A camp not too far
Published 9:00 pm Friday, August 18, 2006
Sometimes it’s easy to overlook getaways in your own back yard. Take Whidbey Island, where I’ve lived for 30 years.
The last time I went camping on the island was at least a decade ago.
That all changed on the Fourth of July weekend, when my husband and I decided to bag the hubbub and hoopla of the big summer holiday. Along with friends Bob French and Bernita Sanstad, also of Langley, we made the 45-minute trip to Fort Ebey State Park, two miles north of Coupeville.
When checking in at the park for directions to our campsite, the friendly fellow at the registration desk looked at my address. Then he looked and me and said, “You’re from Langley?”
For some reason it tickled his funny bone that our party of four would want to camp just up the road.
Fort Ebey State Park, on the site of a World War II gun battery, is one of four state parks on Whidbey Island. The others are South Whidbey, Fort Casey and Deception Pass.
What’s outstanding about Fort Ebey is the setting. The park boasts three miles of saltwater shoreline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, stunning views out to the Olympics and 28 miles of hiking and biking trails.
The park’s inland trails feature “kettles,” potholes left in the earth by receding glaciers.
Other outdoor activities include fishing for smallmouth bass in Lake Pondilla (also a good spot for viewing eagles); paragliding; surfing; and fields for badminton, softball, volleyball and baseball (bring your own nets and equipment).
It’s also fun to explore the concrete bunkers built for the original military fort. The last guns were removed and scrapped during World War II.
Reservations are just a click away
I made our reservations online at the Washington State Parks Web site a week before the holiday. I was in luck, as there was one campsite remaining. All we had to do was pack up and go.
Since my husband and I hadn’t been car camping for a number of years, I forgot how much stuff you have to take with you to make life comfy.
We loaded up our 1970 Ford pickup with what looked like leftovers from a garage sale: tents, sleeping bags, blankets and pillows, eight chairs, Coleman stoves, Weber barbecue, tablecloths, plates and cutlery, plenty of food and libations, and our personal gear.
Upon arrival I realized we’d left just as much behind: important things like butter, a lantern, towels, hand soap, playing cards and fixings for s’mores. But none of it was worth a trip back home.
While some of our campground neighbors were luxuriating in their campers and fifth wheels and even a classy custom touring bus (with Wisconsin plates), the Boy Scouts in our group set up our two small tents for the night.
It was nice and cozy, with a fire in the pit and burgers on the grill. Sparkling wine and fresh cherries from our small orchard at home started the evening out right, along with a serene yet windy sunset walk along Bluff Trail.
Fort Ebey has 40 standard campsites and 10 utility campsites with electricity and hook-ups. We were near the clean and spacious restroom, which features two showers (one that is ADA approved). There is also a group campsite that accommodates up to 75 people.
We awoke on the Fourth of July morning to the aroma of coffee brewing, and soon we were dining on scrambled eggs, bacon and toast served alfresco. Why does food taste so much better outdoors?
After breakfast, we headed out on the forested Bluff Trail with water bottles and sunscreen. The six-mile trek took us down a long trail to the beach.
For two hours we encountered the solitude of our island accompanied only by singing seagulls, soaring eagles and the crashing of the surf on the sand.
We’re already planning a September encore.
Sue Frause is a Whidbey Island freelance writer and photographer. She may be contacted at skfrause@whidbey.com.
Washington state parks on Whidbey Island
888-226-7688 or 888-CAMPOUT
There is a $7 reservation fee in addition to site-use fees.
4,134-acre marine and camping park nine miles north of Oak Harbor. 167 tent sites, 143 utility spaces, five hiker/biker sites, seven restrooms (four ADA) and six showers (four ADA). Camping at Bowman Bay, Sunrise Resort and Cranberry Lake.
Highlights: This is the most visited of Washington’s state parks. Old-growth forests, sand dunes, rugged cliffs, turbulent waters and 174 varieties of birds.
645-acre camping park two miles north of Coupeville and eight miles south of Oak Harbor.
40 standard campsites, 10 utility campsites with electricity and water hookups, one restroom (ADA) and two showers (one ADA).
Highlights: Hiking and biking trails, paragliding, gun batteries, eagles and its unique “kettles,” potholes left in the earth by melting ice.
467-acre marine camping park three miles south of Coupeville.
35 standard tent sites, one restroom and one shower. Campsites are next to the Keystone Ferry terminal. All are first-come, first-served.
Highlights: Admiralty Head Lighthouse, coast artillery post featuring four historic guns on display.
347-acre camping park seven miles north of Freeland.
46 tent spaces, eight utility spaces, two restrooms (one ADA) and four showers.
Highlights: 4,500 foot of shoreline on Admiralty Inlet, old-growth forest.
