Getting to the Water’s Edge

69 Beaches, 2 Islands, One Book

It’s back! The premier guide to Island County beach access and stewardship, Getting to the Water’s Edge on Whidbey and Camano Islands, is back once again; revised after fourteen years.

The book’s third edition, published this month, builds on the runaway success of the 2006 second edition. That volume sold nearly 7,000 copies and was celebrated as the only book of its kind in the entire Puget Sound. “It still is,” said Linda Ade Ridder, who is a project lead of the sponsoring Sound Water Stewards.

“Other counties have inquired about doing something like Water’s Edge, but no one has been able to duplicate it! If you own no other guide to Island County beaches, this is the one you must carry in your glove box.”

Linda Ade Ridder

The third edition is 32 pages longer and describes 69 beaches on Camano and Whidbey Islands, including directions to them, and both the facilities and amenities of each beach, including restrooms, picnic facilities, boat and kayak launches, trails, and more.

All locations are identified on a master map, showing sites on both Islands in addition to a comprehensive table explaining exactly what can be found at all 69 beaches.  Many activities, such as hiking, fishing, clamming, swimming, and watching birds and whales are also identified by beach.

The book’s chapters address safety, property rights, stewardship best practices, accessibility for those with mobility challenges, and the effects of rising temperatures on the Salish Sea.  Box essays provide information on human history, stewardship, and natural history including animals, plants, geology, and streams and estuaries. 

Upland trails and trail systems are also identified—53 of them—including 15 ranked as accessible.  Information about children and dogs are included in the new sections on children’s beach activities and dog parks.

This edition has been two years in the making by some 67 Sound Water Steward volunteers and community resource personnel on the two islands. They gave more than 1,500 hours of their time to bring it into fruition, including meticulous fact-checking, writing, and editing. The printing costs were paid entirely by sponsors in the community including businesses, non-profits, and Sound Waters Stewards members who stepped forward to raise enough funds to print 6,000 books.

Getting to the Water’s Edge is also for sale at bookstores and other outlets on Whidbey and Camano Islands.