Dog Friendly Beaches - great Skim-boarding & Kite-sailing spots too!

Visit the Oak Harbor's Windjammer Park. Enjoy beach front for a peaceful walk and beautiful views. (c) Oak Harbor CVB

Island county commissioners voted to make the Double Bluff Beach off-leash area permanent. They also designated two other off-leash parks to be placed under FETCH! stewardship: Marguerite Brons Memorial Park: 13 acres of fenced meadow and wooded trails in Bayview (South Whidbey) and Patmore Pit, 40 acres of partially fenced meadow and woods in Coupeville (mid-Whidbey).

A couple of years later, due to the tireless efforts of FETCH! board members Jon and Lori Matteson, two off-leash parks were opened in Oak Harbor (North Whidbey): Oak Harbor Dog Park at the end of Technical Road and the Clover Valley Dog Park.

These days, Whidbey Island dogs have plenty to bark and wag about with five off-leash parks scattered across the island from north to south.

Double Bluff Beach (South Whidbey) Website

Double Bluff State Park, also known as Useless Bay Tidelands, is a 24,354 foot stretch of beach on the southwest shore of Whidbey Island. Double Bluff is the hot spot in the Puget Sound for skim-boarding in the summer and kite-boarding in the winter. The beach is wide and sandy at the access and becomes rockier with cobble and large boulders towards the west. Two large unstable bluffs are the major feature of the uplands. Clam habitat is patchy and restricted to the cobble areas in the lower intertidal. While butter clams are the species most commonly harvested at this beach, native littleneck clams, cockles, horse clams, eastern softshell clams, and macoma clams are also present in lesser numbers.

Double Bluff Beach-Day use only

South Whidbey Islands best kept secret. This truly is south Whidbey's best public beach! Located south of Freeland at the end of Double Bluff Road. (From highway 525 watch for the little yellow sign "Double Bluff Rd.") One mile South of Freeland. This beach offers a spectacular beach access. Off leash dog play park, Seashell collecting, clamming, rock collecting (Agates, Jade and others.) A great place to take the kids for a fun filled afternoon. Watch for Bald Eagles and ships in the sound. Great community 4th of July Fireworks! If you're looking for an alternative way to spend your fourth of July, come to Double Bluff Beach. Bring your spirits and join the locals for a GREAT fireworks show! Fireworks presented by the locals, so bring your own and enjoy the show.

DIRECTIONS TO SITE:

From the south: From the Mukilteo ferry terminal drive north on Hwy 525 for 8.3 miles. Turn left on Double Bluff Road and follow to the end.

From the north: Take Hwy 20 south through Oak Harbor and continue on Hwy 525. Turn right onto Double Bluff Road and follow to the end.

FACILITIES: While the tidelands are a State Park, Double Bluff Park (the upland portion of the park) is operated by the Friends of Double Bluff and Island County. There is no parking fee and space for up to 24 cars. There are bathrooms, outdoor showers, picnic areas and a pay phone at the access area. This is an off-leash dog park. This beach features views to the south of Mt. Rainier.

Running along the base of steep Double Bluff, the Double Bluff Beach Off-Leash Area is a two-mile-long stretch of salt water beach on Useless Bay. At the base of the bluffs, enormous tangles of driftwood make great doggy jungle gyms. When the tide is out, the beach is hundreds of feet wide but even at high tide, the beach is wide enough for dogs to run themselves to a state of blissful exhaustion.

For humans, Double Bluff offers stunning views of Mt Rainier, the Seattle skyline, the Olympic Peninsula and the shipping lanes. Soaring Bald Eagles and Great Blue Herons wading at the edge of the surf can be seen frequently. Grey whales put in an occasional appearance, too, especially in the Spring.

Double Bluff Beach offers a grassy picnic area, viewing benches, rest rooms, doggie poop bags and a rinse station - which ensures that most of the sand stays at the beach and doesn't end up in your car. A dog-height drinking fountain is also available.

Please note: Immediately adjacent to the parking lot is an area designated for public use where people can enjoy the beach without encountering off-leash dogs. The off-leash area begins about 500 feet from the parking lot - the boundary is marked by a windsock on a flagpole. Dogs MUST be leashed on the walk from the parking lot to the beginning of the off-leash area. The county leash-law is in effect until you reach the off-leash area, and violators are subject to a $500 fine.

Double Bluff Beach opened in June, 1999 and continues to be a great success. In this multi-use area, please respect the off-leash boundaries and please pick up after your dogs!

How to get there:
From SR 525 head south on Double Bluff Road until the road dead ends at the beach.

FETCH! Website
P.O. BOX 212
LANGLEY, WA 98260

EMAIL US

360 321-4049