There’s a buzz around the new Walking Ebey Trail that connects Rhododendron County Park and Admiralty Inlet Preserve. The trail zig-zags between farms and fields, following hedgerows and fence lines, ducking in and out of woods and willow thickets for 3.5 miles across Ebey’s Prairie. This is phase one of the Whidbey Camano Land Trust’s plan to connect trails and parks throughout Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve. The sign at the trailhead says it’s like a “European Walking Experience” but I’ve had similar experiences in the British Isles and in Asia. I would guess walking is pretty common in most places… except in America. Don’t get me started. My niece was visiting. She picked me up after work and we parked at Rhododendron Park. Then we walked the bike path 1.7 miles to Main Street in Coupeville to catch the Route 6 bus to Admiralty Inlet Preserve. I told the driver to let us off at the bright blue house. We crossed Engle Road to the newly expanded parking area and started Walking Ebey. I was aware that at the fall equinox, our opportunities for a walk after work would quickly diminish, but the day was warm and sunny. I’d studied the map provided online but due to some technical glitch, it seemed unreadable. Still I’d been assured by Taylor at the Land Trust office that the trail was well marked. We started at the kiosk and followed the trail through a knot of trees that soon opened up to a mowed path by a field. We followed a fence line by bird boxes and brambles, passed a couple of nice houses admiring their backyard gardens, turning at the corners of each field for wide open views first one way and then another. The Olympics shored up the west side. Mount Baker peered over the trees. A few people passed us coming from the opposite direction as we walked. Cows and horses grazed nearby. We ducked through a tunnel of trees between fields passing through a Fat Man’s Squeeze. (I love that term!) Chickadees called from the shrubbery. Sparrows flitted through fences. A hawk circled above. We talked easily as the trail became a farm road wide enough to walk side by side. A truck sped by reminding us to be careful crossing Fort Casey Road, but there was no other traffic and this was the only road crossing. Stopping to pick blackberries I looked around and thought of the hundreds of times I’d driven these roads but had never seen these houses or barns from the back before. It’s like walking through town through the alleys. You see everyone’s backyard chicken coop, garden or clothesline. It’s a more intimate way to walk the neighborhood. As the sun slanted westward the colors of the distant water and mountains deepened. We spied apples ripening a few yards away. Red rosehips and white snowberries shone in the setting sun. Entering Rhododendron County Park we followed the Grandpa's Legacy Trail. I thought of a friend who had walked there with me and his grandson months ago. He lives on the prairie and recently gave me some corn. By the time we got back to the truck it was dinner time. Darkness fell as we ate at a restaurant nearby. My niece caught the ferry with a jug of fresh pressed cider, rhubarb and zucchini bread to take home. A few days later I had the chance to go Walking Ebey again, this time at sunrise. I started with a loop at Admiralty Inlet Preserve before crossing the road. Walking alone at first light, I noticed more birds, woodpeckers, wrens, warblers, sparrows, chickadees, bushtits, quail, hawks and raven. I saw two tiny green frogs on a bird box, and glimpsed a coyote making a quiet exit from a farm. The morning warmed into another beautiful day as I went Walking Ebey. Maribeth Please respect private property, keep dogs on a leash and leave livestock alone. There’s a good map of this trail on the kiosk across from Admiralty Inlet Preserve, and the trail is well marked. There is another section of trail that links this one to the Prairie Wayside Overlook on Engle Road. You can add miles by hiking the trails at the parks at either end. Or shorten your walk by catching the Route 6 bus on Fort Casey Road. Directions: From Highway 20 in Coupeville, turn south on Main Street (which turns into Engle Road) and drive 2.5 miles. Park at the gravel lot across from the Admiralty Inlet Preserve. Or take Highway 20 south of Coupeville 1.8 miles to Park Road. Park at Rhododendron County Park and take the Grandpa’s Legacy Trail. Or take Highway 20 south 3.5 miles and turn right on Patmore Road to access Rhododendron County Park on the south side. The Walking Ebey Trail starts at the southwest corner of the park on the Grandpa’s Legacy Trail.
By Bike or Bus: There's a wide shoulder and almost level bike ride from Coupeville south on Main Street (which becomes Engle Road) to the trailhead. Please wear bright clothes and use your bike lights. Or take the Rhododendron bike path from Coupeville east (next to Highway 20) to Rhododendron County Park. Bikes are not allowed on the trail itself. There are bike racks with room for 2 bikes on Island Transit buses. On weekdays the fare free Route 6 bus follows Engle Road south on the way to the Coupeville ferry and takes Fort Casey Road north on the way back to Coupeville. The weekday Route 1 bus takes Highway 20 passing Rhododendron County Park with bus stops at nearby Jacobs Road for the southbound bus and Quail Trail Road for the northbound. Please be very careful crossing the highway. On Saturdays the Route 1 bus goes by the Coupeville ferry using Fort Casey Road both north and southbound but does not go by Rhododendron County Park. See schedule at www.islandtransit.org or call 360-678-7771. Mobility: This is a mostly level trail that varies from narrow with rocks and roots, to wide farm roads.
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
April 2024
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