Fort Ward Trail System

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The Fort Ward Trail System is made up of 3 different trails with varying difficulty levels.

The Lower Fort Ward Trail is rated Easy and is a .89 mile long paved, flat trail that parallels the Puget Sound beach. It is a very popular trail that provides bird watching opportunities, views of the Olympic Mountains, and historic interpretation of the park’s military past. This trail can be accessed from the Pleasant Beach Drive NE parking lot.

The Upper Fort Ward Trail is rated Intermediate and is a .75 mile long trail that travels steeply up the hillside to the park’s forested uplands. It provides views of the Puget Sound, historic interpretation, and links the park’s two parking lots. This trail can be accessed from both parking lots.

The Ridge Trail is rated Easy and is a .5 mile long trail that skirts along the upland ridge of the park overlooking the Puget Sound waterway. The nearest access to this trail is from the Fort Ward Hill Road NE parking lot, approximately 0.2 miles north along the Upper Fort Ward Trail.

The Fort Ward Trail System can be accessed at Fort Ward Park from 2 different parking lots. The main parking lot is located at the dead-end of Pleasant Beach Drive NE and a smaller parking lot is located off Fort Ward Hill Road NE. Both parking lots have sufficient parking, restrooms, and trash facilities.