Hiking the Beach in Winter

The Seattle Times did a nice article on snow-free hikes yesterday. Check it out as you make plans for this weekend.

Last weekend, my family got out to Ebey's Landing for a stroll.

There's something classically Northwest about taking a walk on a cold and clear winter day with a slate-gray Puget Sound as the backdrop. Ebey's Landing is a popular place--but really worth it. Grebes dove off shore. We hunted for crabs under the rocks, our fingers turning pink in the cold. The view from the top of the bluff is one of the best in anywhere in Puget Sound country. The Olympics were crisp and snow-frosted behind the shoreline of Port Townsend to the west.

Other ideas for great beach hikes this weekend: Padilla Bay near Mount Vernon, Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island or Miller Peninsula near Sequim.