Garden Etiquette & FAQs
Yes. In order to create a spacious experience of the gardens for our visitors, and to reduce crowding and congestion, timed tickets are required for admission to Bloedel Reserve. Tickets are released a month at a time.
Please use the links below to see available date and time slots, to book your visit, and to find out more:
Bloedel Reserve is situated at the north end of Bainbridge Island, at 7571 NE Dolphin Drive, 98110. Bainbridge Island is reachable by ferry from Colman Dock in downtown Seattle and by car from Kitsap Peninsula by crossing the Agate Pass Bridge, located just south of Poulsbo.
- BI RIDE is an on-demand, shared ride service providing public transportation around Bainbridge Island. Visit BI Ride for schedules and service details; BI RIDE does not operate on Sundays.
- Bloedel Reserve is also serviced by bus in the afternoons on weekdays. The Route #94-Agate Point picks up passengers at a bus stop outside Bloedel Reserve between 4:07 PM and 6:52 PM and travels directly to the Bainbridge Island Ferry Terminal. When the #94 bus is running, you can see its real-time location online or in the Kitsap Transit Tracker mobile app.
- Private Taxi service to the Reserve can be booked from several locations on Kitsap Peninsula.
- Bike to Bloedel Reserve–a perfect warm-up for your walk through the gardens! Download the Visit Kitsap Cycling Map to plan your trip. Bike racks are available onsite next to the Gatehouse.
Please arrive at the Reserve at the time specified on your Timed Ticket. How long you stay is up to you. Most guests spend at least an hour on the grounds. To walk the entire trail loop, plan on spending about two hours.
Bloedel Reserve is open year-round, Tuesday-Sunday, rain or shine. Every season and every visit invites new discoveries. Hours may vary seasonally.
We welcome amateur photographers and artists in the gardens. You may use your personal cameras and folding tripod stands or monopod stands that can fit inside a standard backpack. Please use caution when using your photo equipment. Also, please do not block trails or or step off the trails. This causes damage to the plants and landscaping.
The use of drones is NOT permitted at the Reserve. Our aim at Bloedel Reserve is to provide a peaceful, quiet, and immersive experience in nature for all visitors. So we do our best to minimize unnecessary noise and disruptions. Drones are both noisy and disruptive for visitors. Please leave your drones at home.
Commercial photography is NOT permitted. In other words, you may not use the grounds for professional photo shoots or professional portrait photography. Please see our photography, film, and video policies here.
Members of the press should call in advance to arrange for admission to Bloedel Reserve or to schedule a press event. Contact Communications Manager Etta Lilienthal at 206-842-7631, x26 or [email protected].
Visitor maps are available at the main entry at the Gatehouse. We offer maps translated into six languages: English, Hindi, Japanese, Simple Chinese, Spanish, and Urdu.
Our trails are well-maintained bark or paved roadways, so most of Bloedel Reserve is accessible to persons with limited mobility. Due to some stairs or steep terrain, a few areas may be difficult to navigate. Our Guest Services staff will provide you with a map and suggest routes through the Reserve that are accessible to wheelchairs and require the least amount of walking. Sturdy wheelchairs are available for visitors to borrow at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis.
Bloedel Reserve is more than a place of beauty. It’s a living expression of the love story that unfolded during Prentice and Virginia Bloedel’s life on Bainbridge Island. Married to Virginia for more than 65 years, Prentice Bloedel created many of the features of the Reserve as loving gestures on a grand scale especially for his wife.
We welcome engagements that take place while you are walking quietly on the grounds. In other words, there is no need to ask permission if you pop the question while you are here. However, for the sake of all of our guests, we do not allow large props, flash mobs, or other engagement-related productions.
To preserve our natural treasure for future generations, Bloedel Reserve allows two wedding bookings per year. To learn more about this opportunity to celebrate your love story at the Reserve, contact Kelley Walters, Events Manager at [email protected].
Children are very welcome at Bloedel Reserve. Please remember, however, that visiting the Reserve is not the same as visiting a public park. Bloedel Reserve is designed to provide all of its guests with tranquil immersion in nature. So we ask that children always be accompanied by an adult and that they follow Garden etiquette, including no running or loud voices.
Most of the Reserve is flat and the trails are well-defined with bark, so most children have no trouble walking the trails. Even many strollers can navigate the trails, although there are some trail sections with inclines that may be trickier. There is also a paved road running down the middle of the main part of the Reserve that is easily navigable by those using strollers or wheelchairs.
No. Pets are not allowed on the grounds, nor may they be left in cars in the parking lot. Service animals are allowed on the grounds–please alert Gatehouse Staff.
There are wheelchair accessible bathrooms available for guests at the Gatehouse and at the Residence, about halfway through your walk. For your own comfort and safety, please plan ahead.
Visiting Bloedel Reserve is primarily an outdoor experience, so dress appropriately for the season during which you are visiting, bearing in mind temperature and the possibility of rain. The paths and trails have been created so that the walking surface is comfortable and the few inclines are not too steep. Though heavy hiking boots are not necessary, we do recommend that you wear sturdy, closed-toe walking shoes.
The Reserve is open year-round, Tuesday-Sunday, rain or shine. Only on rare occasions do we need to close because of severe weather or high winds. If that becomes necessary, we will post a closure alert on the website and will contact all ticket holders affected by the closure.
Bloedel Reserve has been designed to give guests a unique and immersive experience in nature. While we are a public botanical garden and forest reserve, we are not a public park.
To protect this experience and to protect the wildlife who make their homes at the Reserve, eating food and picnicking are not allowed on the grounds. Guests may bring bottled water.
- No climbing trees, picking flowers or berries, or removing rocks, sticks, flowers or plants.
- No food or picnicking. Water bottles are permitted.
- No smoking, vaping, e-cigarettes.
- No alcoholic beverages, drugs, or illegal substances.
- No weapons of any kind.
- No cremated remains.
- No musical instruments or singing.
- No camping equipment or toys.
- No professional commercial or portrait photography (see complete photo policy). No drones.
- No recreational or wheeled sports equipment: bikes, skateboards, scooters, skates, Segways, frisbees, balls, lawn games, skis, sleds, snowshoes, etc. Please note: Wheelchairs and strollers are welcome.
- No admittance after hours. Please respect open hours and be out by closing time.
If you still have questions, we want to provide the answers. Please click here to contact us.
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