Left the car at the east trailhead sometime after 1pm. Couple of cars, but plenty of space.

Followed the main trail down to the beach, and continued along the beach up to the "authorized personnel only" sign. Returned on a trail just behind the beach, and took a different trail back through the meadows. Some muddy spots along this last bit.

Wildlife: Various shorebirds along the beach and in the wetland behind the beach, rabbits and snakes in the meadows.

Encountered a dozen or so people, most near the south end of the beach.

I love our rain shadow - pouring down rain on the mainland but beautiful blue skies just 10 miles offshore.  Walked the beach and forest trails at Joseph Whidbey State Park Saturday morning. Parking is reasonably plentiful at both the main lot at the “T” with Swantown Rd and another 8-10 more spots at the beach overlook just west along Crosby Rd.  The vault toilet next to the main lot is open and it good working order. No trail issues.

Joseph Whidbey doesn’t offer miles of trail but a nice leg stretcher up the beach and around the forested bluff.  Lots of red winged blackbirds in the marsh area between beach and hilly area, plus gulls, one heron, one adult bald eagle and a bunch of other shore birds.  This beach offers some really nice views north to the San Juans, directly west to Smith Island and south towards the Olympics. The beach is fairly rocky, especially on the south end.  Do respect the Navy property line on the north end of the park or their EA-18g Growlers will come and growl at you.

A beautiful little walk in the middle of Whidbey Island.

You can either go to the actual State Park which is nice for a picnic or to hang out or you can go down to the beach where it’s mostly sandy (low tide) very spacious so not over crowded.

If you park at the North East parking lot, you can take a nice walk through meadows and a forest down to the beach area. Nice hike through the forest, but be careful. Some stretches have a lot of Stinging Nettle along the path.

Very easy hike. Great for children. Peaceful meadows, tranquil forest. Facilities at south west parking area are adequate. The beach view is magnificent.

Remember: Stinging nettle irritates the skin due to the formic acid. Always hike with a small amount of baking soda. Making a paste of baking soda and water that is quickly rubbed into the irritated area will counter act the formic acid and alleviate some of the irritation.

Nice little local hike. 2.2 miles. In the spring this trail is very muddy. I slipped and almost fell half a dozen times from the mud. Some trails are impassible because of deep standing water. Lots of doo doo on the trails as well so watch your feet.