Bainbridge Island, WA: Gazzam Lake
Hike 2.2 family-friendly miles through the moss-draped trees on Bainbridge Island's west side to this quiet, hilltop lake.
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The trail to Gazam Lake begins at a small dirt parking lot at the end of Deerpark Road. and heads immediately into the woods. The wide path heads immediately west into the woods, skirting two water tanks. From there, turn north and roll through moss-covered evergreens and grassy clearings scattered with rhododendrons and other wildflowers. Stay straight on the main path where it branches near mile 0.5. Bear left when it splits again just before mile 0.8, near the lake’s southern shore.
The hike continues around the lake’s west side; dip down to the water on user-created trails for a peek at its cattail-covered shoreline. There’s an official, marked trail that branches right about a mile from the trailhead and lands at a bench-equipped viewpoint. Rest there, before backtracking to the trailhead.
Though this route turns back after the easy hike to the lake, you could add-on with an additional mile of trail that connects the Gazzam Lake Trailhead on Marshall Road with the right-leading connector trail you bypassed at mile 0.5. Or, continue north then west for a 1.5-mile detour to a beach along Port Orchard Inlet about 400 feet below the lake.
-Mapped by Kristy Holland
