Remember, my dog is raising money for Washington Trails Association this month. Support him here!
I was looking for a scenic, easy hike, and I found one near Coupeville on Whidbey Island. Ebey's Landing is a historical preserve that is a unique mish-mash of private, state, and federal land jurisdictions. You'll get to hike through prairie, along coastal bluffs, and along a beach and lagoon.
From Highway 20, head south on Sherman Rd (just east of Coupeville). At the Y, hang a right on Cook Road. Drive past the cemetery and parking for the Ebey's Prarie Trail is at the end.
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Ebey's Landing
Parking Permit: none needed for the trailhead described (other trailheads require a Discover Pass)
Distance: 5.6 miles
Elevation difference: 260'
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You start off near some private residences and farmland. Be careful to stay on the marked trail and be courteous of the private property!
There's an overlook of the prairie below, so take a moment and enjoy the view!
There were a lot of wasps here, so be wary.
They must grow alfalfa here.
After a short while you come across the Jacob Ebey house. The blockhouse on the left is an older construction I believe, and there are several similar constructs in the area.
Continue walking along the prairie toward the ocean.
At the end of the Prairie Overlook Trail, enjoy a map showing the hodgepodge of different land managements.
From here, you can go left or right. I went right and headed up Bluff Trail. Again, there were a lot of hornets crawling in the sand here, so be careful where you stand to take a pic.
The view is nice.
Looking back, you can see Mt. Baker behind the fields.
The Skagit Indians cultivated these fields long before white settlers arrived, growing camas as a major trade crop. Of course, Captain Ebey and his folk took one look at the fields, realized they had perfect farmland ready and waiting, and moved their way in.
As you walk along Bluff Trail, you eventually will catch sight of Perego's Lake. It's a rather scenic lagoon that the trail will ultimately loop around.
Photo op with Ozzy!
I named this tree Gnarls Barkley and thought myself quite witty.
The trail eventually begins to turn downhill with switchbacks leading toward the beach.
The trail is narrow and sandy. I learned that if you step too close to the edge of the trail, the sand falls away and you fall down. My hiking partner had a camera going at just the right moment to capture this:
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| Down I go! |
At the beach, you can walk along the ocean side or the lagoon side.
The lagoon-side trail looks a bit narrow and unofficial, but we went for it.
The lagoon smelled fantastic, and I mean that with all the sarcasm in the world. The dog kept trying to run off to drink the lagoon water and roll in the lagoon muck.
It's been hot, drought conditions all summer, and the seafoam on the east end of the lagoon had dried. Walking on it was like walking on a foam mattress!
Eventually you run out of lagoon and so head back to the main beach and walk until you get to a small parking area. From there, you can take the trail back up to Prairie Ridge Trail and head back the way you came!
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| Info panel near the parking lot tells you what you're looking at out in the channel. |
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| It's the entire family tree. |
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| Loved his pooch. |
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| Rawr |
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| Stealing this for my epitaph... |
The old Davis Blockhouse sits in the middle of the cemetery.
At the very end, head into downtown Coupeville and have ice cream at Kapaw's Iskreme! Perfect way to end a lovely hike!
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