If you go: Hood Canal
From Tacoma: Take Highway 16 west to Gorst, then go south on Highway 3 to Belfair and then follow same directions as above. We made a day of it, doing the Hood Canal Scenic tour, a roundtrip distance of 200 miles, which meant coming down the west side of Hood Canal on Highway 101, a very pretty trip which included postcard views of Mount Rainier from Quilcene and the tiniest little stop at the wine-tasting room adjacent to the highway in Hoodsport. We returned on the east side of the canal by way of Highway 3.
Upcoming events
• Taste of Hood Canal: second Saturday in August; seafood, live music, display booths, car show. Aug. 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., downtown Belfair. It replaces the 26-year-old Summerfest.
• Bat Walk: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 10, 7 p.m. Aug. 31, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14, a learning experience in the wetland, led by biologist Dan Hannafious, at the Mary E. Theler Wetlands. 360-275-0721. hcwater@hctc.com.
Visitor centers
• North Mason Visitor Information Center, P.O. Box 1419, Belfair, WA 98528, 360-275-5548, www.masoncountytourism.com.
• Shelton/Mason County Visitor Information, 210 W. Railroad Ave., Shelton, 800-576-2021, 360-426-2021, www.sheltonchamber.org.
Places to stay in Union
• Alderbrook Resort, a golf and conference center, East 7101 Highway 106. Twenty-one guest cottages, waterfront, marina and courtyard rooms, with prices ranging from $120 to $235 high season. Midweek packages for $79 are available. Swimming pool, restaurant, 1,200-foot dock, conference rooms and associated 18-hole golf course. Alderbrook closes Sept. 30 until at least next July for remodeling. 800-622-9370. www.alderbrookresort.com.
• Robin Hood Village, East 6780 Highway 106. Refurbished cabins dating back to 1934, $85 and $205, sleep from 2 to 10 people; RV and tent sites. 360-898-2163. www.robinhoodvillage.com.
• Dekoeyer Hot Tub Cabins, East 6730 Highway 106. A range from basic cabins to 3-bedroom units, $90-$185. Weeknight discounts available. 360-898-3434.
Places to visit in Union
There are a number of small shops in or near Union, including The Silver Wren at Alderbrook, Daisy Pot Antiques and Waterwheel Gift and Gallery, all on East Highway 106. See www.shophoodcanal.com for more details.
Dalby Waterwheel, a favorite stop for photographers, was built in 1922 and is still operating on East Highway 106, just west of Alderbrook.
Hunter Farms is a favorite for many visitors with local fresh produce and seafood, greenhouse plants, animals and seasonal country events, East 1921 Highway 106. 360-898-2222 or 360-426-2222.
Places to eat in Union
We ate all our meals at Alderbrook, where we enjoyed grilled halibut neptune, crab louie and grilled salmon filet with garlic mashed potatoes. Costs ran from $12 to $15 for breakfast and lunch and as high as $25 for dinner entrees. The food was satisfying in every case, and the waterfront view was hard to beat. East 7101 Highway 106. 360-898-2200, Ext. 163.
Another stalwart in the area, Victoria's Restaurant, next to Robin Hood Village at East 6790 Highway 106, has been around since 1934. The new owners, who are keeping the place open as they remodel, may return to a Robin Hood theme with a new name in the next month. Entrees run from $9.95 for burgers to $23.95 for rib steak and here, as in much of the Hood Canal area, there's a special emphasis on seafood. 360-898-4400.
Other choices include the Union Bay Cafe at East 5121 Highway 106, 360-898-2462 or, for deli-type foods, the Union Country Store & Deli, East 5130 Highway 106. 360-898-2641.
Places to stay in Belfair
Belfair Motel, 23322 Highway 3, 360-275-4485. Twenty-eight rooms, located just south of the downtown district on Highway 3.
For information on bed and breakfasts in and near Belfair call the North Mason County Visitor Information Center at 360-275-5548.
Places to visit in Belfair
The Hood Canal Theler Wetlands & Trail System offers four miles of barrier-free trails over 135 acres. Open daily from dawn to dusk. Highlights include viewing platforms, 1,768 feet of floating boardwalk and many interpretive kiosks. Enjoy hands-on displays and educational exhibits at the Mary E. Theler Exhibit Building, found at the Hood Canal Watershed Project Center near the trailhead. From Highway 3 near the south end of Belfair, look for the Mary E. Theler Community Center across from Belfair Elementary School. The trailhead is next to the parking lot. 360-275-4898 for the community center; 360-275-0721 for the projects center. www.hctc.com/~hcwater.
Washington State Parks
• Reservations: (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.
• Information line: 360-902-8844.
• Web site: www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.
Belfair State Park, 3 miles west of Belfair on Highway 300, has 184 campsites, including 47 with RV hook-ups; hot showers. It's a 63-acre, year-round camping park with 3,720 feet of saltwater shoreline. Reservations taken at the state number listed above.
Twanoh State Park is 8 miles southwest of Belfair on Highway 106. It has 47 campsites, including 22 with RV hook-ups; hot showers. This is a first-come, first-served park. No reservations.
Potlatch State Park, 12 miles north of Shelton on Highway 101 or three miles south of Hoodsport on Highway 101, has 37 campsites, including 18 RV hook-ups. Park includes 9,570 feet of saltwater shoreline. This is a first-come, first-served park.
— Sherry Stripling