Planning A Trip To Bloedel Reserve?
What I’ve Learned When Planning Out My Trip:
If you are questioning whether or not to visit Bloedel Reserve in the Spring, the answer is ABSOLUTELY YES! 🙂
When my husband and I took a trip to Seattle in the Spring of 2024, I had my heart set on taking a tour of Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. When I was planning our trip I discovered that Seattle offered one of the top rated botanical gardens here in the US, and being that it was a short ferry ride away I started researching to see what we needed to do to ensure we got a spot reserved on the calendar.
Consider The Weather
Because we were traveling in the Spring, May to be exact, I was concerned we were going to be rained out. I was checking the weather almost daily to get a sense of how often it changed, not that I would be able to predict the weather by constantly checking, but I like to think it helped, haha.
It will always be difficult to predict the weather, so I made it my priority to check in on the forecast from time to time. I even started taking screenshots of the weekly forecast so that I could compare and see how often it would fluctuate. Yes, I may have taken this a bit too far in my planning, haha, but I do think it allowed me to make a better decision on the day we chose to purchase our tickets.
How Will You Get There?
While I waited to purchase our tickets, I began to research Bainbridge Island. We were not renting a car, so we could not just drive to the Nature Reserve ourselves. I would need to understand how the transportation system worked and how close the drop off site would be.
Several YouTube videos later, as well as reaching out to people through Reddit, I began to piece together our options. I’m a major planner when it comes to going somewhere I’m not familiar with, so even though I spent so much of my time figuring out our day of adventure, it was so worth it!
I was able to book us a pick up time through their transportation known as Kitsap Transit, which would take us all the way to the entrance of Bloedel Reserve.
Consider Location For Shuttle Pick Up
When you book a time slot through Kitsap using their ‘Ride Pingo’ app, it will give you a time window for when you can expect to be picked up. I loved this option because if you planned ahead you could pick a specific location you will be and the shuttle bus will come to you.
Of course there are bus pick up locations that you could walk to instead, and you wouldn’t have to deal with scheduling a specific time at your chosen location, but I really wanted to check out the iconic Pegasus Coffee House, so we thought that would be a good site location to have as our pick up.
The tour we chose was shortly before noon, so we didn’t give ourselves too much time to tour Bainbridge Island before we hopped on the shuttle, so this worked out well for us. We grabbed our espresso and stepped outside to sit on a bench overlooking the Winslow Wharf Marina.
Use The Ride Pingo App
As we neared our pick up time, I started to get anxious as I didn’t want to miss the shuttle so I kept walking towards the road to check. However, I noticed that when I opened the Ride Pingo app it provided the location of the shuttle on the map in real time.
This was the coolest feature, and although I was still skeptical because I was new to all of this, it allowed me to relax by the water without worrying too much about missing the shuttle. It worked perfectly too because I remember us walking towards the road when it appeared to be turning onto that road from the app, and sure enough there it was, just as the app displayed.
A Breath of Fresh Air
Getting Away from Reality to Connect with Nature
When we arrived, the atmosphere was incredibly serene. Located at the northern tip of Bainbridge Island, this was far enough away from the main downtown area that you can just smell the fresh air and hear nothing but nature, truly removing yourself from reality and connecting back with nature.
Spring Time at Bloedel Reserve
A Unique Experience
Beautiful Views Even in Early Spring
As I had mentioned previously, we were traveling during early Spring so it was expected that we would not get the opportunity to see every garden in full bloom. The amazing thing about Bloedel Reserve however, is that it offers so many unique gardens. Each garden has a purpose and provides seasonal interest no matter what time of year you decide to visit.
Touring the Unique Gardens of Bloedel Reserve
When we checked in, they provided us with a map of the gardens which was incredibly helpful and a fun experience. Bloedel Reserve offers several unique gardens by different names, and you can sort of discover them upon arriving without the map as they really do offer their own distinct appearance.
I loved each of the gardens in their own way, and I took so many pictures while hiking through the trails. However we made sure to stop and take in the incredible views as well. You feel so small when you are surrounded by what I believe to be Western Hemlocks that reach the sky.
Even though we visited the gardens this Spring, I would most definitely go back during another season so I can walk through and explore how much everything has changed, as the colors most certainly will be different. I would love to see the Meadow Garden once all the flowers have bloomed, or I bet the leaves in the fall would be spectacular. Although I wouldn’t see ourselves vacationing in Seattle in the winter time, I have seen images of Bloedel Island in the winter and that too would be incredible to hike through on a nice day. There is just so much this place can offer.
Personal Favorites: A Journey Through My Top Picks
Why I Love the Bloedel Reserve Rhododendron Garden
We walked into the Rhododendron Glen Gardens after touring the home that resides on the land of Bloedel Reserve, and it was simply beautiful. This was a favorite of mine because the flowers were in full bloom at this time in the Spring, and there were so many beautiful colors to see. It had to be a favorite of others touring as well since we started to see people walking these trails nearby.
We had even come very close to a deer amongst the rhododendrons and snapped a picture before it trotted away into the bushes.
The Allure of the Japanese Gardens
Japanese gardens have always been a true favorite of mine, and if I could create one in my own backyard I would do it in a heartbeat, but unfortunately I do not have the ideal conditions it would require (or the space).
These gardens bring a calm feeling, with all the clean lines and perfect manicured trees and bushes. I just loved all the various colors and different shapes of the leaves as you can see in the picture I captured on our way out.
Reflecting by the Reflection Pool
I’ve listed the Reflection Pool as one of my favorite gardens, not because it stands out against these other gardens as this extraordinary space, because what you see is what you see, it’s just simple.
However, I find myself gravitating towards this garden because it relates to my design process in my own personal landscaping. I love simple, functional and clean looking spaces, and this garden is exactly that. The perfectly shaped hedges surrounded by an equally shaped pond gives me this tranquil feeling that I just love.
Finding Calm in the Moss Garden
After leaving the reflection pool I was already relaxed, but when I entered what felt like a fantasy garden, I was in awe. Maybe it was just me, but I felt like what I was looking at was fake. I still do! I snapped a few pictures, and to this day when our photos run through our album on our Google home hub, I stop and stare because it brings me back to this time walking through the trails of Bloedel Reserve.
Embracing Nature at Bloedel Reserve
Planning Your Visit: Tips for Outdoor Enthusiasts and Travelers
When planning to explore the gardens of Bloedel Reserve a few things I planned ahead of our own trip is ordering an Orca card which we used to take the Bainbridge Ferry across the Puget Sound.
I downloaded the Kitsap Transit app (Ride Pingo) to book a pick up time and location with enough time (I believe 25-30 minutes before our scheduled tour) to arrive at our destination, and of course purchased the tickets during the time slot that worked best for us while visiting Seattle.
Although the timing is important, it really was not too bad, as I feel if we had been somewhat late to arrive, they would have taken care of us as everyone we spoke to was so friendly.
Capturing the Beauty: A Photographer’s Paradise
After sharing the pictures from our visit, I’m not sure what more I can say to convince anyone who loves photographing nature that it’s worth checking out. You will find all kinds of things to take a picture of, but don’t forget to put the camera down so you personally can take in the wonderful views and remember the feeling you had when you look back through the pictures you took.
Connecting with Nature: A Must-Visit for Gardeners and Environmentalists
If you will be traveling to Seattle, or even live there and you haven’t toured Bloedel Reserve please do yourself a favor and schedule a time on your calendar. I can’t think of anyone that would not enjoy visiting these gardens, and escaping from reality for a couple hours.
