We stayed in a renovated pheasant coop at Pacific Rim Institute and the trails were fun to explore on a rainy morning. See photo for the trail map/key...all in all it was about 3 miles with very little elevation gain. Note that the institute is across the street from the Whidbey Sportsmen's club and on a Saturday the sound of gunfire was constant. 

After wandering around Coupeville and filling up on baked goods at Little Red Hen we went to Ft. Ebey and made a 4 mile loop by parking at the north parking lot and hiking the Bluff trail and making our way back through the forest trails. It is very helpful to have a map here, as there are many loops and trail intersections. The difference in landscape between the bluff trail and the forest was interesting and we only saw a handful of people on the trails. 

It looks like a big grassy field but there’s more to it. Flowers, birds and fresh air. If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth a stop.

I just can’t get enough of Whidbey Island. It’s very peaceful walking around the prairie with the birds and the breeze.

Loving these longer days! We still had plenty of daylight after hiking Sharpe Park so we decided to check out the prairie at PRI. Too early for flowers but it was a very peaceful walk around the grassy field.

Brief trip report today. I’m really just here to talk about little dogs. Started at Rosario Beach and Bowman Bay. It was the most crowded I’ve ever seen it, and that is saying something. After a short hike we decided to pick a quieter spot on Whidbey. We didn’t see a single person on the trails at the Pacific Rim Institute. The prairie is all gold with the yellow grass and occasional patch of flowers. Peaceful and quiet and a great spot to watch the clouds go by.
I picked the name Hikingwithlittledogs 9 years ago when I started hiking. The truth is that I was too afraid to go out alone and my little dogs gave me the moral support I needed to head out into the woods. If I got scared, I had someone to talk to. If I got tired, I could pause and “let the little dogs rest”. I really give them credit for helping me have the confidence to hike solo on lots of trails where dogs aren’t allowed. Hiking has changed my life. This week we said goodbye to our little Cookie. She was a good dog.