Hostelling International Port Townsend Olympic

Girl Scout Programs

The HI-Olympic Hostel is pleased to host Girl Scout troops from across Washington state. Troops visit in conjunction with a Hostelling International Travel 101 workshop or an Environmental Studies program offered by the hostel.

Troops staying at the hostel are invited to assist with a community service project which usually consists of working on the land pulling invasive weeds and maintaining and beautifying overgrown and neglected meadows and trails. In 2005 troops were enlisted to help with the exterior painting of the hostel building.

After the community service project the troop is led on a walking tour of the Fort to high bluff lookouts and darkly tunneled bunkers. The tour combines history of the Fort and its importance during the time it was active, sustainable living practices - such as the hostel’s worm farm, and fun and imagination - creating echos in the empty batteries and watching for grazing deer or playful raccoons.

Interested troops can contact the hostel's group coordinator, Christopher Overman, at (360) 385-0655 for more information.

The hostel is located at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, at the very northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Once an active army base it has become a state park with miles of beaches, walking trails with incredible views out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and across to the Cascades, a Marine Science Center, museums, and old batteries and bunkers to explore.

Port Townsend is within an hour's drive of the Olympic National Park. The town of 8,500 people has an historic downtown shopping area filled with art galleries, toy stores, ice cream parlors, a movie theater, and several reasonably priced restaurants serving pizza to vegetarian dishes. There is a natural food co-op and a nearby Safeway in town.