Dugualla State Park

Quiet ambling on Skagit Bay

Quick Facts:

Location: Whidbey Island

Distance: more than 5.0 miles of trails

Elevation Gain: up to 500 feet

Contact: Washington State Parks

Recommended Guidebook: Urban Trails Everett (Mountaineers Books)

Notes: Discover Pass required; dogs permitted on leash

Trailhead directions: From Oak Harbor, follow State Route 20 for 4.0 miles and turn right onto W Sleeper Road. Continue for 2.5 miles to road’s end and trailhead.

Good to Know: dog-friendly, kid-friendly, trail less taken, snow-free winter hike, bird-watching

This state park property was once a DNR tract slated to be logged. But fortunately this 586-acre forested Whidbey Island parcel is now a satellite park administered by Deception Pass State Park. Take to more than five miles of trails here following old skid roads and newer single tracks through mature stands of timber including a couple of old-growth giants. There’s a mile of coastline to walk too when the tide is low (as long as you don’t mind a little mud). And while this property lacks amenities, it also lacks crowds.

       The trees are tall and many are quite old at Dugualla State Park. It was all slated to be clear cut until a deal was made to move this impressive stand of timber under state park protection in 1992. In the past few years volunteers with organizations like the Washington Trails Association and Switmo have helped develop and mark an excellent network of trails in the park.

            Head past the trailhead gate on an old logging road now called the North Trail to a junction. If you’re intent on making a beeline to the beach, the shortest route is about a mile either straight via the North Trail to the Beach Trail or right via the Wetland Trail to the Beach Trail. You will pass the Big Tree junction graced by no surprise here—a giant old-growth Douglas fir.

            There are actually many old and large trees—western hemlocks and grand firs in addition to the Douglas firs in Dugualla. You can find them along the North Trail and Big Tree Trail. The beach can be explored in a low tide, but be prepared for some muck. Enjoy good views across Skagit Bay to Goat and Ika islands in the Skagit Wildlife Area (WDFW). Goat Island was the site of Fort Whitman, one of the Puget Sound coastal fort installations of the last century and the least known and visited of the old forts.

            Have fun exploring this little known state park.

For more details on this hike and many more on Whidbey and Camano Islands, pick up a copy of my Urban Trails Everett (Mountaineers Books).