With the weather warming and summer around the corner, it’s a great time to revisit local parks and check out the miles of trails. Many of the areas are maintained by volunteers, who’ve been busy this spring clearing debris left behind by the winter storms.

Here is a guide to trails and parks in the North End, brought to you courtesy of the Kingston Parks, Trails and Open Space Committee. These are public areas for hiking, non-motorized biking and outdoor recreation. This is not an official guide – rather it’s the opposite. Rules for county parks are usually posted. For other areas: take out your trash, use common courtesy and do no harm. See the sidebar below for information on where dogs are allowed.

The trails committee is installing newly minted signs at public trailheads to make them easier to identify.

Happy strolling!

Kingston Urban Area

Port of Kingston: North Beach – A stairway on the northeast side of the ferry holding area leads down to a sheltered beach surrounded by a high bluff. Parking is along Washington Avenue and 2nd Avenue. Mike Wallace Park – A grassy area at the marina, home to the Saturday Kingston Farmers’ Market, Fourth of July celebrations and other gatherings. The marina has two-hour parking.

Kola Kole Park: Between Highway 104 and 1st Avenue, site of the historic Kola Kole schoolhouse where the Kingston Cooperative Preschool resides, playground, Boy Scout cabin, VFW hall, non-regulation baseball field, basketball courts and parking. Tiny Town set up here during Fourth of July.

4th Avenue: A trail between Pennsylvania Avenue (at the Bayview Apartments sign) and Ohio Avenue; trailheads look like dirt driveways.

Washington Avenue: A mostly closed road that runs along bluffs overlooking Puget Sound between 1st and 4th avenues.

Tennis Courts & Village Green: On West Kingston Road. Park at the courts or adjacent housing, which is being rented until the park is developed. Enter parkland on the road by the courts. Future home of the Kingston Community Center/library complex.

Quiet Place Park: A network of trails halfway up Ohio Avenue. A sign marks the park. One car parking on Ohio otherwise up the hill at the Northwest Laborers School when not in session. Nearby, across Ohio are two entry points to the PUD trails system (below).

PUD Trails: A network of trails on Public Utilities District land. Entry points have green and white Greater Peninsula conservancy signs. These entries include: behind of the first row of units at Bayview Estates on Pennsylvania Avenue (walk around the fence gate); and at the east end of 272nd Avenue, ½ mile up Lindvog Road from Highway 104. There are two trailheads here with a sign at the furthermost one. Ohio Avenue has two entry points on the west side of the road. Both have conservancy signs. You can easily reach the entry to the Quiet Place Park across Ohio Avenue and between the two PUD entrances.

Skateboard Park: Parking available. The adjacent woodland will be part of the Village Green park eventually. Across Lindvog is a trail to nearby housing

Stillwaters Environmental Education Center: A private center on Barber Cut Off Road with wetland trails. Open for events and special programs.

Carpenter Lake Nature Reserve: On Barber Cut Off Road. Access is at Gordon Elementary School. Follow signs to park at designated areas in the school lot. The trail starts behind the portable classrooms and leads to an extensive boardwalk with lake and wildlife viewing.

Nike Park: A network of trails on Barber Cut Off Road. No sign posted at trailhead but look for two parking spots on either side of a tree across from the flashing light for Gordon Elementary. In 2007, the trail will be connected to the Kingston High School trail system.

Kingston High School: When construction is complete in summer 2007, there will be a trail system in place connecting the high school with Kingston Middle School, Gordon Elementary and Nike Park. Turn on Siyaya and continue past Spectrum Community School.

Arness Park and the Slough: Off of South Kingston Road. Parking, picnic tables and a summer port-a-john (a permanent year-round toilet is to be installed in 2007). Excellent access to Appletree Cove’s tidal flats at low tide. Bird watching in the winter and summer swimming with kids riding the flume through the nearby culvert. The slough is private but paddling around in a kayak at high tide is allowed

Appletree Cove: At low tide you can walk on the cove’s tidelands, sometimes all the way around it. Although most tidelands are privately owned, the trails committee was advised that the public can legally walk across but not stop or shellfish.

Olympic Resource Property’s Arborwood Property & Kingston Sewage Treatment Plant: Olympic Resources generously allows use of its network of logging roads and trails for hiking and horses. No motorized vehicles. Access is at the end of Norman Road, Hill Bend Road and at South Kingston Road where it makes a sharp left turn at the entrance to White Horse. Limited parking at each location.

Seatter Road: Access is where Seatter Road ends (going south) with a sharp left turn and a dirt road starts. At the end of the dirt road is a gate entry into the Port Madison Indian Reservation’s logging roads. Recommended parking is on Seatter Road.

