Things To Know Before You Come

At the heart of the Reserve is the well-preserved 19th century seaport town of Coupeville, situated just off SR 20 on Penn Cove. To see the community's picturesque Victorian architecture first-hand take the self-guided walking tour. Brochures are available at the Historical Museum and other locations. The museum also has fascinating exhibits on the island's colorful past. For a sense of the town’s history, stroll out on the once bustling Coupeville wharf, see Rosie, the skeletal remains of a gray whale, and other exhibits; and be sure to explore the various restaurants, antique stores, galleries and gift shops that line historic Front Street.

Beyond the streets of Coupeville, visitors can experience the rural beauty of the 17,400-acre Reserve by automobile, bicycle, or on foot. A self-guided driving/biking tour will lead you to scenic vistas, interpretive wayside exhibits, and historic sites. Look for the many historic farmsteads, most still in use as working farms, scattered throughout the landscape. Visit the historic Admiralty Head Lighthouse and the ten-inch "disappearing" guns at historic Fort Casey State Park. Stroll through Sunnyside Cemetery with its many pioneer family headstones. You can see several of the reserve's historic blockhouses in Crockett Prairie, in Coupeville, and at the Sunnyside Cemetery, all dating back to a brief era of settler-Native American tensions in the 1850s.

There are many ways to enjoy nature on a visit to the Reserve. The Naturalist Guide brochures provide seasonal information about the best places and times to enjoy the native flora and fauna of the Reserve. Choose among the various hikes and explore beaches, bluffs, woodlands, and prairies. Enjoy bird-watching at Crockett Lake, Keystone Spit, or Penn Cove. Scuba-dive in the waters of Admiralty Bay at Fort Casey State Park's underwater reserve. Launch your boat at Keystone Harbor, at Coupeville, or on Penn Cove at Monroe's Landing. Picnic or camp at Rhododendron Park, Fort Casey, or Fort Ebey State Park.

The Trust Board of Ebey's Landing NHR maintains an administrative office at 162 Cemetery Road, adjacent to the Sunnyside Cemetery, outside of Coupeville. You can obtain additional information about the reserve here or by calling [phone], or writing to:

Trust Board of Ebey's Landing NHR

P.O. Box 774

Coupeville, WA 98239