Maritime Heritage Trail | Washington Water Trails Association

Thanks to a Maritime Washington grant we are going to start linking our sites together as a Maritime Heritage Trail.

You may have paddled from site-to-site and wondered about the history or natural history. We have added more interpretation to the signs at the sites, and are providing a guide here.

We will be embellishing each site webpage with more information as well as providing more information here – so keep checking back!

“Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished.” Chief Seattle, 1854

Although not directly mentioned by Chief Seattle in 1854, there is no doubt that he would have also included the waters of x̌wəlč, or the Salish Sea.

Maritime heritage encompasses the rich and varied connections between people and the sea, including:

Physical Resources: including tangible artifacts like historic shipwrecks, archaeological sites, lighthouses, docks, and traditional vessels.
Cultural Practices: the skills, traditions, and knowledge passed down through generations, such as boatbuilding, navigation techniques, fishing practices, and maritime folklore.
Historical Narratives: Maritime heritage also includes the stories, oral histories, and archival documents that recount the history of seafaring communities, maritime trade, and naval activities.
Indigenous Connections: Crucially, it acknowledges and preserves the long-standing relationships between indigenous cultures and the water, including their traditional knowledge, practices, and spiritual connections to the sea.
Economic Activities: Maritime heritage also includes the history of the economic activities that have taken place on the water, such as trade, fishing, and other industry.In essence, maritime heritage is about understanding and preserving the diverse ways in which the sea has shaped human societies and cultures. It’s about recognizing the importance of our maritime past in shaping our present and future.Our goal in creating this water trail is to explore how the Salish Sea has been shaped by geological forces through the ages, and in turn how this set the stage for the physical resources, cultural practices, historical narrative, indigenous connections and economic activities since the Salish Sea region first became inhabited.

Most importantly, we hope that this trail brings a greater understanding of the connectedness of all things and people, and that this increased understanding leads to fewer human conflicts, injustice and heals the Salish Sea from its wounds brought about by unthinking development and economic pursuit. We have chosen to foster this journey of understanding by kayak or other type of human powered watercraft, as this was how the first inhabitants of the Salish Sea moved about for hunting, fishing, trading and most every other activity that involved travel. We believe that it helps to put us in a frame of mind that is not distracted by modern modes of travel, and that the slow, rhythmical paddling from stop to stop will provide time and an ambience for deeper reflection on what we have learned.

How to Use this Trail Guide

The MHWT consists (at present) of five “stops”. All stops can be reached by kayak or similar human-powered watercraft. Each stop, with the exception of Stop #3, can also be driven to if necessary.

Maritime Heritage Water Trail map. Routes shown are for distance calculations only. Every paddler should select their own route based upon ability, weather, currents and other factors.

The trail nominally starts at Manchester State Park. Those wishing to start here have the option of camping in the state park, or if they are arriving from the water by kayak, at the

Cascade Marine Trail campsite located near the shore in the park. Boats may be taken out of the water and loaded onto a vehicle at all stops other than Stop #3, so there is no requirement to paddle the entire trail in a single journey, or for that matter, to visit the stops in any specific order. Launching from other put-in points is also possible. Washington Water Trails (wwta.org) has, on their website, maps and description of various put-in and take-out points throughout the Cascade Marine Trail system if you desire to customize your journey.

Another great place for kayak camping is Stop #2, Fort Ward Park, just across Rich Passage from Manchester State Park. This may afford a better starting point for a paddle journey if you are not comfortable paddling in strong currents. During the tidal exchanges in the portion of Rich Passage between Manchester SP and Fort Ward, the currents can be strong and produce some turbulence. If you feel unsure, visiting Manchester, and then driving to Fort Ward and putting in there might be a good option.

Each stop is designed to touch on one or more important themes pertinent to our region’s maritime heritage. You will find in the guide for many of the stops a QR code or clickable link that takes you to a short video that provides valuable in-depth explanations of aspects of the stop. These short videos enhance the material in the guide, but are nonetheless summarized more briefly in the guide text, so viewing is not essential (though highly recommended!).

As this is WWTA’s first foray into making a thematic water trail, we know that we could have done better. There is a short survey and comment form at the end of the water trail. We would appreciate it if you could fill out any and all parts of it to help us better serve you and our Salish Sea community. Your feedback will not only help create better trails, but can help us secure future funding for similar trails.

If you are new to sea kayaking, there are many public organizations and groups that can help you get started. Such groups exist in the South Sound, the North Sound, the Olympic Peninsula, and in the central Sound in the vicinity of Seattle. If you have trouble finding a suitable group on your own, please do not hesitate to contact Washington Water Trails at wwta@wwta.org and we will be happy to help you!

See below for the liability release.

Stop 1 Manchester State Park Rev 4

Stop 2 Fort Ward and Bean Point Rev 4

Stop 3 Restoration Point Rev 4

Stop 4 Blakely Harbor Rev 4

Stop 5 Eagle Harbor Rev 4

Optional Survey Rev 2

Additional Acknowledgments

We wish to express our sincere gratitude to the Cultural Committee of the Suquamish Tribe, as well as to other Tribal members, for their continued support. Their contributions—particularly in sharing Lushootseed place names and traditional narratives relevant to the maritime history of the various locations—have been essential in ensuring the accuracy and cultural integrity of this guide.

We extend our sincere thanks to Cascade GeoSciences, PLLC for generously donating their time and expertise in developing the geological content of this guide—their contributions are deeply appreciated.

Special recognition goes to Paul La Pointe, who conducted the initial research and authored the first drafts of the guide.

We are also grateful to Andrée Hurley, Executive Director of the Washington Water Trails Association, for her enthusiastic support of the project. Her efforts to refine the content and integrate it into an electronic Trail Guide—now accessible through the WWTA website—have been invaluable.

Finally, we would especially like to acknowledge the generous support of the Maritime Washington National Heritage Area, which provided funding for this project under Grant #MWNHA-215.

Happy Paddling!