Overview
Belfair lies at the innermost waters of Hood Canal, at the far south end of the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound of Washington state. It is home to the renowned Theler Wetlands, a center for environmental recreation and education.
3 things to do · 2 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Belfair
Tahuya State Forest
A 23,000-acre working forest on the southeastern portion of the Hood Canal. Tahuya offers recreation opportunities primarily for off-road vehicle riding (ORV), but also for horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hun…
Belfair State Park
A 65-acre, year-round camping park on 3,720 feet of saltwater shoreline at the southern end of Hood Canal. It is noted for its saltwater tide flats, wetlands with wind-blown beach grasses and pleasant areas for beach wal…
Theler Wetlands
These protected wetlands are where the Union River estuary meets the far end of the Hood Canal. More than 4 miles of well-groomed nature trails and boardwalks take you to prime wildlife watching habitat. The Nature Cente…
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Sep. Summer highs reach about 78°F; winter lows dip to about 37°F. Wettest: Nov and Jan. (climate data from nearby Seattle)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- TIW Tacoma Narrows Airport, Tacoma — 17 mi away. Directions
- SEA Seattle–Tacoma International Airport, Seattle — 24 mi away (major hub). Directions
State Route (SR) 3 is the main roadway in Belfair, travelling through the core of Belfair and leading to Bremerton in the north and Allyn in the south.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Theler Wetlands, Belfair State Park
- Lunch Seabeck Pizza
- Afternoon Tahuya State Forest
- Dinner El Sombrero
- Evening The Hideaway
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
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Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
By car
State Route (SR) 3 is the main roadway in Belfair, travelling through the core of Belfair and leading to Bremerton in the north and Allyn in the south.
State Route (SR) 106 intersects SR-3 at the south end of town, where it leads drivers from Belfair to Union, farther south along the shores of Hood Canal.
By bus
The area is serviced by Mason Transit, a public transport operator, with routes to and from nearby communities of Shelton (Route 1) and Bremerton (Route 3). The Belfair-Bremerton route goes up into the Bremerton Ferry Terminal, making it easy for travelers to get to Belfair from Seattle and King County.
Get around
By bus
Mason Transit operates the Belfair Loop bus (Route 4), a local shuttle around town.
See
- Multiple full-wall artistic murals scattered throughout town
Do
Do Theler Wetlands
These protected wetlands are where the Union River estuary meets the far end of the Hood Canal. More than 4 miles of well-groomed nature trails and boardwalks take you to prime wildlife watching habitat. The Nature Center classroom is only open for educational groups, but is surrounded by interpretive displays, and there are short self-guided walking tour itineraries.
Do Tahuya State Forest
A 23,000-acre working forest on the southeastern portion of the Hood Canal. Tahuya offers recreation opportunities primarily for off-road vehicle riding (ORV), but also for horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, camping and other uses. This popular year-round destination area attracts more than 150,000 motorized recreationists and 50,000 non-motorized recreationists each year.
Water activities
Hood Canal, despite its name is not a canal but it actually an inland fjord that stretches for over 70 miles inland separating the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula. It is a prime destination in the area for outdoor recreation and nature viewing with sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains and lush forests. Waterskiing, shellfishing, beachcombing, swimming and picnicking are popular during warm weather.
Birdwatching
The Kitsap Audubon Society has been meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders tracking and sharing sightings since then. They maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area.
The state Audubon society developed The Great Audubon Birding Trail which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. The Theler Wetlands are a good place for birdwatching.
Buy
Gift shops and an art gallery featuring local artists can be found on SR-3, the main road through town.
Eat
Eat Seabeck Pizza
Offers pizza, salads, and sandwiches. Started in 1989 in historic Seabeck on the Hood Canal, Seabeck Pizza has since expanded to a few locations on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Drink
Go next
Nearby
Allyn
City / town · 6 listings · 5 mi away
Gorst
City / town · 8 listings · 8 mi away
Purdy
City / town · 7 listings · 10 mi away
Port Orchard
City / town · 39 listings · 10 mi away
Key Peninsula
Rural area · 28 listings · 11 mi away
Bremerton
City / town · 34 listings · 12 mi away
Tahuya
City / town · 6 listings · 12 mi away
Seabeck
City / town · 11 listings · 13 mi away
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