Fox Island

Fox Island is connected to the rest of Kitsap Peninsula by a bridge located south of Gig Harbor and conveniently close to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

• Fox Island Yacht Club. On 17 acres, fronting Cedrona bay. The club has amenities such as a large clubhouse, a field kitchen with a professional gas barbecue, approximately 150 feet of floating dock complete with 30-amp power and water, launch ramp, sport courts and an outdoor play area but reciprocal moorage only. 
• Toehead Island Boat Launch, 2607 Fox Island Bridge Rd. Boat launch with limited parking but wonderful views and great place for a picnic. 
• The Beachside Bed and Breakfast listed below offers deep water moorage and a gentle beach for landing small craft for guests staying there.
• Buoys and a dock are available with basic facilities at nearby Kopachuck State Park with addition buoys available at Cutts Island.

• Key Peninsula School Bus Connect, ☏ +1 253 884-2287. The local council have arrangements with the local school district to provide public transportation in and around Key Peninsula with connections to Pierce Transit and Sound Transit buses in Gig Harbor. (updated Jan 2019)

• Fox Island Fishing Pier, 1453 Ozette Dr. 7AM till dusk. The pier is a great fishing spot, this 5.5-acre park is located on the Eastern tip of Fox Island. This unique fishing pier was built by the Department of Fishing and Wildlife and managed by the Pierce County Parks Department. Comprising a beautiful accessible fishing dock with paved pathway and handrails for safety in a picturesque setting. 

Shellfish are prized resources of the Puget Sound, the cool, clean waters provide some of the finest shellfish habitat in the world. Washington State is the nation’s leading producer of farmed bivalve shellfish (clams, geoduck, mussels and oysters) and with Kitsap Peninisulas dozens of Public Clam and Oyster Beaches and miles of coastline it is a popular place for individuals to find these elusive and sought after shellfish. Maps of public shellfishing areas and health warnings and updates can be found online at the States Fish and Wildlife website, as with all fishing in Puget Sound permits are required and can be purchased online or in some sporting goods stores.

• Kopachuck State Park. Clams open June 1st through July 31st, Oysters open March 1st through July 31st. This beach close to Fox Island is mostly sandy substrate and littleneck clam habitat is limited. There is a small patch of mixed sand and gravel near the west end of the beach that may have some native littleneck clams and Manila clams, but they are probably not abundant. There are some butter clams and horse clams available on the sandy areas of this beach and there are some oysters available on this beach. 

Scuba diving the cold waters of Puget Sound takes a bit more gear and training than other warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible. The area contains some of the best diving in the world and many areas are accessible from the Kitsap Peninsula. Many dive sites are completely covered with colorful sea creatures that defy description. Giant Pacific Octopus are common, along with friendly wolf eels. Colorful sponges, sea cucumbers, sea stars, soft corals, anemones and fish can be seen on nearly every dive. The state has offers a guide to parks with launch sites here.

• Well-known to regional scuba divers, Z's Reef Marine Preserve is a designated conservation area on the shores of Fox Island. A variety of fishes typically associated with rocky habitats congregate at the site and in such quantities that are unusual for southern Puget Sound. The dominant fishes include copper rockfish, brown rockfish, and quillback rockfish. Other common fishes include lingcod, kelp greenling, painted greenling, wolfeel, and striped seaperch. Pregnant rockfishes are observed at the site during the spring indicating that at least some fishes use the site for reproduction. Other marine organisms include sea stars, encrusting organisms such as giant barnacles, red sea cucumbers, shrimp, and red rock crabs. Seastars are common including sunflower seastar and gumboot chitons are also frequently observed.

Sea kayaking is a rewarding way to explore the Kitsap Peninsulas nearly 400 miles of coastline allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings and making Kitsap one of the most popular areas to kayak in Puget Sound. Fox Islands south Puget Sound location allows excellent viewing of thick forests of majestic pine and deciduous trees in the area and is an excellent place to launch from their public boat launch at 2607 Fox Island Bridge Road. Harbor Seals, Otters, Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Blue Herons are common sites and sea kayaking is an excellent way to explore the local tidal pools.

Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps of appropriate and scenic travel destinations.

• Cascadia Marine Trail. This inland sea trail is a National Recreation Trail and designated one of only 16 National Millennium Trails by the White House. Suitable for day or multi-day trips, the Cascadia Marine Trail has over 50 campsites to visit. People can boat to the campsites from many public and private launch sites or shoreline trailheads and Fox Island is well situated in the South Sound section of trails. 
• Key Peninsula Marine Trail. A 40-mile Peninsular Marine Trail with 14 legs between 15 points of interest during a paddling journey around the Key Peninsula Fox Island is not on the trail however it is nearby. 

• Beachside Bed and Breakfast, 679 Kamus Dr, ☏ +1 253-549-2524. This waterfront offers a nice landing spot for kayakers and other paddlers on their gentle beach. Big-boaters also can use their deep-water buoy just offshore with up to 42-footers welcome. 

Buoys, dock and camping facilities are available with basic utilities are available nearby at Kopachuck State Park with addition buoys available at Cutts Island.

Gig Harbor is to the north and Tacoma is to the east via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Fox Island is a good starting place to explore the area, Penrose Point State Park and the marina at Lakebay is about 2 miles to the west.