Starting from the parking lot on Miller Road, we took the Grand Forest West Main Trail counterclockwise to the Trillium Trail, went up the Trillium Trail past the pretty little pond to the Hilltop, then backtracked to the Main Trail and closed the loop. 2.5 miles, 230 feet ascended.

The small parking lot (10-12 cars) was half full when we arrived just before 10:00 on this Friday. There were still a couple of spots available when we left just after 11:00.

The trail was very quiet; we encountered just one runner, and a human/dog pair. Footing was good: a few mud puddles, generally damp, but solid underfoot. We were fortunate to have some sunbreaks and no rain. Very peaceful and relaxing walk.

I've done different sections of the Grand Forest, but never written a trip report so thought why not start with this one! We did about 2 miles total of the Grand Forest East this time. The parking lot is big enough for about 6-8 cars and it wasn't busy when we got there. It was raining though so I imagine that's why it was calmer than the times I've done the west section. 

The trail is in good condition and VERY lush right now. The hues of green and all the moss reminded me of the Hoh. The trail is relatively flat minus a couple small hills, but it's great for kids or people with knee issues like my partner. We found remains of an old car that has been taken over by ivy a little off the trail which was cool! It's easy to miss and I can't remember where on the trail it was, but it was like finding an Easter egg, which is perfect because we did this trail on Easter :)

Well-tended trails with many  choices for our walk.  We did a half loop through the west part of the park then a full loop on the east side before completing our western loop.  We found a rough-hewn bench by a pond for lunch and enjoyed the solitude of the park.  We saw very few people and encountered one party of horseback riders and one bicyclist.  A great place for a forest bathe with a ferry ride to begin and end it.

A friend and I decided to take a day trip over to Bainbridge Island to explore.  The downtown area is very touristy so we headed out to Grand Forest for a hike.  

We parked at the Ft. Ward parking lot and headed off through the trails towards Blakely Harbor.  I think someone else mentioned printing off a trail map at biparks.org and I second that.  It's a good idea!  There are a lot of intersecting trails that are well marked but having a map to follow those is very helpful.  The trail started off in the woods and was really nice and well maintained.  The elevation gain is so slight that it really isn't worth mentioning.  We came out on a road and crossed to do the Blakely Harbor Loop.  There was a very interesting painted concrete structure down by the water behind what appears to have once been a pier (lots of old pilings).  A bridge led us across to a beach area and then back to where we started from.  Once again, we crossed the road and went back into the forest on the same trail we came out on.  Taking a spur trail to the right, we crossed a very small foot bridge and hooked up with the main trail.  Staying on the main trail at every split, we followed it through the woods and down a hill, coming across some old bunkers as we went.  They were interesting and well-graffitied.   After pausing for a bit we continued on down the steep hill and the trail dumped us out onto a road.  A few hundred feet up the road was a pit toilet and a boat ramp as well as beach access.  We sat on the beach and had a snack before continuing back up the hill we came down on.  There was a road (the one we crossed) coming out of the trees down the hill that a lot of people were appearing out of and we found out that that came from the opposite side of the lot we parked in.  Apparently there was another set of bunkers (gun battery) and barracks along it that we missed.  Maybe next time we will go that way!

It was a fun day exploring and as it was a hot one, we were happy to be in the cool woods and on an island where there was a lovely breeze blowing.  Afterwards, we headed into town and grabbed a bit to eat at the Harbour Public House.  Pretty cool atmosphere with good food and friendly service.   

A pleasant network of wooded trails, great for bringing kids and dogs. We hiked both the west and east trail networks (plus the connector trail) with very little overlap for a total of 6 miles. Both networks are relatively flat, no big climbs.

I recommend downloading the trail map beforehand at biparks.org, but you can also photograph the trail map at the parking lot(s). There are many junctions, which would be confusing if they weren't so well-signed and (usually) accompanied by maps. We encountered a couple who had lost their way, but it sounded like they hadn't been observing the maps at the junctions. The maps really do help! We used GPS too, to track which trails we'd covered and minimize overlap.