Joseph Whidbey State Park is a 112-acre Washington state park in Island County, Washington with 3,100 feet of shoreline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca in north Puget Sound. Park activities include picnicking, ADA-accessible hiking, canoeing, crabbing, beachcombing, and birdwatching.
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AI.
This is a fabulous state park with both open grassy/brambly areas, forest and seashore. The east parking lot is made of gravel and has limited parking and the start of the trail is frequently muddy. There is a pet waste trash can at the beginning of the trail which us dog owners especially appreciate! After the initial muddy patch from the eastern trailhead is an open, grassy mounds area that has blackberry plants. A short distance later is a second grassy area and just beyond this the landscape progresses into a lovely wooded area. Be aware that In Spring and Summer there are lots of stinging nettles right alongside the Trail. These contain formic acid, the same ingredient as fire ants have ,so don't let bare legs or ams brush against them, nor your dog stick it's nose where these are! Nettles ARE edible, nutritious and delicious. (You can safely harvest these with gloves and cook them by boiling, steaming etc to neutralize the formic acid) There is also a lot of edible Miner's lettuce along the trail, At the ended of the wooded section is another 'too small' parking lot with an open, grassy area with picnic tables and a short, downhill walk to the seashore with stunning, expensive views...
Read more
Lovely spot to sit and relax to watch the sun set. There are plenty of picnic tables and great open spots for picnicking.
Parking: small gravel lot.
Dogs: must be leashed at all times.
Beach Access: is less than a 5 minute downhill walk from the parking lot. there is a worn path that goes slightly downhill to access the beach. Pushing a stroller back up the hill is somewhat tiring but manageable. Speaking of the beach--this place is more of a rocky beach than a sandy one. That being said, there are some nicely polished-by-the-sea pebbles along the shoreline.
While I was there, I witnessed the park being maintained by a state park ranger(?)---he wiped down the trash can lid, rinsed and refilled a container for dogs to drink out of, picked up trash, etc. Very nice to know that this place is being kept clean!
No fireworks allowed in the park areas. Signs posted.
Beach: I was there during high tide so there were no tide pools or shells--just a very rocky beach with smooth pebbles. Photo of Joseph Whidbey State Park - Oak Harbor, WA,...
Read more
Seeing the Northern Lights up here can be a hit of miss and can be seen usually from 9 pm to 3 am most of the time, so if your close I would suggest bringing blankets and sweaters plus the best camera you have because if you can't see the Aurora Borealis then your camera might and you can honestly say I took a picture of the Northern lights. Just download Aurora Alerts and it will keep you posted. Anything 5 and higher you have a good chance of capturing and seeing them. There is space for about 10 cars max, so definitely keep that in mind when coming to this spot. Good news is the police can't kick you out because it is literally right off the main road so there is no gate or main road that can get closed because it is basically a parking...
Read more
