| Illahee State Park is a 75-acre marine camping park with 1,785 feet of saltwater frontage on Port Orchard Bay. "Illahee" means "earth" or "country" in the Indian tradition, and views of Puget Sound from the Illahee beach give the viewer a sense of what that word meant to native people. The park has plenty of parking space, lots of fresh air, and facilities for a number of outdoor activities and access to a variety of water sports. The park features a veterans' war memorial and the last stand of old-growth timber in Kitsap County. One of the largest yew trees in the nation grows in this park. The beach provides great views of Puget Sound. Several interpretive displays are available that explain park features such as stilted trees, a Works Progress Administration-built kitchen shelter, totem garden, yew tree and the pier. A one-lane boat ramp is available on Port Orchard Bay. Indian tradition states that the word "Illahee" means "earth" or "country." Illahee State Park was acquired in seven parcels between 1934 and 1954. Marine facilities include five mooring buoys, four floats (356 feet of moorage float space) and a dock. Facility use is first come, first served, with continuous moorage limited to three consecutive nights. Some recreational activities visitors like to participate in are boating, picnicking, camping, hiking, water skiing, oyster harvesting and clamming are enjoyed in the park. |
|
