south whidbey island state park

South Whidbey State Park is smaller and less well-known than Deception Pass but has a charm of its own. It is wetter and sandier at South Whidbey so that hikes in the woods take you through areas where ferns are huge and lush and the sound of water dripping and flowing and the shafts of sunlight filtering through the old growth forest make for a setting reminiscent of the Ewok's planet or Ferngully.The beach is sandy and walkable for long distances at lower tides.The drawback is that the beach is only accessible by a mile long trail that is somewhat steep on the return. Thus it is not a great choice for hikers in poor physical condition. I have never camped there but they seem to have good facilities.

I had a recent family get together in the state of Washington recently and was driving off the ferry on the south end of Whidbey Island in a big line of cars all coming off the ferry. My only fault was driving a car with out of state license plates attached. A local Mukilteo city police officer saw the plates, flipped a u-turn so fast I thought she broke her neck, then proceeded to pull me out of a bunch of cars to write me a speeding ticket. She and the staff at the phone number on the ticket all told me to contest the ticket I would need to appear in person (all lies). The officer also told me I was leading a pack of cars (more lies). Two points to remember closely for out-of-state travelers to the state of WA. Rent a car with WA plates if you intend to drive anywhere. You can contest a ticket through the mail even if told otherwise. Based on the lies I was told, I paid the frivolous ticket and will continue to pay for years to come to my insurance Co. I rented a car (with WA plates) later on this trip and the Police did not give me a second look. If you need to go to WA. beware or you will pay for it greatly in the future. I wish I had been warned! There are other places just as nice to visit without these problems.

Old growth forest and ancient cedar on one side of the highway, a forested walk down to the beach on the other. A very relaxing, beautiful place that has a lovely view of the Olympics.

Great day trip from Seattle. Drive north to Mukilteo ferry...short ferry ride over to Clinton. Then drive to the park... really lovely ride out. Go for the day, or you can camp. There are trails for hiking and a nice beach with great views. Bring a picnic Beautiful old growth trees.

We chose South Whidbey Island State Park for our families first camping trip largely because of its convenient location. It's a 20-minute ferry ride and a short drive away from most Puget Sound locations. We booked our campsite online at the Washington State Park's website. The site includes photos of each campsite so you can get a sense of the camp space before you arrive.The park itself is not huge, but it offers a great deal. There are hiking trails and beach access. And yes it is a steep trail to and from the beach, but it is worth the trip. And yes, it is a typical Washington beach with more rocks than sand, but it is beautiful nonetheless.The park also has an amphitheater where they offer nature talks and occasional entertainment. There was a guitarist playing the night we arrived. The park has two large restrooms with shower facilities. Though the showers are coin metered, and cost fifty cents for three minutes. There are also spaces available with power for RVs. And water spigots are convenient for most camp sites.Park regulations forbid gathering of firewood. But the camp check in booth sells bundles of wood for $6 a bundles as well as bagged ice. I'd recommend stopping in the town of Freeland on the way to South Whidbey and stocking up on wood at the Payless Foods. It is about a $1 cheaper and the store is a great place to stock up on supplies. There is also an Ace Hardware in the same shopping complex if you forget some camping gear.The campsites vary in size and privacy. We opted for site #40. It was quite large and surrounded by many old growth trees so we had lots of privacy. The downside was that it was on a slope. All sites have fire pits with a grate.The park was relatively quiet, though you do get a bit of highway noise. All in all we found the park a charming place to camp and explore nature. Our only regret was not staying longer.

It appears that the parks on Whidbey Island are either old military reserves or areas that weren't desirable for first pass logging. The trees in this park are wonderful, but the place really does feel like a postage stamp in the whole scheme of things. There is a long vertical drop down to the beach front which I wasn't expecting. The trail is a nice little hike (10mins maybe to the water) but the beach is quite coarse and probably not where you'll want to spend your day. Overall I was a bit disappointed with this park and wish that it didn't feel like the leftovers of what could have been an amazing preserved area of the island.

