Double Bluff Beach

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.

Geography

Located in the unincorporated Freeland 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.

Geology

The Southern end of the shore faces South, toward Useless Bay and, further to the South, towards Puget Sound 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.

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

External links

Coordinates: 47°59′54.5″N 122°30′19″W / 47.998472°N 122.50528°W / 47.998472; -122.50528


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