Fort Ebey State Park sits between Oak Harbor and Coupeville, on the north end of Whidbey Island. While it doesn’t have the extensive buildings that nearby Fort Casey has, the Gun Battery area is easily reached, and fun for smaller children, who Fort Casey can be too much. Follow the signs to the large parking area for the Battery, near the campground. Head up the hill, past the very nasty pit toilets. There is a large picnic area at the top, with many tables, taking in the view of the Salish Sea and the Olympic Mountains. This is the old parade grounds. The Gun Battery is to the left.
The tunnel goes all the way through the main entrance.
On the back side find some very pretty views.
The Battery sits on the edge of a short bluff.
The Bluff Trail, that runs along the Battery, is also part of the Pacific Northwest Trail, as it crosses Whidbey Island to the Coupeville Ferry, past Fort Casey.
The backside of the Gun Battery. Each side has the ring for the large gun it held in its day.
Take one of the many trails down to the lower bluff, and cross the green field. If you look hard enough you might see the ghostly view of Tahoma (Mount Rainier) between the land, rising above the Salish Sea.
The bluff lets one look across the length of the Olympic Mountains, and to the far right (not in the picture), the San Juan Islands rise as well.
Fort Evey State Park requires a Discover parking pass or buy a daily parking pass at the park entrance for $5. Dogs are allowed, leashed.
~Sarah
One thought on “Local Adventures: Fort Ebey Gun Battery”