We hiked the Bluff Trail as an out-and-back. The views are incredible!
We parked in the Visitor Center overflow lot (although as it turned out, the lot by the VC was not full) and enjoyed a scenic walk past the old Ebey house and blockhouse, past fields and pastures, to the Bluff Trail. There are privies at the VC.
The Bluff Trail has wonderful views. It can be scary, because at times it runs along a nearly vertical drop with nothing to break a fall. I would not want to hike here if the trail was wet and slippery. The trail is narrow, but there are places where you can pull over to allow other hikers to pass, and everyone we met was courteous and cooperative about social distancing. The soft sand of the trail is easy on the joints.
We hiked it as an out-and-back, rather than a loop, because doing the loop requires you to traverse a *very* steep section between the Bluff Trail and the Beach Trail. This section would be dangerous when wet, and we weren’t comfortable even doing it dry. Quite a few other people were turning back as well. Hiking from the VC, plus the Bluff Trail as an out-and-back, added up to a little more than 6 miles. There are some mildly strenuous elevation gains and drops, but nothing too extreme or extended.
We also walked a little way southeast from the start of the Bluff Trail to the beach. The beach is walkable for a long way in both directions, and is more accessible from the southern end of the Bluff Trail than the northern end.
This is a beautiful, scenic hike. We enjoyed it immensely!
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