Walking Ebey’s Trails System Starting to Take Shape

Land Trust volunteers who participated in the trail building work party in Central Whidbey March 22, 2019. Back row, from left: Scott Price, Tom Nielsen, Ed Aites, Pam Stein, Colleen Skinner, Lorna Aites. Nancy South, Robert Payton. Front row: Steve Holmberg, Sue Payton and Diane Wyzga.

It may be a year before Robert and Sue Payton are able to walk the new trail they helped build in Central Whidbey this spring. But as far as Robert is concerned, it will be worth the wait.

The Paytons were among 11 people who came to a patch of woods near Coupeville on March 22 to finish the construction of a quarter-mile section of trail. Many had come earlier in the month to start building the segment, which will be part of the future Walking Ebey’s Trail System.

“We belong to a walking club so we hike all kinds of trails,” said Robert Payton, referring to a group known as the Northwest Tulip Trekkers. “We’re excited to get this finished so we can have another walk through here.”

The enthusiasm over the new trail project was infectious, leading to another double-digit turnout of volunteers.

“I like to hike,” Nancy South of Freeland said. “Any new trail on Whidbey is great.”

The Land Trust started planning for a trail system in Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve more than a decade ago. By securing conservation and trail easements from private landowners, the Land Trust now is connecting existing trails in Central Whidbey to create a European-like walking experience to and from Coupeville through surrounding forests, farmlands, parks, and along beaches.

“When we heard about it, we were immediately interested because it’s sort of a great interface between the forest and the prairie. And that’s the type of landscape we’re particularly fond of.”

“When we heard about it, we were immediately interested because it’s sort of a great interface between the forest and the prairie,” said Ed Aites of Oak Harbor who was joined by his wife Lorna. “And that’s the type of landscape we’re particularly fond of. We were also kind of thinking it’s a parallel to the walking paths of Britain where there are a lot of public walking areas that go through farmland. And we’ve always enjoyed that idea.”

Trail building started in 2018 near the Land Trust’s Admiralty Inlet Preserve, north of Fort Casey State Park. The first two phases will make it possible to walk from that preserve through the pastoral interior and connect with Rhododendron County Park. That park joins with the County’s Kettles Trail along State Highway 20 and leads into Coupeville and north to Fort Ebey State Park.

The Walking Ebey’s trail project plan has five phases. Phases 1 and 2 include more than four miles of trail and are expected to be completed and open for public enjoyment in 2020.

Grant funding for this project is from Island County Conservation Futures Fund and a National Park Service and Outdoor Foundation grant. The Land Trust needs to secure additional funding to complete the trail system and will be working on this in the months to come.