The Key Peninsula, west of Gig Harbor is a beautiful peninsula made up of 75 square miles at low tide and 65 at high tide and offers wonderful forested parks and scenic views as well as agricultural and maritime history.

The primarily rural peninsula includes several small communities:

• Key Center is the heart of the peninsula, with a store and museum.
• Home, founded as a utopian community in 1896 still has some of the original freethinking settler families and many of the original properties.
• Longbranch, envisioned as a East Coast type seaside resort.
• Lakebay, Lakebay and Bay Lake named for their close proximity to each other.
• Glen Cove, originally called Balch Cove after early resident Billy Balch and Captain Lafayette Balch founder of Steilacoom.
• Minter, earliest history in the area and known for its oyster farm.
• Herron Island, 1.25 miles long, and 1/2 mile across - off the west side of the Key Peninsula and accessible by boat including a private ferry.
• Vaughn, William Vaughn made the first land claim on the Key Peninsula on the south side of the bay that now bears his name. The Key Peninsula Museum can be found here.

Beautiful views and water access make this a relaxed and enjoyable place to tour for a day or overnight.

The Peninsula enjoys two State Parks:

• Joemma Beach State Park
• Penrose Point State Park.