Hood Canal

Hood Canal is technically a fjord a naturally occurring body of water formed when the Cordilleran Ice Sheet scoured a deep channel and the sea flooded in as glaciers retreated. The 60-mile waterway is bordered by the Olympic Mountains to the west and the Kitsap Peninsula to the east, producing a sheltered environment of exceptional cold-water clarity. The canal's most distinctive feature is its shellfish culture: dozens of small family oyster operations line US-101 along the western shore, harvesting native Olympia oysters and Pacific oysters that are prized by Seattle chefs for their clean, briny flavor. Roadside shacks sell live oysters by the dozen and steamed Dungeness crab by the pound. Hoodsport is the main service town at the canal's southern end, with a winery producing fruit and grape wines, and proximity to Lake Cushman and Staircase in Olympic National Park. The northern end passes through the logging community of Union and approaches the Kitsap Peninsula towns of Belfair and Bremerton. Kayaking the calm canal waters provides close-up views of harbor seals, bald eagles, and great blue herons against the Olympic peaks backdrop.