At the Water’s Edge

A Breathtaking View

One of the most striking aspects of Bloedel Reserve is not immediately visible when you first arrive. It is only when you reach the Residence and the Bluff that you see the spectacular views of the Puget Sound looking toward the Cascade Mountains. Bloedel Reserve is indeed a waterfront property. We keep the lawns and garden areas overlooking the Puget Sound maintained so visitors can enjoy the view safely because the beach is inaccessible to the public. Slopes to the beach are covered with dense, prickly brush and some of the cliffs are vertical drops. So please just enjoy the views of the water from the safety of the trails and benches.

Saving the Sound

Today, Bloedel Reserve is helping with the restoration of Puget Sound shellfish. The Puget Sound Restoration Fund maintains a community shellfish farm offshore from Bloedel Reserve. The farm is only exposed during extreme low tides. Please do not attempt to visit these shellfish beds. Rather visit the PSRF website to see photos of these beds instead. Proceeds from this farm help support water quality improvement projects and community engagement programs that benefit us all.

A Watery Road

The history of the Residence and particularly its construction are closely tied to the Reserve’s waterfront location. The Residence was originally built in 1931 for Angela Collins, the widowed wife of former Seattle Mayor John Collins. The home was built long before there was a bridge connecting Bainbridge Island to the rest of Kitsap County. As we understand it, construction materials were shipped in and hauled up to the building site from the beach. While the location where materials were delivered is unknown, it seems most likely that the drop-off point would have been at the northeast corner of Bloedel Reserve where the topography is most accommodating (or, more accurately, least unaccommodating).

Well into 1940s, there was a parking area, also located on the northeast corner of the property where the Collinses parked and then walked back uphill to the Residence. The driveway ran through what is now the Birch Garden. As recently as 10 years ago, the broad, flat parking area was still discernible. It was protected from the Puget Sound waves by a bulkhead consisting of short logs set vertically into the ground. In researching this article, we attempted to find this area again. Unfortunately, the log bulkhead seems to have succumbed to the ocean and the rest of the area is buried by fallen trees and ivy. The original driveway road cut is still somewhat visible from certain vantage points, but it is also being reclaimed by Mother Nature.

Fast forward to the 1980s.  Soon after a trail was installed along the east side of the bluff and south into the woods, a small landslide occurred. To prevent further landslides, a contractor was hired to install a stone bulkhead at the beach to deter wave erosion of the slope. The bulkhead consists of very large boulders set into a low wall at the interface between the slope and the sandy beach.

Taking in the View

The diversity of its landscapes is one of the features that makes Bloedel Reserve such an extraordinary place. Walking the Reserve, you see not just the beauty of the views, but the also the vital and vigorous interplay between land, sea, and sky.