The trail was dry and new drainage mitigation has been put in place. The blackberries are all about 1 week from peak ripeness. 

This was our first time here. Hiked the loop around Joseph Whidbey State Park. No rain here and the temps weren’t bad. A cherry blossom tree is starting to bloom on the trail and is so pretty. Tide was out and we saw a few little creatures under the rocks and different shore birds. The kids found some painted rocks and shells along the trail which was a highlight for them. And also watching a snail on one of the benches.

We started up at the main parking lot and did the forest/meadow loop. It was an easy, pleasant, quiet walk, with temps in the low 80s (quite a warm day for Whidbey Island!). All parts of the trail were dry. Much of the forest section is lined with stinging nettle this time of year, but the trail is wide enough that you don't have to worry about accidentally brushing against any of it. Along the meadow section, Himalayan blackberries are ripening as are the wild rosehips. The blackberries are invasive, so eat as much as you'd like! There are also wooden benches along the trail for those who need to rest.

Overall, this was a lovely little day hike and would be a nice option for those wanting to experience a bit of the beach/forest of Whidbey Island while avoiding the crowds of more popular parks such as Deception Pass.

From the Southern trailhead access point there's a fairly sizable parking lot. If you were to walk out straight to the beach it's easy to spot the path that would take you through beach scrub North to where the military signs are posted letting you know the end of the trail access. If from the parking lot you stay to the right and try to navigate into the woods next to the beach, it seems to have a lot of blowdown, mud, and a very bushwack-y feel. Some folks ahead of us seemed to be having difficult in the mud with their small dogs, so we turned around and headed back to beach access. I know there is wooded access to the East but we did not attempt it on this day. 

Walked the Joseph Whidbey State Park trails Sunday morning in the sunshine.  A Discover Pass is required.  Surprisingly not many other folks were out - seemed to be just a handful of locals.  The vault toilet at the main lot was open and functional.  The trails are generally in good condition, the muddy areas have recently had work done on them to bring tread levels up.  There is some drift wood that has been washed up across the beach trail but nothing that causes any issues.  One transportation note - WSDOT Ferries are stuck using one smaller boat on the Mukilteo route to the south and there is some road work through the deception pass area to the north so getting to the park may be a bit more difficult during the busy summer season this year.

While not that large, the park still offers a fairly diverse set of trails through beach, 2nd gen forest and meadow areas.  There are some nice wildflowers and native roses away from the shore and the beach offers expansive views west from the Olympics on the south directly west to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Victoria BC area and north to the San Juans.  A nice, easy walk away from some of the more crowded spots on Whidbey.