My wife and I really enjoyed a wildflower-and-views 4-mile loop hike at Ebey Landing on a beautiful day. We started in the Spring, and finished in the Summer! The predominent flowers are Vetch, wild Roses, Balsamroot, and Arnica; but if you look carefully, you will also find Alpine Lilies, Salsify, Sugar Bowls, and Wally Baskets. This is the perfect time for this outing. The parking lot was packed, but hikers were spread out along the trail and beach.

Today was a magnificant day for a hike along the beach. This was hike 20 of 50 I planned this year at age 50. After hiking between 10 and 12 miles yesterday at Thunder Creek which was a three hour drive away I decided to hike a little closer to home. This hike is on Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve and State Park outside of Coupeville, Washington on Whidbey Island. This hike is a 4 to 5 mile loop if taking the beach and bluff trail. My recommendation is to take the bluff trail first and then down at the other end to the beach. I would not recommend this for young children, elderly or anyone afraid of heights or a steep trail. If so hike it in the opposite direction going down the beach first. Then hike up the hill to the bluff trail. The trail is pretty well maintained but the grass and weeds are growing high in some areas but the trail is easy to find. A beautiful day and a beautiful place to hike with great views of Whidbey Island, Pudget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. Nothing bad to report on this place. Do not miss this hike if coming to Whidbey Island. You can see videos of this hike and others I have done in Washington State on my youtube channel at "lmm3181" or just click these safe links directly to the videos of this hike. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6CruMAty7s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ylxtj8aO4k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L946g6WsK7M Enjoy your hiking!! Mike

I love the rain shadow. It was raining everywhere else but it was dry at Ebey's Landing on Saturday morning. Very windy - 35 knot sustained - have to watch yourself on the trail areas closest to the steepest drop offs. The seagulls were playing in the updrafts off the bluffs. No problems with the trail though the tide was high and the waves were large so you had to watch the surf to make sure you didn't get your boots wet. We even had a couple kite surfers out playing right off the beach.

This hike is well-described in Craig Romano's "Day Hiking South Cascades" and in his "Winter Hikes of Western Washington Deck". I carried the card for this hike in my camera bag. We did the loop as described by starting at the Prairie Overlook TH. Being in the rain shadow we were blessed with a dry hike. Although we had 35 MPH winds follow us throughout the hike we were warm as we had dressed for the occasion!:)! We had sunshine for our lunch break. 2 kite boarders were enjoying the winds at Ebey's Landing Wayside. Their agility added to the diversity of the hike. We saw several eagles who glided with the wind before suddenly soaring downward and upward to glide some more. A group of 2 bald and 2 juveniles were seen often. We enjoyed this 5.6 mile loop and hope to return on a clear day when the Olympics can be seen!

Three of us hiked the route beginning across the road from the cemetary and once getting to the low bluff above the beach we proceeded north gaining elevation going up the high bluff. The trail along the bluff had a very slick mud that at times had us walking on the edge of the path. At about a mile and passing above Perego's Lagoon a trail descends to the beach and we completed the route going south and back up the bluff. There are great views of both the Cascades and the Olympics and Rainier.