West of Gig Harbor and across Carr Inlet is another fingerlike appendage reaching into the southernmost end of Puget Sound: Key Peninsula. The peninsula has a small commercial center called Home, but it is essentially a haven of wooded residences and parks.

Penrose Point State Park (321 158th Ave. S., Lakebay, 253/884-2514 sprawls along two miles of shoreline just south of Home. This marine park is a favorite among pleasure craft and paddling enthusiasts, offering moorage and a boat dock. You can also explore by foot or bike on 2.5 miles of trails snaking through the park. Picnic tables and a large lawn and volleyball pit by the water make this an idyllic place for a picnic and a pickup game of soccer, Frisbee, or volleyball.

On the other side of Key Peninsula, facing Case Inlet, is Joemma State Park (20001 Bay Rd. KP S, Longbranch, 253/884-1944) at Whitman Cove. This is another boating hotspot, with a calm little beach and a big dock.