Poulsbo

Main highways to Poulsbo are WA Highway 3 from Shelton, north through the county to the Hood Canal Bridge near the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula. From Tacoma and Interstate 5, take WA Highway 16 north from Tacoma across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge until it combines with WA Highway 3 near Gorst.

Like most towns on the Kitsap Peninsula, Poulsbo was built around the harbor and had no roads so the town center is geared towards the piers.

• Port of Poulsbo Guest Marina, 18809 Front St, ☏ +1 360 779-3505. It has 130 visitor slips -- 60 are may be reserved (for groups of 15 boats or more). Easy access to shops and restaurants from the marina. Electrical, pump outs and wifi available. 
• Poulsbo Yacht Club, ☏ +1 360 779-3116. reciprocal yacht clubs only, water and power. Telephone and cable TV hookups are available. Two fixed and one portable waste water stations make pump-outs 

The major bus stations in Poulsbo for Kitsap Transit are at the 🌍 Kingston Ferry Terminal and the 🌍 North Viking Transit Center and Park & Ride, north of town at Viking Way NW & Vetter. The Clallam Transit Rt #123 and Jefferson Transit Rt #7 stop at the North Viking Park & Ride while the Olympic Bus Lines pick up and drop off at the Kingston Ferry Terminal:

• Bremerton-Kitsap Airporter, (bus stop) AM/PM Mini-Market at 15244 Silverdale Way NW (Silverdale Way NW & SR-308), ☏ +1 360 876-1737. provides scheduled ground transportation to and from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to various locations on the Kitsap Peninsula. 
• Dungeness Line (Greyhound Connect), (Scheduled stop) Corner at Henery Hardware @ 10978 NE State Highway 104 in Kingston (eastbound buses/vans pick-up and drop off at the ferry dock while the westbound buses/vans pick up and drop off at Henery Hardware), ☏ +1 360 417-0700. Twice daily connections to/from Discovery Bay, Port Townsend and Port Angeles in one direction and over to Edmonds, downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac in the other. Reservations required. (updated Aug 2017)
• Clallam Transit Rt #123 The Clallam "Strait Shot" (#123) runs thrice daily (M-Sa) and twice on Sundays to Port Angeles from the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal via Suquamish Way and North Viking Transit Center/P&R in Poulsbo with limited stops in Sequim, Jamestown and Discovery Bay.
• Jefferson Transit (JT) JT #7 connects Poulsbo to Port Townsend via Port Ludlow while the #14 bus goes up to Port Townsend from the Kingston Ferry Terminal.
• Kitsap Transit, ☏ +1 360 479-6962, toll-free: +1-800-501-7433, kitsapride@kitsaptransit.com. Kitsap Transit offers transit services throughout the area from the N Viking P&R to Kingston (307); Bremerton (301); Silverdale (301 or 332); Bainbridge Island (390); Downtown Poulsbo (344), etc. Passengers transfer to the Kitsap Fast Ferry in Kingston or onto the Washington State Ferries in Bainbridge Island or Bremerton to reach Seattle. Continue on the Link Light Rail to the airport from downtown Seattle. full fare $2 and is part of the regional ORCA network system. 

• Kitsap Transit, ☏ +1 360 479-6962, toll-free: +1-800-501-7433, kitsapride@kitsaptransit.com. The #344 bus connects North Viking P&R into Poulsbo and serves as a local bus around Poulsbo full fare $2 and is part of the regional ORCA network system. 

• Viking Fest. Celebrates Poulsbo's Norweigian heritage in mid-May. 
• Scandia Midsommarfest. More of that Norweigian heritage celebrations. 
• Thomas Kemper Oktoberfest. Last two weekends of September, think beer and sausage and you've got the idea. 
• Traditional Lutefisk Dinner. Third Saturday in October and in January. 
• Yule Log Ceremony. Santa, folk dancers, and lighting of the Yule Log. 
• Lighted Boat Parade. Santa visits via boat, kind of cool! 

What Puget Sound beaches lack in white sand and warm water is more than made up for in the amazing scenery as the clear waters play against wild coastlines and snow peaked mountains scatter on the horizons. Nearby Kitsap Memorial State Park and Salsbury Point County Park are good places to start a beach combing adventure offering a mixture of beaches from the rugged to the sandy smooth. Small crabs, moon snails, sea stars and sand dollars are common sites and tide pools can offer hours of exploration.

Be warned that sea shells and driftwood are considered part of the natural environment and should not be removed, however the often rocky and wild shores are havens for creating and revealing beach glass and anything artificial found is fair game for removal. Be respectful of private property and gentle with sea creatures. Keep a wide distance away from nesting birds, seals and other shore animals and always put back anything removed from the shoreline.

The Kitsap Audubon Society has been actively meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders actively tracking and sharing sightings since then. They also maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area.

The state Audubon society developed 'The Great Audubon Birding Trail' which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Liberty Bay near Poulsbo is one of only a handful of areas named to the list.

Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Liberty Bay near Poulsbo and helps to make Kitsap one of the most popular areas to kayak in Puget Sound. Poulsbo is one of the many harbor towns that cater to kayakers with shops and restaurants accessible from the water. Harbor Seals, Otters, Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and Blue Herons are common sites and Liberty Bay offers views of nearby beach homes and other boaters.

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

• Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails. The National Parks Service named the this 'Trail of the Month' in the entire USA for the month of December 2012, PDF copies of the water trails map are available and Poulsbo is on the trail. 

• Olympic Outdoor Center (locations in Poulsbo and Port Gamble), toll-free: +1-800-592-5983. It offers kayak rentals, classes and basic information for paddling the area for just a few hours or week long adventures. 

Poulsbo is centrally located on Kitsap Peninsula and offers nearby access to several other towns. Port Gamble and the Olympic Peninsula are to the north via highway 3 and the Hood Canal Bridge. Keyport is slightly to the south while Suquamish is to the west and offers further access to Bainbridge Island via the Agate Pass Bridge.

Poulsbo is located on the protected waters of Liberty Bay and is a fun area to explore by boat or sea kayak. Keyport is also located on Liberty Bay and has a newer marina which has nearby access to the Undersea Museum.