Harbor Hill Environmental Sanctuary

A new place to slow down, look closer, and learn outside—right in north Gig Harbor.

The Harbor Hill Environmental Sanctuary (HHES) is a 15-acre nature sanctuary in the Harbor Hill neighborhood of north Gig Harbor—surrounded by apartments, townhomes, single-family homes, and the Heron’s Key senior living community. Created around two detention-settlement ponds and connected wetland trails, HHES is designed for people of all ages and backgrounds to explore, observe wildlife, and experience what a healthy ecosystem looks like up close.

The sanctuary’s ponds collect, temporarily detain, and help filter stormwater runoff from the Heron’s Key campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Through native plantings and habitat restoration, HHES is intended to support healthy communities of plants and animals—including endangered and threatened species—and strengthen ecological balance while also contributing to human health and enjoyment.

What you’ll find at HHES

A sanctuary open to the public year-round is built for access and learning, including:

  • 15 acres with stormwater ponds + connected wetland trails, linking to adjacent wetlands trail systems with a variety of native flora and fauna to observe
  • 1 linear mile of multi-purpose ADA pathway/trail and a service road 
  • Educational + name/place signage to help visitors learn as they explore 
  • Benches and other preserve amenities

What’s New: Harbor WildWatch is now stewarding HHES

After completing substantial construction of the Sanctuary Project, the Friends of Harbor Hill Environmental Sanctuary (FHHES) determined that Harbor WildWatch is best suited to lead the next phase—focused primarily on:

  1. Environmental education — nature-based learning opportunities that help people notice, understand, and care for local habitats.
  2. Habitat enhancement — continued restoration work that strengthens native plant communities and supports wildlife.

FHHES has formally dissolved, with Washington State approving their Articles of Dissolution and Plan of Distribution effective December 31, 2025, and the Sanctuary Project and associated funds were transferred to Harbor WildWatch as of that effective date.

In recognition that residents of Heron’s Key were primary donors in creating the Sanctuary Project, Harbor WildWatch has created a Board position perpetually reserved for a Heron’s Key resident.

Check back for upcoming guided walks, stewardship work parties, and learning events at HHES.

How to Support this Project

As of January 1, 2026, donations for the Sanctuary Project should be made through Harbor WildWatch in these ways:

  • By check: Make checks payable to Harbor WildWatch and write HHES in the memo line mailed to 3207 Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor, WA 98335.
  • Heron’s Key residents: Donations may be placed (sealed in an envelope) in the HK Mail Room Blue Box. 
  • Online: Donate via Harbor WildWatch’s donation page.

Thank you for helping keep HHES growing as a place where the whole community can experience the wonders of our natural environment. We look forward to seeing you at the Sanctuary!