Summer
Long light on the valley, farm stands in gear, and the house at peak demand. Book early.
Center Valley
Chimacum & Port Hadlock: The Valley, the Grocery & the House
Chimacum is the farm valley the house sits in. Port Hadlock is the next town down the hill — QFC, fuel, pharmacy, and pet boarding. Treat them as one errand loop, not two destinations.
Signature stops
The valley and the errand town
Why this valley
Where are Chimacum and Port Hadlock?
Chimacum and Port Hadlock sit next to each other in Jefferson County, south of Port Townsend. Blue Mountain Retreat is at 516 Blue Mountain Rd, Chimacum, WA 98325 — Center Valley views and the Cascades. Port Hadlock is a few minutes down the hill: the full grocery, gas, pharmacy, and the pet boarding we send people to. Locals run them as one stop.
You came so the kids would occupy themselves in the woods and the field. Chimacum is the quiet. Port Hadlock is the errand. Port Townsend is only when you want a seaport.
Once you’re there
What Chimacum and Port Hadlock actually are
Center Valley is working farmland. From the house you see fields and the Cascades on a clear day. That view is why people sit on the deck — not a backdrop you drive to.
Chimacum Corner Farmstand (9122 Rhody Drive) is the local grocer and nursery: produce, coffee, and food a reunion kitchen can actually use. Finnriver and other valley spots exist for adults; this remains a family house — plan accordingly.
The grocery run most groups mean is QFC in Port Hadlock, at 1890 Irondale Road. It is a full supermarket — produce, meat, bakery, household goods — a few minutes from the house, not a Costco errand in Silverdale. Confirm hours before you send the first car. Port Townsend still works if you are already in town.
Port Hadlock is also fuel, pharmacy, and pet boarding (no animals at the house, no exceptions). There is no nightlife to miss. Quiet hours at the house are 10:00 PM. The valley agrees.
- 516 Blue Mountain Rd — listing and map pin (never 512)
- Chimacum Corner Farmstand on Rhody Drive
- QFC grocery at 1890 Irondale Road, Port Hadlock
- Fuel, pharmacy, and pet boarding in Port Hadlock
By season
When the valley is easiest
Fall through spring
Quieter roads, wet woods the kids still use, and weekday rates. The valley does not close.
Useful links
Parks, operators, and visitor sites
Official parks and local operators — the links people ask for when they’re planning a day out.
The house
Rooms, play spaces, and the acres — Blue Mountain Retreat is the destination.
QFC — Port Hadlock
Full grocery at 1890 Irondale Road. Confirm hours before you send a car.
Chimacum Corner Farmstand
Local produce, coffee, and pantry goods on Rhody Drive.
Port Townsend
The closest seaport when you want a street with shops.
Getting here
Ferries, SEA, and why the map pin is 516.
See it
The acres around the house
Destination photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, the National Park Service, and Blue Mountain Retreat.
Trip notes
Practical details before you go
- Navigate to 516 Blue Mountain Rd. 512 is Dave’s house for mailed checks only — wrong pin, awkward driveway.
- Grocery: QFC at 1890 Irondale Road in Port Hadlock for the full cart; Chimacum Corner Farmstand on Rhody Drive for local food. Dave’s arrival notes include a short list.
- No pets, no exceptions. Boarding is in Port Hadlock, about 8 miles from the house: dogandigroomandboard.com.
- Fuel and pharmacies are in Port Hadlock, not on Blue Mountain Road.
Drive time from Blue Mountain Retreat: you are already here.
The house in the valley
Blue Mountain Retreat is the stay
There is no hotel row in Chimacum. The product is one 6,500 sq ft house on 20 acres, exclusive use, sleeps 25.
If you are searching “Chimacum WA lodging” or “family reunion house Olympic Peninsula,” this is the listing. Town and parks are optional. The woods are not.
More nearby
Other Olympic Peninsula guides
about 15–20 minutes
Port Townsend
Walkable Victorian downtown, a working waterfront, and enough food and shops for a town day without turning the week into an itinerary.
about 20–25 minutes · ~16 miles
Fort Worden
Beaches, bunkers you can explore, and bluff trails at the north end of Port Townsend — the outing the original site always listed first.
about 20 minutes to the dock
Whale watching
Day boats on the Salish Sea from Port Townsend — orcas and other whales in season, booked as a single outing, not a week-long safari.
about 15–20 minutes to the launch
Kayaking
Kayak, SUP, and bikes from Port Townsend — a water day that still gets everyone home for dinner on the acres.
about 1 hour 45 minutes to Hurricane Ridge
Olympic National Park
Hurricane Ridge for a mountain day; rain forest and coast if you want a longer drive. One park day, then back to Blue Mountain Retreat.
about 40 minutes
Sequim
Dungeness Spit, lavender farms in summer, and drier Olympic Peninsula weather — a westbound day that is still shorter than the national park.
about 15 minutes · ~8 miles
Port Ludlow
Marina, championship golf, and a planned waterfront community about 15 minutes south — a half day on Ludlow Bay, then back to the acres.
ferry plus a peninsula drive
Getting here
Kingston or Bainbridge ferry, SEA, and the 516 map pin — practical arrival notes before anyone puts 512 in the GPS.
Common questions
Chimacum and Port Hadlock questions
Drive time, seasons, and what actually fits a family group.
Where are Chimacum and Port Hadlock?
Next to each other in Jefferson County, south of Port Townsend. Blue Mountain Retreat is at 516 Blue Mountain Rd, Chimacum, WA 98325. Port Hadlock is a few minutes down the hill.
Is there a grocery store in Chimacum?
Chimacum Corner Farmstand on Rhody Drive is the local grocer. The full supermarket is QFC at 1890 Irondale Road in Port Hadlock, a few minutes from the house. Port Townsend also has groceries if you are already in town.
Is Chimacum the same as Port Townsend?
No. Chimacum is the valley the house sits in. Port Hadlock is the next town for grocery and errands. Port Townsend is the Victorian seaport 15–20 minutes north.
Dave & Patti
You are looking for Chimacum lodging. This is Blue Mountain Retreat.
Sleeps 25, exclusive use, 20 acres. Check dates with Dave.