Hood Canal is spanned at only one point along its entire length, by the 6,471-foot-long Hood Canal Floating Bridge that connects the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas near Port Gamble. The world’s third-longest floating bridge (the longest over tidewater) was opened in 1961 and served the peninsulas well until February 13, 1979, when a violent storm with 100-mph gales broke off and sank nearly a mile of the western portion of the bridge.

In a remarkable feat of driving, a trucker in his 18-wheeler backed the semi at almost full throttle off the bridge when it began to sink. To prevent another sinking, the center span of the rebuilt bridge is now opened when wind conditions are severe.

You can cast a line for salmon or bottom fish from the fishing pontoon; there’s a special anglers’ parking lot at the Kitsap end of the bridge. Keep your eyes open for submarines; the Navy’s Trident fleet often passes through en route to or from the Bangor submarine base. Just north of the bridge, Salsbury Point County Park has a boat launch and camping.