It was pretty overcast today which was perfect for this hike. There is little to no shade at all along the trail. The trail along the bluffs is in great shape. There are a few spots where erosion is slowly taking pieces of the trail. You get fantastic views of Mt. Baker, the Olympics, and Mt. Rainier along the bluffs. Of course the view of the water is great too. Flowers are blooming all over the bluffs for nice splashes of color. The hike up the bluffs is steep but very short. Once on the top there is some up and down but nothing steep. We cruised along at a good pace carrying a two-month old with no problems. The trail is smooth with few rocks/roots/pits to trip you. Perfect for kids or those carrying kids. On the switchbacks down to the beach my husband spotted a whale out in the Sound. We watched it surface several times before we moved onto the beach. The hike along the beach is easy. The sand is hard packed so you aren't fighting against it. Again, kids would love picking their way along the beach. There are lots of logs, rocks, and shells to look at.

It probably took about an hour to get to the trail head from Mount Vernon. We arrived around 10:30 which I thought would be a little late but it worked out perfectly. It was alot cooler on Whidby than it was when we left our house because of the cool marine air. And the fog was just beginning to burn off of the sound. It we had arrived any earlier it would have been way too cold and we wouldn't have had a view. The trail starts by going up to the edge of a bluff. There were alot of different wild flowers and roses. There were also a variety of birds. I'm not really a bird watcher but the birds were really colorful and were singing. We also saw a bald eagle fly in front of us and go into the tree line that the trail follows. The only down side to this hike were the amount of mosquito's on the first part of the trail. Whidby Island seems to have alot of monster mosquito's this time of year, but they are male mosquito's and do not bite. I'm not sure when the females come out but luckily they were more of a nuisance than anything else. The hike follows the top of a bluff along a tree line and you get to see a bunch of knarled trees and you get a beautiful view of Mt.Baker, and the Olympics as you walk about two miles. You get to see a beautiful laggon and the beach below as you hike. Then the trail descends to the beach and you walk back to your car. My husband thinks he saw a seal. If you go on this trail wear lots of sun screen since you are exposed to the sun for the entire 4 miles.

Left Redmond around 10.30am and arrived at the trailhead close to noon. The ferry traffic was very light today and we didn't have any problems with traffic. The weather was cloudy which must have kept folks away because the trail wasn't too busy. We hiked from the trailhead along the beach past the lake for about an extra 3/4 mile, since the tide was low. We returned and continued up on the ridge back to the trailhead and a tasty meal. Total distance was a leisurely 5 miles, and we finished close to 4.00pm. Trail was in excellent condition. Steep in some areas, particularly going up the cliff on the return. We saw several rabbits, a deer, and a snake that slithered across the trail before I could identify it. All in all a great hike, with beautiful scenery, on a fantastic day.

This Whidbey Island hike is a nice option for a sunny winter day when you'd like to stay out in the open and enjoy some great views. It took about 1.5 hours to drive there from Seattle including the ferry. Our five year old happily walked the whole (3.5 or 3.0 mile?)loop, and we carried the 14 month old in the pack. I held kiddo's hand on a couple of parts of the bluff trail where it traverses steep open slopes. He loved the short sand slide at the bottom near the beach. It appears that this trail has been re-built and is now more switchbacked and less steep. We added variety to the return walk on the beach by cutting over to the trail along the lagoon. This avoided an area of slightly slippery footing on the beach, too. Tide was pretty high. Lots of others out enjoying this spot. We felt we had picked just the right thing to do on a sunny winter day.

The Ebey's landing loop was gorgeous as usual, although the trail is too short. The kids, who were bickering a bit in the car, immediately perked up and we decided to do the trip in the opposite order from usual--beach first. Found three small agates, and a very orange crab shell. The wildflower display is currently dominated by a pretty purple vetch, accented by roses, brodeia, and catchfly. Showers were forecast, however there was a negligible amount of precipitation.