Federal money will help build Puget Sound to Pacific Trail

The 200-mile path will link up to the Bainbridge Island ferry terminal.

A view of the Olympic Mountains from a river in Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park offers diverse terrain + landscapes. | Photo by @kayadusk2dawn via Instagram

Who’s up for a realllly long hike? Thanks to a $16.1 million grant from the US Department of Transportation, plans can speed along on a plan for an epic 200-mile hiking trail that connects the Kitsap and Olympic peninsulas.

Dubbed the Puget Sound to Pacific Trail, travelers could get off the ferry at Bainbridge Island and make it all the way to La Push along the path.

The money will help create designs for key segments of the long-planned trail, while upgrading parts that already exist.

On Bainbridge Island, the trail plans to follow State Route 305 to the Agate Pass bridge and as “a neighborhood connector, and a linear park,” according to a local advocacy organization.

If you simply can’t wait for the big whopper, don’t sweat it — we listed plenty of current local hikes and nature walks to get you moving in the meantime.