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Twanoh State Park |
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Park Overview 
Twanoh State Park is a 182-acre marine, camping park with 3,167 feet of
saltwater shoreline on Hood Canal. The name of the park derives from the Native
American Twana tribes, better known as the Skokomish, who made their home in the
area. The park is situated on one of the warmest saltwater beaches in the state.
This is because Hood Canal is one of the warmest saltwater bodies in Puget
Sound.
Driving Directions Located on the south shore of Hood Canal, eight
miles west of Belfair, Wash.
From Bremerton:
Take Hwy. 3 southwest to Belfair, and go west on Hwy. 106 eight miles to the
park.
From Hwy. 101:
Drive east on Hwy. 106 for 12 miles to the park.
From downtown Seattle:
Take a beautiful, one-hour ferry ride to Bremerton, then a half hour drive on
Hwy. 3 southwest to Belfair. From Belfair, go west eight miles on Hwy. 106 to
park entrance.
Picnic Facilities The park offers two kitchen shelters with electricity, plus
125 unsheltered picnic tables. One kitchen shelter can accommodate up to 150
people. To reserve, (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688. The other kitchen shelter
accommodates up to 40 people and is available first-come, first-served.
Activities
| Trails |
Water Activities |
Other |
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- Boating (saltwater)
- 1 boat ramp (saltwater)
- 100 feet of dock (saltwater)
- 200 feet of moorage (saltwater)
- Fishing (saltwater)
- Personal Watercraft (saltwater)
- Swimming (saltwater)
- Water Skiing (saltwater)
- Crabbing
- Oysters
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- 1 Badminton area
- Beachcombing
- Bird Watching
- 20 Fire Circles
- 1 Horseshoe pit
- 1 Volleyball Field
- Wildlife Viewing
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Campers and day-users must bring their own hand equipment, racquets, etc.
There is a winter smelt run along the park beaches. Oyster beds are seeded
annually, providing for ample harvests. In late fall, the chum salmon run in the
small creek, but the area is closed to fishing.
There is no clamming. Oysters must be shelled on the beach. A shellfish license
is required to shuck oysters or to crab. This license is sold anywhere fishing
licenses are sold. Please check Department of Fish & Wildlife fishing
publications for daily limits and information. Regulations are available
wherever fishing licenses are sold. Anyone over 14 years of age needs a
shellfish license to harvest oysters. The daily limit is 18 oysters.
Gathering firewood is prohibited, but firewood is for sale at a concession and
at local stores, when either are open.
Boating FeaturesThe park provides one watercraft launch ramp and one hundred
feet of dock.
A daily permit is available for watercraft launching and trailer dumping at the
park for $5.
Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia, at
region offices, online,
and at parks when staff is available.
The park also provides 200 feet of moorage.
Moorage fees are charged year-round for mooring at docks, floats and buoys from
1 p.m. to 8 a.m.:
-Daily moorage fee is 50 cents per foot, with a minimum of $10.
-Moorage buoys, $10 a night.
-Annual moorage permit fee is $3.50 per foot, with a minimum of $50.
Moorage permits are available at parks offering moorage. For information, call
(360) 902-8844.
Telephone Device for the Deaf, (360) 664-3133.
Featured Creatures
| Mammals |
Birds |
Fish & Sea Life |
- Chipmunks
- Deer or Elk
- Otters
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Squirrels
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- Crows or Ravens
- Ducks
- Eagles
- Gulls
- Hawks
- Herons
- Hummingbirds
- Jays
- Woodpeckers
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- Clams
- Crabs
- Mussels
- Oysters
- Sea Birds
- Seals
- Shellfish
- Shrimp
- Starfish
- Whales
- Bullhead
- Perch
- Salmon
- Shark
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Environmental Features
| Physical Features |
Plant Life |
Special |
| The soil in the park is "glacial
till," an unlayered sediment which was deposited by glaciers
over most of western Washington. Twanoh Park is on Hood Canal,
which is actually a "canal" in name only. Hood Canal is (in
reality) a "fjord," a long narrow body of water open to the
ocean and bordered at one end by steep cliffs or hills. |
- Cedar
- Douglas Fir
- Hemlock
- Alder
- Apple
- Maple
- Rhododendron
- Berries
- Ferns
- Moss or Lichens
- Seaweed
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History "Twanoh" is a Native American word for "gathering place." The Skokomish
Indians, a Twana tribe, made their home along Hood Canal because of its abundant
wildlife. Because of this abundance, the Twana were among the few
hunting/gathering societies of the world that produced wealth beyond their
needs. The basis of their economy was salmon.
The park area was logged extensively during the 1890s. Scars still show in some
cedar stumps from "spring boards," accessories to an early logging technique.
Most of the park buildings were built during the 1930s by the Civilian
Conservation Corps (CCC). Most of the CCC structures still stand as a monument
to the hard work and craftsmanship provided to this country by the men of the
CCC. The buildings are made of brick, stone, and round logs. Most are still used
extensively today.
The area was a private resort for many years before becoming a state park. |
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