This trek is perfect for the damp, windy and wet days that are soon to be the norm.

Beachcombing is ideal when the weather is rough as flotsam and jetsam are thrown about upon the waters of Puget Sound.

This hike boasts stretches along the coastline and in rich, green forests.

The area has been hailed by the Washington State Audubon Society as one of the best in the state for bird watching.

Distance: 1.2 miles

Destination: Loop trail

Difficulty: Easy

Elevation gain: None

Getting there: From Stanwood, go west on Highway 532. At the fork just before Terry’s Corner, stay to the left. At the stoplight, go left on North Sunrise Boulevard. In about two miles, turn left on Iverson Beach Road. At the “T,” go left. At the next “T” intersection, go left on Iverson Beach Road. Take it until it ends.

The Trek: After parking in the lot, make your way through the fence, past the picnic tables and sign, and arrive at a post with an arrow marked “Loop Trail.”

Take this trail.

Along the route, pass several staircases that lead up and over a large dike that keeps the ground semi-dry. Make sure to use the staircases. They are a necessity for keeping erosion from harming the dike. There are viewpoints atop these staircases that allow visitors to take in long stretches of driftwood-covered beach. Sun-bleached logs, once tossed around by wind and waves, have come to rest upon each other like wooden matches from a box that has been dropped.

Follow the green arrows on a double-wide trail of grass and sand. This time of the year, the wind is crisp. On this day, rain was just beginning to fall.

On both sides of the trail are brackish pools of water.

The trail merges with an old roadbed. Continue to the right, following the arrows along the backside of the dike.

Pass a bench that provides an excellent vantage point for a myriad of small and large sloughs that criss-cross the area.

Cross over one of the larger sloughs as it runs under the trail through a massive culvert.

Upstream, several great blue herons staked their claim to a parcel of shoreline.

Even this time of the year, flocks of shorebirds remain. Old pilings boast birdhouses and perches. When the tide is out, acres of mudflats emerge.

When the dike ends, turn left and head into the forest. The trail is bordered by thick greenery. A surface of mud, grass and leaves greets each step. An old cedar groans as the wind blows through its branches.

At an intersection, proceed left. It’s about 100 feet before the canopy gives way to a massive marsh. Cattails now reign supreme. The trail narrows considerably before reaching a pair of footbridges. The first spans a small inlet, while the second crosses a large, deep and slow-moving slough.

After crossing the second bridge, proceed to the left.

The path bends right just below the culvert that was passed earlier.

At the next intersection, go right, taking the Hobbit Trail.

Immediately enter thick woods that have almost a medieval feel to them.

This route is aptly named. Branches of old trees arc over the trail and reach for the ground with the appearance of skeletal hands.

Leaving the woods, bend to the left, then to the right while bordering a field. Exit through the fence and return to the rig.