Double Bluff Beach Access

Double Bluff Beach Access and [http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/beachreg/b260110.shtml Double Bluff State Park] in the U.S. state of Washington is considered by many to be the best beach on the Southern end of Whidbey Island with its offering of shellfish harvest and at times total solitude.

Geography

Located in the unincorpated Freeland area of Island County, Washington along the shores of Useless Bay, Admiralty Inlet, and Double Bluff to the North of the Puget Sound. The beach access parking lot is roughly two miles from the retail core of Freeland. The Olympic Mountains can be seen from the sections of shore along Admiralty Inlet. To the SSE of the shore one can see the highrises of Seattle roughly 30 miles away dwarfed by Mt. Rainier which is roughly 100 miles away.

Double Bluff seen from the South in the mid littoral zone.

Geology

On the Southern end of the shore is Useless Bay which faces South towards the Puget Sound and Seattle. Being a sandy bay fed by bluffs at its East and West ends, the bay has a shallow slope and the horizontal distance between high and lows tidelines can exceed 2500 feet.

Past the Western end of Useless Bay begins Admiralty Inlet and 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.

Wildlife

Many species of wildlife may be found here including bald eagles, great blue herons, peregrine falcons, gulls, crows, several species of sea anemone, many species of crab, snails, sea urchins, and barnacles.

Activities

*Walking
*Tidepool Exploration
*Birdwatching
*Swimming
*Skimboarding
*Picnicking
*Clamming (with license)
*Off Leash Dog Area

External links

* [http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/fish/shelfish/beachreg/b260110.shtml Double Bluff State Park]