Not actually a canal at all, Hood Canal is a long narrow inlet of salt water beginning at the junction of the Juan de Fuca and Georgia straits near Port Townsend and extending south along the eastern edge of the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas.
The canal makes a great bend at Union, turning north and ending at Belfair.
Highway 101 follows the western shore of Hood Canal for most its length. There are few communities on the canal itself, the largest being Hoodsport.
