EXPLORE: Manchester State Park | Port Orchard
This historic state park sits on the eastern shores of Port Orchard and offers camping, beach exploration, event facilities, and hours of fun. Watch Seattle/Bremerton ferries chug past as juvenile bald eagles roost overhead among the thick pine boughs. Locals love Manchester and visitors who are savvy use it as a jumping off point to further Kitsap Peninsula adventures!
7767 E Hilldale Rd, Port Orchard, WA
Why we love it
A 111-acre forest-draped, waterfront State Park with 3K+ feet of shoreline on the Kitsap Peninsula, easily accessed from Seattle. Decades ago Manchester was a harbor defense installation that defended the Peninsula and the city of Bremerton. Now it’s a great place to picnic or camp.
The fern-covered evergreen forests, overnight camping options, AND a big ol’ high-ceilinged brick artillery warehouse that serves as a reservable picnic shelter (popular in the summer for weddings and parties).
The former torpedo warehouse with its high echoey walls, vaulting stone fireplace, weathered beamed ceiling, and windowless arches, has become a beloved venue for reunions, picnics, weddings, and gatherings.
bunkers + beach access
I’ve been going to Manchester State Park since I was a kid. Church bible camps, family picnics, random adventures turning over barnacle-studded tideland rocks to harass the scampering crabs that skittered away, ducking out of view. Manchester felt like a special world embedded within the normal one, like a taste of the wilds of the Olympic Peninsula that my family loved to camp in all summer.
Beach access and bunkers, what more could you want?! How about about trails of towering evergreens and picnic tables? Ok! Grab your camping spot and make sure that you either have your Discovery Pass or a way to pay for the day parking/camping.
Low key escape
Being an easy and low-key escape into nature and a playground for Kitsap Peninsula residents and visitors alike, Manchester State Park is known for its historic military bunkers, lush PNW landscapes, and the barking of distant sea lions.
More than 2 miles of hiking trails and over 3,400 feet of saltwater shoreline make Manchester a day trippers and/or campers paradise due to its popularity for kayaking, swimming, and diving.
35 tent camping spots are first come, first serve…
Manchester State Park offers 35 tent spaces, 15 utility spaces and two restrooms/showers…a million opportunities for adventure. Maximum site length is 60 feet (check availability) and there is dump station located near the entrance of the park by the ranger check in station.
Reservations for campsites can be made by calling (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688. During the off-season (September 16 through May 14), campsites are only available first-come, first-served!
THE EXPLORING NEVER ENDS
The Kitsap Peninsula is a very pet friendly place to travel, adventure and explore. Here’s our list of 20 dog friendly trails and off-leash parks to have fun with your pup!