Double Bluff Beach Access
Encyclopedia
Double Bluff Beach
on Whidbey Island
in the U.S. state
of Washington is considered by many to be the best beach on the Southern end of the island, with its offering of shellfish harvest and at times total solitude. The beach tidelands themselves comprise Double Bluff State Park. The uplands and access ares are operated by Island County, Washington
as Double Bluff County Park and Beach Access.
area of Whidbey Island along the shores of Admiralty Inlet
, North of Puget Sound
. The beach access parking lot is roughly two miles from the retail core of Freeland. From the northern portions of the beach, the Olympic Mountains
can be seen to the West. The southern portions face to the South, where in the distance one can see the highrises of Seattle
roughly 30 miles away, dwarfed over by Mt. Rainier which is roughly 100 miles away.
and Seattle
. Fed by sand from the bluffs at its East and West ends, Useless Bay has a sandy, shallow slope; the horizontal distance between high and low tidelines can exceed 2500 feet.
Useless Bay opens to the West into Admiralty Inlet
. The shore here abuts a large bluff which rises from Useless Bay and descends to Double Bluff several miles down the shore. The primary character of the shore here is shifting sands eroded from the bluffs with large fields of rocks, slabs of peat
, and erratic boulders.
Due to its island locality the shores here do not have railroad tracks present, allowing one to witness over time the erosive processes that have been at work here since the last ice age.
Different geologic strata can be observed in the exposed face of the bluff.
s, great blue heron
s, peregrine falcon
s, gull
s, crow
s, several species of sea anemone
, many species of crab
, snail
s, sea urchin
s, and barnacle
s.
on Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island
Whidbey Island is one of nine islands located in Island County, Washington, in the United States. Whidbey is located about north of Seattle, and lies between the Olympic Peninsula and the I-5 corridor of western Washington...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Washington is considered by many to be the best beach on the Southern end of the island, with its offering of shellfish harvest and at times total solitude. The beach tidelands themselves comprise Double Bluff State Park. The uplands and access ares are operated by Island County, Washington
Island County, Washington
Island County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. In 2010 census, its population was 78,506. Its county seat is Coupeville, while its largest city is Oak Harbor....
as Double Bluff County Park and Beach Access.
Geography
Located in the unincorporated FreelandFreeland, Washington
Freeland is a town and census-designated place in Island County, Washington, United States. At the time of the 2010 census the population was 2,035. The town received its name based on its origins as a socialist commune in the early 1900s—. Literally, in the eyes of its founders, the land of...
area of Whidbey Island along the shores of Admiralty Inlet
Admiralty Inlet
Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U.S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the northeastern part of the Olympic Peninsula....
, North of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. The beach access parking lot is roughly two miles from the retail core of Freeland. From the northern portions of the beach, the Olympic Mountains
Olympic Mountains
The Olympic Mountains is a mountain range on the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington in the United States. The mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are not especially high - Mount Olympus is the highest at - but the western slopes of the Olympics rise directly out of the Pacific...
can be seen to the West. The southern portions face to the South, where in the distance one can see the highrises of Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
roughly 30 miles away, dwarfed over by Mt. Rainier which is roughly 100 miles away.
Geology
The Southern end of the shore faces South, toward Useless Bay and, further to the South, towards Puget SoundPuget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
and Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Fed by sand from the bluffs at its East and West ends, Useless Bay has a sandy, shallow slope; the horizontal distance between high and low tidelines can exceed 2500 feet.
Useless Bay opens to the West into Admiralty Inlet
Admiralty Inlet
Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U.S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the northeastern part of the Olympic Peninsula....
. The shore here abuts a large bluff which rises from Useless Bay and descends to Double Bluff several miles down the shore. The primary character of the shore here is shifting sands eroded from the bluffs with large fields of rocks, slabs of peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
, and erratic boulders.
Due to its island locality the shores here do not have railroad tracks present, allowing one to witness over time the erosive processes that have been at work here since the last ice age.
Different geologic strata can be observed in the exposed face of the bluff.
Wildlife
Many species of wildlife may be found here including bald eagleBald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s, great blue heron
Great Blue Heron
The Great Blue Heron is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North and Central America as well as the West Indies and the Galápagos Islands. It is a rare vagrant to Europe, with records from Spain, the Azores and England...
s, peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s, gull
Gull
Gulls are birds in the family Laridae. They are most closely related to the terns and only distantly related to auks, skimmers, and more distantly to the waders...
s, crow
Crow
Crows form the genus Corvus in the family Corvidae. Ranging in size from the relatively small pigeon-size jackdaws to the Common Raven of the Holarctic region and Thick-billed Raven of the highlands of Ethiopia, the 40 or so members of this genus occur on all temperate continents and several...
s, several species of sea anemone
Sea anemone
Sea anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia. Anthozoa often have large polyps that allow for digestion of larger...
, many species of crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
, snail
Snail
Snail is a common name applied to most of the members of the molluscan class Gastropoda that have coiled shells in the adult stage. When the word is used in its most general sense, it includes sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. The word snail without any qualifier is however more often...
s, sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
s, and barnacle
Barnacle
A barnacle is a type of arthropod belonging to infraclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in erosive settings. They are sessile suspension feeders, and have...
s.
Activities
- Walking
- Tidepool Exploration
- Birdwatching
- Swimming
- Skimboarding
- Picnicking
- Clamming (with license)
- Off Leash Dog Area
External links
- Double Bluff State Park (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
- Double Bluff County Park (Island County Parks)
- Double Bluff Beach & Dog Park (Whidbey Island Visitors Guide at Visitwhidbey.com)