We decided to take to our annual family reunion to South Whidbey State Park's group site which accommodates up to 60 people. The site was incredible! It accommodated our family of around 40+/- and had plenty of areas for the kids to play, adults to cook, several areas to congregate for family activities, and plenty of parking down the private drive. It was also a short walk to the beautiful beach, hiking trails, and showers. Fantastic!There is one very big complaint I have to share about the group site however. The site is not secluded enough to accommodate larger congregations as advertised. We were visited several times over the weekend by 2 separate park rangers about the noise level coming from our site, specifically "bursts of laughter". I can tell you we were not a rowdy bunch...just a family catching up and telling stories around the campfire as a normal camping experience should be. Unfortunately I have to say our reunion was ruined by the ranger’s borderline harassment of our group with threats to cite us and lengthy lectures on proper conduct. Ultimately, they told us to put out our fire and go to sleep at 10:30pm as to allow other campers to sleep.I would recommend this State Park as it is a great location and offers many opportunities to enjoy nature. I would not, however, recommend booking the group site for larger functions.

Start at the top and drive down the island; then take the ferry back to mainland. So much to see from Deception Bridge, lavender farm, history places, great eating at Toby's bar(like Cheers) in Coupeville, state park hikes

The reviews and descriptions I read about this park led me to believe that there would be no problem with my 32' 5th wheel. Although my site, #33, was big enough, getting into it was a different story. I literally was running off the roadway, scraping on bushes with the truck to back into the site. Most of the corners/turns were VERY TIGHT. Also I found out the hard way that there were many STINGING NETTLES all over the area. The sites were clean and well maintained, but the brush adjoining them was very overgrown including the nettles and black berry bushes. The walk down to the beach was very enjoyable, but the beach was littered with dead fish parts, jelly fish, kelp, etc. There was also green algae covering the water's edge - not enjoyable. I also don't understand why we had to pay for the showers when we paid a rather expensive fee per night. One last thing... There was a dead tree approx. 60' tall still standing, ready to fall at any time - very dangerous. I also saw a couple other diseased trees. This park is not maintained well.

I can't say enough about this visit to South Whidbey Island State Park.I joined a group of tourists on a guided beach walk, where we learned firsthand of the ecosystem along the shoreline . . (i.e., critters that live under the rocks/sand). . from there myself and a friend hiked almost 3 miles into the forest, to view a 500 year old cedar tree. . the history behind this particular cedar tree is quite interesting.

As you're heading towards the park entrance, on the left there is a paved pull over about three car-lengths. Pull over and park there there's a Fern Gully trail hike that's quite nice. Lots of ferns, very shaded, quiet. Not strenuous but there is a definite incline and descent going back down. Took 6 of us about 45 minutes. Great random hiking.

Stayed here for our very first camping trip with a 19' camper.. The 'hosts' and park rangers are very accommodating. We had reserved a site without hookups but when we arrived, we asked if anything was available with hookups and there was not a problem switching. The camping area is kept very clean and the restrooms and showers are cleaned daily. This park is convenient to a grocery store, hardware store, gas station, etc. We explored the island and went to Fort Casey, Fort Ebey and Deception Pass - all were easy to find. The campsites are not cramped together and some have more privacy than others, but overall it's a very nice park. The beach area is very nice although it is a steep climb on the stairs to get back to your site. The hiking trails were fairly easy to navigate, not too narrow and well maintained. We will definitely camp here again.

The weather was beautiful!, food, drinks,conversation and the company of family and friends, was the perfect combination!We'll definitely be back soon :)

I love the island, especially South Whidbey Island State Park. It is a beautiful park with nice trails and pretty beaches (round rocks, not sand!).

Whidbey Island, WA is a great sight seeing drive. I suggest seeing the entire island, so take a day or two. There are fine, reasonably priced dinners in nearly every community. If your short of cash, Safeway has reasonable prices on there hot and cold deli items. The natural appeal of untainted forest is what you'll see. If you have the ability, take a hike. Carry pepper spray in case the wild life gets frisky. You will see wild life. Enjoy Whidbey Island.