We caught the 10:30 ferry from Mukilteo, boarding just a few minutes before it left. It seemed to be mostly full but we still had no trouble just driving up and getting right on. The Mukilteo-Clinton ferry only took 15-20 minutes so we made sure to head to the passenger deck quickly to enjoy the views. Can't complain about a day that includes both a ferry ride and a beautiful hike! After leaving the ferry we drove straight to Coupeville. It rained on us for a few minutes on the drive up but the weather was pleasant the rest of the day. Before we went to the trailhead we walked around Coupeville; it is such a cute town and we definitely needed to get pastries from the bakery before the hike.

Around noon we left Coupeville and drove the short distance to the trailhead. The trail starts next to a cemetery surrounded by farmland that runs right up to the edge of the bluff. It doesn't take long before you reach the Ebey house and blockhouse, two of the interesting historical structures managed by our NPS on this site. The Bluff Trail is now within sight, and to the south there are great views of the farmland and sea. We took a right on the bluff trail to head north and immediately had to stop and take in the views. Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca were calm and peaceful, and a large section of the Olympics were peeking above the clouds. This was the steepest part of the bluff and it was remarkable to see how far above the beach we were. As we meandered northward along the bluff the lagoon eventually appeared below us. Its water was so still it looked like glass, with a very clear reflection of the clouds overhead.

After a couple miles we reached the end of the bluff trail, heading down a couple switchbacks to the beach. There seemed to be a sturdier trail that follows alongside the lagoon, but we preferred to just walk the rest of the way on the beach. It was incredible to view the expansiveness of the bluff from down by the water, plus the sound of the waves was enchanting. We found many beautiful rocks and interesting shells and were always on the lookout for sea life, but didn't have any luck. When we reached the parking lot on the far south end of the beach there were stairs back up to the Bluff Trail. From here we quickly got to the junction with the trail that passed the Ebey houses and headed back to the parking lot.

Ebey's Landing is a wonderful hike that I especially love in the winter. The trail is not that crowded, there are incredible views the entire hike, and I find the sea particularly beautiful during indecisive weather. Add on a ferry ride and making a stop in historic Coupeville and it makes for a great Saturday!

Ebey's Landing is the perfect respite from gloomy Seattle days. The hike has pretty great views even on cloudy days, and is easy enough that pretty much anyone can walk it. There's a few access points to the trail, we parked by the cemetery for the 5.3 miles loop, but we saw a lot of folks parked at the beach side parking where you could do the highlights of this loop in 3.8 miles or so.

We visited this trail around sunset and highly recommend it, as most of the views is west facing, giving you a great view of the sunset and Puget Sound. There are some small hills to conquer, and the trail does get a bit narrow there right above the bluffs, so it could be a bit scary if you are afraid of heights.

We saw lots of beachcombers after getting down from the bluffs, and the sounds of waves were quite pleasant!

Small kid asked for a beach hike and we hadn't done this one since before he was born, so it felt like a good time to revisit it. We like to do it counter-clockwise because we can spend the end meandering on the beach without hurry.

We got to the first parking lot near the cemetery but it was full at 11 am. We continued to the second lot but it was full as well. We were able to snag a spot after some patience when other visitors left.

Bathrooms were stocked and clean enough, but the lock did not work on the right one.

This is a really great walk, especially after all of the gray fog we just had. You have views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the Puget Sound for the whole walk. Even though there were a lot of visitors, the nature of the loop means that it didn't feel especially crowded. It does get narrow on the bluff portion of the trail but there are regularly beaten down spots to step off and let others by. If you have really small kids, there are spots where you might want to take care and hold hands because the hillside does drop off steeply in places. Overall a great hike for kids though.

The beach portion is a different kind of cool, and the distractions of the kelp and shiny rocks slowed us down significantly. We did see a sea lion poke his head up towards the end as well.

It can be windy on the bluff so bring a jacket even if you don't expect to need it. We brough a trash bag for litter but even with beach debris, we weren't able to fill it much. Note that dogs are allowed ON LEASH. We did have a couple of larger dogs run up on us on the beach barking aggressively (we had a small, on-leash dog and two children), and it led to a verbal confrontation that could have been avoided. 

When we got back to the parking lot, there were cars parked along the road almost down to the stop sign. I don't think often THAT busy, but it is a really cool place so be prepared to share it. As far as we could tell, there is no parking pass requirement for the Prairie Overlook parking areas.

This is a pretty popular all ages hike and one we have done before, but never during the winter months.  For a change we parked at the Prairie Overlook trail head which is two parking lots about 50 yards apart.  Well signed so take your choice which you use.  We parked in the largest lot at the end of the road but the views are so amazing from the smaller road side over look that would have been a better choice as we ended up having a post-hike lunch in the car.

There is a good map on the kiosk board in the main lot easy to get your bearings there.  Most people were heading straight toward the coast but we took the track out the northern end of the lot which is the Pratt sheep barn loop add on.  Nice as you get to hike in the forest as well.  It was just a few degrees above freezing when we set off mid-morning and we were soon challenged by the wind chill and had to stop to add more layers.  Once we were at the bluff proper the wind actually tempered and always so fun to hike with the wide open views.  The tread is firm.  Once at the shore the tide was high so it was a slog back against the side ways wind on a narrow bit of beach.  Not as pleasant as during the summer months for sure.  We found the crowds at the state park entry point but plenty of room for all.  Back on the prairie ridge trail we headed straight back passing the block house on the way.  There are lots of interesting interpretive signs too.  Back at the lot we hiked the few extra paces to the smaller lot to admire nearly all of Washington's volcanoes in one wide vista.  Not a picnic day today but there are some nice viewing benches at that site too.  All in a little over 5 miles.

On the way home we stopped at Deception Bridge as they are finished with maintenance there.  The color of the tidal race was an amazing teal.  A great add on.

It was a beautiful day for a hike. We arrived early and parked in the stalls near the cemetery. When we started the hike, around 9:15 a.m., there were only a few other people that were on the trail at the same time, and by the time we finished, around 11:45 a.m., there were a lot of people starting their hikes. The weather was perfect. It was sunny and didn’t rain. The trail was a little muddy, but well-maintained. I hiked with my husky and saw several other dogs on the trail on our way out. We even saw a heron while on the beach loop.