Ebey’s Landing is always a good choice. We started at the upper lot and looped the prairie before hiking the bluff and returning along the beach. The trail is in great shape. Lots of mushrooms in the woods and no mud to worry about. Vault toilets at the top and at the beach clean and stocked.

I had been hoping for one more mountain adventure but not wanting to mess with winds from the late breaking wind advisory we headed to this classic winter hike instead.  For a mid week day the larger cemetery lot was surprisingly full.  Still enough spots and folks coming and going for low stress parking.  Outhouses clean and stock.

With a chilly low 40s start, this is not a trail to forget your hat and mitts.  There's always a breeze here sometimes straight in your face.  Once we turned up the bluff the wind was at our backs, and in the shelter of the cliff top trees it really was quite pleasant.  So much so we regretted leaving the lunches in the car.  How nice it would have been to sit in a sun warmed spot gazing out over the sun kissed sea to the Olympics.  The trail is in good shape no rain issues and the switch backs down to the beach are graded and safe.  We followed the trail directly adjacent to the lagoons on the way back, just a few short slippy spots.  Limited bird life today but the low light makes for a impressive views.  At the end of the far lagoon the trail sort of disappears so we headed over to the beach side through an only mildly challenging driftwood barrier.  It's remarkable how slick some of those logs are, so I did my best hands and feet crab imitation to gain the sandy shore.  And now for the best bit.  Normally I would find the windy hike back on the cobbles a slog but today even though the tide was quite high there was enough packed sand to make the beach hike more fun.

Once at the landing proper we turned back up onto the prairie then retraced our steps to the car.  The views out across the fields to Baker, Rainier and Glacier are superb.  There's a lot of history here and if you've been watching the new Ken Burns documentary on the American Revolution it brings home how this nation was born from quite violent times.  The block house you pass brings that into sharp relief.  Back at the car my tracker said around 5 miles, a nice distance for a short-day hike.

On the way home we paired the ferry ride with cookies and hot coffee, for a post hike win.  No line at all, and winter fares.

With rain in the forecast on Saturday, we headed to Whidbey Island for a seaside hike. We have hiked Ebey’s Landing a few times in the past, and it has always been one of our favorites to do in the fall or winter. Even on a cloudy day like Saturday, the bluff and sea are still a spectacular setting for a hike.

When we arrived at the trailhead around 2 PM, there were a few other cars but it was easy to find a parking spot. We started hiking towards the bluff and could see some small glimpses of sun trying to peek through the clouds. Hiking through this stretch of trail was beautiful, as we could see the prairie and farmland stretch right up to the edge of the bluff to meet the sea. It was somewhat windy, but once we turned right onto the bluff trail, the wind was mostly at our backs.

We started to get rained on as we hiked along the bluff, but the showers didn’t last long. Pretty soon, we saw patches of blue sky above us – it looked like we would avoid rain for the rest of the hike. There was a steep section of trail right when we turned onto the bluff trail, and we stopped part of the way up to take some photos at a viewpoint. The trail flattened out, and soon we turned the corner and got our first view of the lagoon below. The Strait of Juan de Fuca stretched out to the horizon, and a container ship was making its way into Puget Sound. This section of trail was flat and made for quick hiking, and soon we were descending towards the beach.

By the time we reached the beach, there was a lot of blue sky above us. Walking on the sand slowed us down on the way back, but it was fun to beachcomb and skip rocks as we walked. We were walking into the wind, although it seemed like it was calmer than before. The Olympic Mountains were trying to peek through the clouds, but we could mostly only see the foothills across the water. We kept our eyes out for seals and other sea life, but we didn’t see any besides some seabirds. Clouds started to move back in as we got closer to where we rejoined the bluff trail. There were a few more short rain showers, but they didn’t last longer than a few minutes.

We turned left when we reached the lower parking lot to climb up the stairs back to the bluff trail. We walked between the farmland and the sea, then turned right on the prairie trail to head back to the parking lot we started from. It took us around 2 and a half hours in total to complete the loop. We had a great time getting out in the fall air and were grateful to get some decent weather while we hiked along the sea.

I considered this a bonus day hike. The earlier weather forecast was not looking good there was a nice break of "mostly sunny" until late afternoon. I started at the beach trailhead. I was a little concerned about the tide but at around 1100 am the tide was at 6 ft and there was lots of space to walk along the shoreline. at about 1.5 miles I hit the trail that goes up to the Bluff Trail with great views of Admiralty Inlet and Perego's Lagoon. To the west the Olympics were mostly obscured and what appeared to be heavy rain. Once I was at the south end of the bluff looking east to Ebey's house and blockhouse there were clouds covering the Cascades and Mount Baker. All the hikers in this area were in the well known rain shadow particular to Whidbey Island.

There had been five vehicles in the parking lot when I arrived but when I returned there were about forty filling the lot and alongside the road to the south.

The vault toilet was open and stocked. There is an informational kiosk and several illustrative signs at the beach trailhead. 

The trail is in good condition throughout but there is a couple places on the trail up to the bluff that have narrowed due to erosion.

Did the loop including the jaunt off to see the Ebey houses. We started from the seaside parking lot off S Ebey Road. Arrived on Thursday 9/18 at about 11:30am, there were just 2 parking spaces left. Toilets clean and stocked.

It was a clear, sunny and warm.  The views from the bluff were spectacular. I wished I had worn a hat. No shade, bring water, sunglasses and sunblock. Binoculars were useful as well. 

Tips I have not seen on other reports:

You will be walking about 1.7 miles of the beach if you do the loop. This is not a hard packed trail, this is loose sand and rocks that some people may struggle with. Wear shoes you will not mind getting sandy or possibly wet with salt water. It’s a beach. Watch for sneaker waves, especially at high tide. 😊

If you have any fear of heights, the trail on the bluff is along a pretty steep slope. I am not sure I would feel comfortable letting a small child walk along it. But, I also have a fear of heights. I made it just fine, but my palms were a little sweaty. I tried to focus on the gorgeous view instead of the steep slope next to me. 

Overall, a wonderful and easy hike, not too crowded in late September on a weekday. I would recommend to friends and do it again myself.