Ebey's Landing

An impromptu tip, a gorgeous winter day and an amazing hike!

http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/ebeys-landing

Stroll across rolling emerald fields, climb coastal bluffs towering above crashing surf, and wander along a driftwood-strewn beach, gazing across busy coastal waters to a backdrop of snowcapped Olympic Mountains. And there's more! Prairie flowers, bald eagles, shorebirds, and historic relics. One of the finest coastal hikes in the Northwest, Ebey's Landing is one of Washington's most naturally diverse as well as historically significant places.

Rife with history as well as natural beauty, Ebey's Landing was named for Colonel Isaac Neff Ebey, who in the 1850s became one of the first non-Native settlers on Whidbey Island. The blockhouse he erected to defend his land claim from Native attacks still stands, looking above prairies that have been in continual agricultural use for over 150 years. Prominent in territorial affairs, Ebey was slain in 1857 by a band of Haidas seeking revenge for the killing of one of their own chieftains by settlers. The blockhouse, prairies, and much of the surrounding lands are now protected within a special unit of the National Park Service.