Length
From the modest parking area on Engle Road, 2.3 total miles of trail lead visitors through groves of old growth and out into one of the few remnant prairies left in the Puget Sound. One trail runs along the edge of bluffs that drop down to the waves below and offers a vantage across the Salish Sea to the Olympic Peninsula and on into Canada.
On the eastern coast of Whidbey Island, this natural area represents the best of Washington in one 86-acre parcel. As part of the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve, this park is notable for the rare plants and animals that thrive here. The old growth Douglas firs are notable for their size as well as their gnarled branches that hold a record of many storms that have battered these bluffs. This prairie also supports a community of endangered Golden Paintbrush, an extremely rare plant that is a crucial pollinator species for the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly. In addition to these wonderful trees and wildflowers, this vibrant ecosystem hosts an abundance of raptors, owls and songbirds.
Trailhead
