Sun Noon - 5PM. mid April thru mid Oct. offers fresh flowers, produce, plants, baked goods, food, handmade crafts, expert advice from master gardeners, a kids' tent, free guitar lessons, live entertainment, and much more. 
  • No Dearth of Books, 7803 Pioneer Way (Behind the Nazarene Church), ☏ +1 253-853-3355. One of three bookstores in downtown Gig Harbor, No Dearth of Books specializes in unique local interest books: maritime fiction & travel accounts, boating know-how, military, naval & aviation history, and the Pacific Northwest. The store also stocks a wide range of other genres, from classics to recent bestsellers. 

Eat

  • The Tides Tavern. This Gig Harbor restaurant has been a local institution for many years. The smoke-free, 21 & over [it's a bar in the Washington State Liquor Control Board's eyes] environment is set on pilings over the harbor and is the perfect spot to enjoy a glass of wine or beer, a tasty meal from an extensive menu. Perfect for kicking back, while looking the Sound wildlife, boat traffic, and locals coming in and out of The Tides. 
  • Anthony's Restaurant. Part of a chain of Northwest-centric restaurants in the Puget Sound area and Gig Harbor's is one of the jewels in the chain's crown. Fairly upscale seafood fare shares the menu with traditional beef, chicken, and salad items. The restaurant's location is fantastic. at the head of the harbor with a drop-dead gorgeous view of the marinas, the homes clinging to the sides of the hill, and Mount Rainier. A bar downstairs features happy hour 1/2 price appetizer options and the same spectacular view. 
  • Dexter's Drive-In, 6701 Tyee Dr NW, ☏ +1 253 851-4552. Classic hamburger and fries type drive-in. 
  • Brix 25°. A fairly new dining establishment in the Harbor, but has quickly become one of the favorites. While this eatery doesn't have a view of any sort or even a very nice structure to call home, the menu and presentation is fantastic. Meals are exquisitely prepared and feature daily specials. The fare is primarily continental with a Northwest twist. Expect halibut, salmon, some shellfish, along with a filet mignon, or a duck breast on the menu most nights. Their wine selection is impressive and has won several awards, most recently the 2008 Washington Wine Restaurant of the Year. 
  • 1 Water to Wine, 9014 Peacock Hill Ave, Suite 103 (Located at the corner of Harborview Dr and Peacock Hill Ave), ☏ +1 253-853-9463. Tuesday - Friday 11AM - 7PM; Saturday 11AM - 6PM; Sunday Noon - 4PM. Gig Harbor’s pre-eminent wine shop, with the largest–and most diverse–selection of wines in the South Sound area. Our knowledgeable staff delights in finding the perfect wines for your every occasion. 

Drink

  • Floatation Device Pub & Grill, 14511 Sherman Dr NW, ☏ +1 253 857-3897. This popular maritime themed pub is located close to the water with good food options as well. 
  • The Wine Studio, 3123 56th st nw (In between the ProBuild lumberyard and the Inn at Gig harbor facing Highway 16. Look for Dream Design neon sign), ☏ +1 253 851-9463. Th-Sa 11-7 Su 12-5. The Wine Studio is a wine and beer speciality shop and tasting room. Snuggle up next to the fire while tasting 
  • Heritage Distilling Company, 3207 57th St Ct Nw, ☏ +1 253 509-0008. The Pacific Northwest's premier Destination Distillery. Free samples of custom made spirits - whiskey, gin and vodka. Plus, the first and only Craft Distillery in the US to offer patent-pending programs for customers to legally make their own distilled spirits and/or have them custom aged to individual specifications. 

Sleep

There are several lodging choices in Gig Harbor from hotels, to bed-and-breakfasts, to motels, to vacation rentals.

  • The Inn at Gig Harbor. One of the newest and most well known choices. The Inn features upscale lodging close to the city center with many amenities within the hotel. The construction is of a Northwest lodge style. One of the drawbacks to this lodging, though, is its location. It is a bit outside of the loop for exploring the area by foot and is set right against busy Highway 16. 
  • The Maritime Inn. A small hotel right in the center of town, an excellent location to enjoy the many restaurants, galleries, and shops by foot. This is Gig Harbor's only major lodging choice right along the waterfront. Rooms have fireplaces and many enjoy views of the harbor. 
  • The Best Western Wesley Inn. Not your typical Best Western. This is quite a nice lodging choice perched above the center of the town, convenient to some restaurants and freeway access. Rooms are nicely appointed including some with fireplaces and bay windows. 
  • The Waterfront Inn. A small B&B right on the water in downtown. This is a perfect spot from which to explore this maritime village. The Inn was built in 1918 as a private residence and retains much of its exterior charm. There are three rooms in the waterfront area and three "Captain's Quarters" rooms that are not waterfront. Each room is outfitted with modern conveniences and is clean and uncluttered, unlike so many B&Bs. 
  • Olde Glencove Hotel, 9418 Glencove Road Kp N, ☏ +1 253 884-2835. originally built as a resort, this turn of the century facility offers Victorian ambiance through out overlooking a quiet bay. 

Camping

Kopachuck State Park

Additional camping and moorage options are available at nearby Kopachuck and Joemma Beach State Parks.

Go next

By car

Tacoma lies to the south across the Tacoma Narrows Toll Bridge and Olalla and Port Orchard lie to the north.

By boat

Gig Harbor is 6.8 nautical miles to Cedrona Cove on Fox Island. It is also a launch to visit Eagle Island on Balch Passage north of Anderson Island which is 12.5 nautical miles. Penrose Point State Park is 13.8 nautical miles due south after passing underneath the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and the Shilshole Bay Marina in Seattle 24 nautical miles away.

Routes through Gig Harbor
Bremerton ← Purdy ←  N  S  → Tacoma → Ends at


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