High bluffs, flat prairies, crashing waves, saltwater, freshwater, forest — this trail has it all.

If you are doing the loop, it is best to head bluff-ward from the parking lot. Use the staircase and venture up to the prairie.

If one treks along the beach first, the trail begins its ascent in deep sand, then climbs steeply. This is much easier to descend.

The Trek: After parking, stroll to the information kiosk to get a history lesson as well as an idea of where you are and where you are going.

Another couple steps lead to three informational placards. One describes what can be viewed across Admiralty Inlet. Another tells the history of Isaac Ebey, the namesake of the area. The third explains the differing ships anything from cargo ships to military craft that ply the inlets waters.

Head up the staircase of railroad ties and reach the top of the bluff. A massive field of hay sprawls before you. Go left, following the path along the bluffs edge.

Traipse up another hill and come to an intersection. To the right leads to the Ebeys Prairie Trail. A placard informs readers that the area is relatively unchanged since the 1850s.

Back on the Bluff Trail, continue straight. Another placard explains that you are leaving the state park and entering the Robert Y. Pratt Memorial Preserve.

Pratt inherited a 147-acre swath of land in 1939 and donated it upon his death to the Nature Conservancy. The area is now owned by a combination of National Park Service, Sherman-Bishop Farm, the Nature Conservancy and Washington State Park.

Venture through the large wood gate and head uphill. The views improve with every step.

The trail is packed sand, and there is an abundance of bird and plant life. A stiff breeze blows over the waters below, then up and over the bluffs.

Leave the prairie as the trail now borders forest. The smell of pine mixes with that of saltwater. Trees are twisted and warped. They grow at rather grotesque angles because they are battered by the winds of winter storms.

Walk through a hillside meadow. After rounding a bend, Peregos Lake can be seen below. This lake is usually filled with freshwater. However, it becomes a saltwater lagoon when the tides run high and the surf breaks over the sandy burms.

The trail hugs the bluffs edge. A slip means a long tumble into the waters far below.

The packed-sand trail meanders past a massive log perched on the bluffs edge. Another massive, gnarled snag that was around long before Ebey landed stands as a lone sentinel.

Reaching a fork, going right leads to another spectacular viewpoint, while venturing left leads to the lake.

Take in the viewpoint, then venture down to sea level. The trail is steep. Deep sand near the bottom cushions every step, but also fills the boots.

At the bottom, there are three choices. Walk a trail along the lake, cross over a barricade of driftwood to the rocky beach or do a combination of both.

The beach has lots of rocks and a forest worth of driftwood. The bluffs that loom high above were trekked just moments before.

Continue along the shoreline and eventually return to the parking lot and the rig.

Distance: 3.5 miles
Destination: Loop trail
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation gain: 200 feet

Getting there: Take Highway 20 to Coupeville. Just before the pedestrian overpass, turn right at Terry Road, which becomes Ebey Landing Road. Follow Ebey Landing Road to where it hairpins. Turn right and park in the lot.