This is a beautiful park with a great combination of hiking trails and beaches. The trail is about 2 miles long, which is partially in the forest, and partially in an open field with great wildflowers and views of the Straight of Juan de Fuca. It is an easy hike, with plenty of fodder for photography. There was also some wildlife. I saw chipmunks and bunnies, but since I took my little dog with me, I was unable to capture any photos of animals.
See all the photos from my trip to Joseph Whidbey State Park.
An alternate name for this entry could be, “The road less traveled, may be less traveled for a reason.” In an effort to avoid taking the same trail path more than once I found a smaller, less traveled trail. Unfortunately, I found the trail after realizing there were snakes in the area, evident from an empty snake skin on the trail. I was quite nervous and quickly followed the trail eager to get out of the woods. I found myself running into many cobwebs and muddy spots. Finally, I found myself at a fallen tree that I wasn’t willing to climb over, so I had to trek back and find the original more traversed path.
Just before reaching the “safe” trail, I saw a live snake. Luckily, it was just as afraid of me as I was of it, and it slithered away. Then I saw a second snake on the so-called safe path. Again, it quickly got out of my way (maybe it was the screaming that scared them off).
Finally, I got to the end of the trail and there was an older man walking his dog. I asked him about the snakes and he assured me that they were not poisonous and mostly harmless. He even went so far as to tell me about how children played with them.
As I was walking away, he added, “What you want to watch out for are the bugs.” Great.
Still, overall it was a wonderful adventure. After hiking about an hour, I rested my feet on the beach where the sound of waves soothed my frazzled nerves. I’d definitely go back to this park. Though, next time I’ll make sure to find a good stick to carry.
