Hansville Greenway

Hansville Greenway

The scenic Hansville Greenway stretches from Puget Sound to Hood Canal, and encompasses a diverse mix of wetlands, forest, ponds, and Buck Lake. Its wide trails near Buck Lake are a favorite among runners, equestrians, and bikers. Those in wheelchairs or with strollers will enjoy the mile long Alder Wetland Trail. Begin your adventure at either Buck Lake County Park (the primary access to the Hansville Greenway), or Norwegian Point County Park. Check the Hansville Greenway website for a map and trail descriptions.

The Hansville Greenway is a great example of community-led conservation efforts that achieved tremendous results. In 1991, Hansville resident Sid Knutson and a group of neighbors and friends developed a vision for preserving open space and sensitive areas in greater Hansville, and created plans for a large, contiguous area of undeveloped land that would protect wildlife habitat and include a network of public hiking trails. They arranged for a wetlands assessment, and hired an architectural planning firm to develop a community plan for the open space and trail network. Their vision at last became reality in 1997, as the volunteer-run Greenway Committee partnered with Kitsap County Parks to purchase four parcels totaling 175 acres to create the Hansville Greenway.

From 1995 to 2005 a group of Hansville volunteers called the Greenway Committee constructed and maintained trails and structures, acted as a stewardship committee, and developed Kitsap County’s first ever open space stewardship manual. In 2005, they formed the Hansville Greenway Association, with the mission to “preserve natural areas and wildlife on the northern Kitsap Peninsula for the benefit of future generations.” Great Peninsula Conservancy is a fiscal sponsor for the Hansville Greenway Association, and also holds a conservation easement on a 7-acre parcel that is part of the Hansville Greenway.

Today the Hansville Greenway has grown to over 260 acres, and includes over eight miles of trails. Urban Trails author Craig Romano calls the Hansville Greenway “one of the finest hiking destinations on the Kitsap Peninsula.” In 2017, Romano led a book talk and guided walk at the Hansville Greenway together with Great Peninsula Conservancy.

Project Partners

Hansville Greenway Association
Kitsap County
Kitsap County Conservation Futures
Trust for Public Land
Washington Department of Ecology