Greater Kingston, Hansville, Indianola & Port Gamble rural areas

Heritage Park: A 400+-acre undeveloped park between South Kingston and Miller Bay roads. An entry road and parking area off Miller Bay Road is expected sometime this year. It has numerous logging roads and trails. Access points include: North entry – From the end of Hillbend Road walk the trail to the gravel road. Turn right and a logging road is ¼ mile up on the left. The logging road often floods. Continuing straight leads to the sewage treatment plant. From the end of Norman Road, follow the dirt road. A trail branches off to the right. To get to the logging road, continue to the gravel road, bear right and the logging road is about 1/4 mile on the right. East entry – Take South Kingston Road to the sharp left turn at the entrance of White Horse. Park at the red and white road end. Walk down the first roadway to the left. The access road under the power lines has become blocked by blackberries and scotch broom but may be cleared in the future. Walk up the gravel road that ends at the sewage treatment plant. South entry – Go to the two small water towers off of Sunridge Way in the Miller Bay Estates. Go behind the towers and north into the parkland.

Beach Access: South of Arness Park, beach access is through private communities including Taree Road, the end of Seatter Lane, President’s Point Estates and the Indianola pier. The Indianola pier and stairway to the beach is the most accommodating. Park near the Indianola Clubhouse. The nearby store is the center of community information and has drinks and sandwiches.

Indianola Woodland and Waterfront Preserve: The woodland preserve is on Indianola Road near Cliff Hill Road with limited parking. The waterfront area is south of Seaview Avenue between Cliff Hill and Chief Sealth roads and has beach access.

Kingston-Eglon Trail: A dirt road with trailhead parking for Department of Natural Resources property at the very end of Parcell Road. The trail connects into Eglon with improvements to washed-out areas planned for 2007. The DNR property has many small trails.

Eglon Boat Launch: A boat launch and beach access off of Eglon Road.

Point No Point Park: A sandy beach with tidal flats, fishing, shell and driftwood collecting. A popular bird watching location with sightings posted on www.tweeters.com. The main beach park is at the end of Point No Point Road. A trail along the bluff above the beach also has trailhead parking at the end of Thors Road. The beach and bluff are connected by stairs cut into the slope. Using Hill View Lane that connects Thor’s to Point No Point Road, there’s a pleasant walking loop. Docents give tours of the lighthouse noon-4 p.m. on weekends, April through September. Parking and a port-a-john are available. It’s busy on summer weekends and during fishing season. The tidelands on the eastern side of the point and bluff are public land and frequently used for shellfishing.

Department Of Fish and Wildlife Park: Just up the road from Point No Pont Park is a seaside fish camp owned by the state. Principally for RVs with toilets and a shower open year-round. It provides back up parking for the Point No Point Park.

Buck Lake Park and the Hansville Greenway: Off Buck Lake Road. Restrooms, parking, grassy fields, picnic areas, a boat launch and swimming in the summer. The greenway has a trails network linking several ponds. To find the trails, cross the field from the parking area and follow the split rail fence to the trail entrance. Inside you’ll find a kiosk with maps and information.

Nature Conservancy Land: Wetlands and Hood Canal beach access and limited parking. Go to the end of Hansville Road where it turns left to becomes Twin Spits Road; 2.8 miles after the turn, on the left, you’ll see signs “no parking dusk to dawn” that mark trailhead that leads to a beach with excellent views of the Olympics.

Olympic Resources Property at Port Gamble: There are 4,000 acres of trails and logging roads on the west side of Highway 104 around Port Gamble. Non-motorized biking, hiking and equestrian use is allowed. The roads are numbered and maps are available at the Port Gamble Web site (www.portgamble.com) and usually at the General Store. Three major entry/parking points: South entry – Off a short road that connects Highway 307 to Highway 104 to the west of the signal light. East entry – At a model airplane airport on Highway 104 just south of Port Gamble near mile marker 18. North entry – In Port Gamble at the end of South Teekalet Avenue.

Port Gamble Historic District: Grassy fields and a historic community modeled after the founders’ home in Maine. A museum is under the general store. A Sunday farmers’ market takes place in the summer and many other special events and festivals. Check the Web site for details, www.portgamble.com.

Salsbury Point Park: Grass areas, picnic tables, playground, summer restrooms and a Hood Canal boat launch.

Out & about with dogs

Dogs are not allowed in Kitsap County wildlife refuges and are required to be leashed in all North End county parks. (There are two dog parks in South Kitsap). Elsewhere, the county requires that if off the property of its owner, a dog must be “under physical restraint adequate to the size and nature of the animal or is sufficiently near its owner to be under its owner’s direct control and is obedient to its owner’s commands.” Exceptions are pets engaged in formal training, hunt or competition, and service dogs. There are also special rules for dogs that are declared dangerous.