Paul Dutky and Dianne Iverson are all about sharing Kitsap County with bicycle enthusiasts. And while they know there’s some work to do before a permanent “loop around Dyes Inlet” will be ready, they figure, what better time to introduce it to the public than at this year’s Water Trails Festival June 24-25.

“There’s been plans with the county to have this loop for some time,” said Dutky. “But as it is right now, there are places in the loop that aren’t safe. We want to take these plans and make it happen, at least for one day.”

That’s why, with the county’s help, and help from the cities involved, the loop will be made safe so bikes can travel on it during the Water Trails Festival.

The Dyes Inlet Loop Bicycle Rides will be self-directed rides that anyone can do at any time on June 25, during the Water Trails Festival. The loop has been broken down into four sections, each can be a ride, or bicyclers can ride the entire route.

The first section is two miles out and back and is a flat stretch of Tracyton Boulevard starting at Lions Park. Ordinarily there would be too much traffic to allow for this route. But through the county’s help the traffic lane next to the water will be closed to motor vehicles between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

“There are just some beautiful views along this section,” Dutky said. “And with a lane closed, it’s a family-friendly safe ride for bikes, baby strollers and inline skaters. It’s a wonderful celebration of a space not normally available.”

The second section of the loop begins at Lions Park and travels mostly on existing bike lanes to Harborside Fountain Park in Bremerton. It’s six miles round trip.

Also in the loop is the section from the Silverdale Waterfront to NAD Marine Park. This section is 13 miles out and back and travels near the restored Chico Creek Estuary. This section includes the Navy housing area at Jackson Park, and residents there are being encouraged to join in the fun on that part of the loop.

The entire loop connects these section and is a 22 mile ride. It starts in Silverdale and travels all the above mentions sections, and adds a beginning section on the east side of Dyes Inlet which then goes south through Traction Boulevard, downtown Bremerton, to the Navy yard (where a gate usually closed will be open to riders), along Charleston Beach Boulevard, north through Chico and back to the Silverdale Waterfront.

For the purposes of the June 25 ride, there will be volunteers directing those on bikes and there will be stops along the way to view sites in nature, or stops at local parks and museums. While on an ordinary day, traffic might keep someone on a bicycle from traveling this route, the “sample” day is an opportunity to see what could be, said Dutky.

“Once you see the pieces, you can envision what it could be like,” said Iverson. “We’re hoping by doing this, there will be some new interest in making this loop a permanent ride.”

Of course, that would mean an investment in bike trails, they know. But as bicyclers they’d like to see Kitsap County add something like this loop to attract folks from the other side of the water over to Kitsap to bike.

“In Seattle, they have many marked trails,” she said. “They even have bicycle Sundays where groups can get together and ride. We’d like to have that here, so local riders don’t have to go elsewhere to ride.”

Although this is a new concept for Kitsap, Dutky said, it’s something that’s doable.

“As a bike club, West Sound Cycling has taken measurements and drafted a plan for how this could be a permanent loop,” Dutky said. “And we’ve come up with a way to do it by just re-painting lanes and adding safety measures. It would be very inexpensive, compared to creating all new bike lanes.”

But before going any further, the club wants to hear from bicyclers in the community. Hence, the one day ride during Water Tails Festival.

“We want to know the level of interest,” Iverson said. “We’re really trying to expose the idea to people who ride in our community.”

The entire route is posted at www.WestSoundCycling.com. You can register on the website for the Loop Around Dyes Inlet ride. There will be registration on the day of the event, too, at the Silverdale Waterfront Park and Lions Park. There is no cost to participate.

What happens following the ride, Dutky said is anyone’s guess.

“It’s our hope that we can make this loop available year-round at some point,” he said. “We live in a beautiful community and people need to experience it.”

To learn more, go to www.WestSoundCycling.com.