New Vincent to Gazzam Trail part of cross-island plan

By Molly Hetherwick Bainbridge Island Review • January 30, 2026 1:30 am

Tags: Bainbridge Island, Trails

A new route into the Gazzam Lake Nature Preserve, and a segment of a landmark trails project, is now open: a brand-new path that connects to the Opal Ridge Trail from NE Vincent Road.

It’s also the newest segment of a plan to create Bainbridge’s first-ever cross-island trail, from Winslow to Gazzam.

About 45 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Vincent to Gazzam Trail Jan. 22, hosted jointly by the Bainbridge Island Metro Parks and Recreation District and the BI Parks and Trails Foundation.

Vincent to Gazzam starts next to the city’s transfer station off of NE Vincent Road, skirts the city’s property and connects to the existing trail network on the east side of the preserve. The trail is wide and evenly graded to allow ample space for hikers, and includes safety measures like metal tread for traction on a newly-constructed wooden bridge where the trail crosses Schel-Chelb Creek. There is limited parking available at the entrance on NE Vincent Rd.

At 444.6 acres, Gazzam Lake Preserve is the island’s second largest area of undeveloped property, housing a rich second-growth woodland and wetland that provides critical habitat to dozens of native species of plants and animals. BI community members fought to add protections to the land around Gazzam in the 1990’s, a legacy which organizations like the BI Land Trust continued into the 21st century. Initially, the land was not accessible to the public except through tours led by BILT staff; the trails are now open to the public.

The preserve will be the verdant pendant of a chain formed by trail connections all the way from the BI ferry terminal to the western edge of the island. BIPTF has been working on a cross-island trail for years, and the Vincent to Gazzam connection is a step in the right direction, per a news release from the organization in April 2025.

“It’s a long trail. From Winslow to Gazzam Lake, that’s probably going to be three and a half to four miles, one way. That’s pretty cool,” said Andy Maron in the release, longtime boardmember of BIPTF and advocate for the island’s open spaces, who also helped establish the BI city government and the city’s first Comprehensive Plan.