Toe Jam Hill, 425 feet tall, is the high point on Bainbridge Island, Washington and one of the highest points in Kitsap County, Washington.[1][2][3]

Toe Jam Hill
Sign on Toe Jam Hill Road, overlooking Puget Sound
Highest point
Elevation425 ft (130 m) NAVD 88[1]
Prominence425 ft (130 m)[1]
Coordinates47°35′03″N 122°30′08″W / 47.58417°N 122.50222°W / 47.58417; -122.50222
Geography
Topo mapUSGS Bremerton East

Its name has several explanations, including that it was named for a local settler with the name Torjam (the explanation given by the local historical society),[4] that it was named for stumbling drunkards, or that existing explanations are "all conjecture".[5][6]

The hill was once a "villainous" milestone for bicycle riders on the Chilly Hilly season opener sponsored by Seattle's Cascade Bicycle Club,[7] and on the Bainbridge Island Half Marathon, formerly called Toe Jam Hill Half Marathon.[8]

The Bainbridge Island high point's location is reported variously at highpointing websites. Listsofjohn.com gives Gazzam Lake Hill based on USGS topographic maps, which used photographic aerial surveys and stereoplotters.[9] Peakbagger.com gives Toe Jam Hill at 15 feet higher or more, based on newer high-resolution LIDAR maps.[1]

LIDAR surveys in the 1990s also identified a geologic fault, now named the Toe Jam Hill Fault, north of the hill. It may intersect and may be secondary to the Seattle Fault.[10][11] It was the first fault discovered by laser imagery.[12]

A city park, Nutes Pond Park (also spelled Nute's Pond), was created on Toe Jam Hill in 2011.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Greg Slayden (2004), Toe Jam Hill, peakbagger.com
  2. ^ Bainbridge Island 20-foot contour topographical map (PDF), North Kitsap Trails Association, 2012, retrieved 2014-10-30 – Note: Toe Jam Hill summit is above 420 foot contour (420–440 ft.)
  3. ^ Bainbridge Island 5-foot contour DWG file derived from 1996 Lidar collection, Kitsap County Department of Community Development - GIS Division, retrieved 2014-10-30 – Note: Toe Jam Hill summit is above 425 foot contour (425–430 ft.)
  4. ^ Questions and answers to the Bainbridge Island History Quiz on the banners in the Bainbridge ferry terminal ramp, Bainbridge Island Historical Museum, retrieved 2014-10-30
  5. ^ Rachel Pritchett (December 22, 2006), "Place names on Bainbridge Island", Puget Sound Blogs, Kitsap Sun
  6. ^ "... And Now, the Kitsap Names Quiz", Kitsap Sun, January 1, 2007
  7. ^ Florangela Davila (July 7, 2005), "Cycle-friendly Bainbridge inn is first stop on weekend of ups, downs and sweet scenery", The Seattle Times
  8. ^ "Kitsap briefs: Bainbridge half marathon cancelled", Kitsap Sun, March 2, 2012
  9. ^ John Kirk, "Kitsap County WA peaks list", Lists of John Lists of Peaks, Colorado
  10. ^ Finding faults, Puget Sound Lidar Consortium, August 18, 2003
  11. ^ Yeates, Robert S. (2004), Living with Earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest (PDF) (Second ed.), Oregon State University Press, pp. 119–120, ISBN 0-87071-024-9
  12. ^ Nelson, A. R.; Johnson, S. Y.; Kelsey, H. M.; Wells, R. E.; Sherrod, B. L.; Pezzopane, S. K.; Bradley, L.; Koehler, R. D.; Bucknam, R. C. (November 2003), "Late Holocene earthquakes on the Toe Jam Hill fault, Seattle fault zone, Bainbridge Island, Washington", Geological Society of America Bulletin, 115 (11): 1368–1403, Bibcode:2003GSAB..115.1388N, doi:10.1130/B25262.1 – via United States Geological Survey publication warehouse (abstract)
  13. ^ Nutes Pond Park, Bainbridge Island Parks and Facilities, retrieved 2014-10-28
  14. ^ Paul Brians (May 2, 2014), "Bainbridge's Secret Nute's Pond Park Unveiled", Inside Bainbridge (online), Thirty-one acres of woods and wetland at the top of Toe Jam Hill ...