Multi-modal camping at South Whidbey State Park

It's summertime and that means time to get away from the city and spend the night on Whidbey Island!

We will begin our trip at King Street Station downtown, where we will ride Sounder to Mukilteo, then take the ferry over to Whidbey Island, where we will ride the free Island Transit bus over to the campground.

South Whidbey State Park is a forested area with a small network of hiking trails. A short trail is available down to the beach, with excellent views of Puget Sound. We will camp at the park for one night, then do a short day-hike around the area the next morning before returning to Seattle.

Schedule:

Meet King St. Sounder Station - 4:15 PM
Depart King Street Station (Sounder) - 4:33 PM (*)
Arrive Mukilteo - 5:15 PM
Depart Mukilteo (ferry) - 5:30 PM
Arrive Clinton - 5:50 PM
Depart Clinton - 6:15 PM
Arrive South Whidbey State Park - 6:45 PM

From the bus stop, it will be necessary to walk a short distance (~1/2 mile) to reach our campsite. Please plan for this as you pack.

When we arrive, we will have dinner together at the campsite.

(*) It is very important that everyone be on time, as if you miss this train, it will not be possible to reach Whidbey Island before the last bus of the day leaves without you. Travel through downtown Seattle during rush hour can be quite slow, so please plan accordingly and allow time for unexpected delays. If you are taking a bus that approaches downtown Seattle from the north, please choose a bus that enters downtown Seattle no later than 4:00. Also, Amtrak and Sounder have different platforms, so you need to look for us at the Sounder platform. If you enter the Amtrak station, you are in the wrong place.

Our return trip to Seattle will be much more flexible. Buses leave South Whidbey State Park all day at 50 minutes past the hour, so we will just play it by ear and leave when we are ready. Once we reach Clinton, it's a 20 minute ferry ride to Mukilteo. From Mukilteo, CT 113 will take us to Lynnwood, from which ST 511 will take us back to Seattle. I expect to arrive back in Seattle on Saturday sometime during the mid-afternoon.

What to bring:

• Food for dinner Friday, breakfast Saturday, and lunch Saturday
• Sleeping gear (tent/sleeping bag/pillow/mattress)
• toiletries (towel, soap, toothbrush, toilet paper, etc.).
• headlamp (campsites get very dark, once the sun goes down)
• rain gear
• Backpack to carry the above from the bus stop to the campsite.

Restrooms, running water, and showers, will be available at the campground.

At this point, I have not yet reserved any campsites and am leaving the signup open to gauge interest so I can know how many campsites to reserve. As the day gets closer, I will reserve campsites for the group and limit the roster size to what the reserved campsites are able to handle.

Please bring money to cover the following costs (some transportation costs might not apply if you already have a bus pass):

Sounder - $4.00
Ferry (Mukilteo -> Clinton) - $5.00
Camping - $7-8
Bus fares for return trip Saturday - $2.50
Buses on Whidbey Island - FREE
Return ferry (Clinton -> Mukilteo) - FREE