Banner Forest Heritage Park

Banner Forest Heritage Park is a one square mile (645-acres) multi-use park of undeveloped forest and wetland with 29 miles of trails. People are hiking, trail running, mountain biking, dog walking and horse-riding. Most of the trails are easy walking and well maintained. In the center of the park are some ponds and wetlands that have special protections. Kitsap County acquired the property in 2000 from the DNR after a 10-year community effort to save it. The trails are now maintained by the volunteers of Banner Forest Stewardship Group. Banner Forest was originally set aside and mandated to fund schools through timber harvest. As this became difficult due to the urban location, the DNR planned to trade the parcel of land for better timberland elsewhere. Because of the trade deal, it almost became a neighborhood, but was saved by local action.

The main route through the park is a 2-mile road that is only used for maintenance and emergencies. There is parking at both ends of the gated road. The road is the best option during wet periods as some of the trails can get muddy. Just walking the road gives a good overview of the park. But branching off the road are the endless side trails. You could do loop trips for days. Although you are sharing the trails with bikes, the lack of steep trails keeps the bikers slower than normal. Still, be aware on some of the more twisty trails, they are biker favorites. There are kiosks at both trailheads with a map and general rules but having a map on your phone like Strava will tell you exactly where you are in the maze of intersections.

Take Sedgwick Road to Banner Road and go south on Banner Road to the intersection of Banner and Overra Road. The property will be to your right just past the intersection. Parking at the trailhead on Banner Road can fill up early. Shoulder parking is located at the secondary trailhead on SE Ollala Valley Road.