Finholm View Climb in Gig Harbor

The Finholm View Climb provides an excellent view of Gig Harbor, complete with panoramic views of Mount Rainier and the Gig Harbor Marina. Yet sadly, many people in the area don’t know about this little local treasure because it’s tucked in the back of parking lot across from Anthony’s restaurant.

But a little jaunt through the parking lot and up the wooden stairs reveals arguably the best and clearest view in Gig Harbor for those willing to ascend a few flights of stairs.

Location

Getting to Finholm View Climb is a mercifully easy task. It is located right behind Anthony’s restaurant on the north end of the Harbor. You can use the map below for directions to and from Finholm View Climb.

Note: Take care to only park on the street or in the parking lot right below the climb. DON’T do what I mistakenly did and park in the Anthony’s parking lot as that lot is reserved for Anthony’s restaurant customers only. (But hey, why not plan for lunch or dinner at Anthony’s anyways and get the better parking thrown in?)

The Views from Finholm Climb

Your reward for climbing those stairs is a great view of Gig Harbor on almost any day. The one caveat to this statement is when it is really foggy or quite rainy. On those days it can be hard to see all of the harbor or out to Mount Rainier in the distance.

But thankfully most days reveal a surprisingly good view of Gig Harbor from your vantage point on the observation platform at the top of the stairs. On any reasonably clear days, you’ll get a broadside shot of Mount Rainier as well.

Photography tip: If you plan to take some photographs with a nicer DSLR camera while you’re on the observation deck, it would be helpful to have a tripod. Since most of your photos will be capturing objects a fair distance away, you’ll want as much stabilization as possible to reduce camera blur and out-of-focus shots.

Amenities at Finholm View Climb

There is a public restroom located at the base of the stairs, multiple seating areas and a drinking fountain.

Tips

There are about 100 stairs total, so bring good shoes and maybe even a water bottle on a hot day. On rainy days, you’ll want to bring a rain jacket or umbrella as the stairs are not covered. Also, the steps can get a little slippery on wet days, but they do get cleaned on a regular basis by the city.

History of the Finholm View Climb

Construction on the Finholm View Climb project began in 1996 and took three years to complete. (You may read that the stairs were built in the 1980’s, but we confirmed directly with the Lions Club President Sue Schmidt that the project began in 1996 and was commemorated in 1999. At that point, the stairs were deeded over to the city to maintain. The city regularly updates and maintains the area, and the Gig Harbor Lions Club members pitch in every quarter to keep the landscaping neat and clean.

If you end up visiting the Finholm View Climb in Gig Harbor, we’d love to hear about it. Hashtag #explorewashstate in your photos on social media and you may even get your photo featured on this post and/or our social media pages.

Happy exploring!