Price Sculpture Forest offers a quiet, self-guided art walk in Coupeville

Price Sculpture Forest gives Coupeville an outing that works in February drizzle and July sun alike: a free woodland art walk that stays open every day and asks visitors to slow down. The forest pairs sculpture with a century-old stand of trees, a self-guided mobile tour, and rules that keep the experience pedestrian-only and quiet. For Island County residents and visiting family, it is one of the easiest places to recommend when you want something outdoors, low-cost, and different from a standard park stop.

Why it fits Island County so well

The biggest reason Price Sculpture Forest keeps working as a local outing is that it does not depend on a single season or a ticketed event. It is open every day from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. or sunset, whichever comes first, so the visit can be as short or as lingering as you want. That matters on Whidbey Island, where weather, daylight, and ferry timing all shape how people plan a day.

It is also free to visit, which makes it easy to fold into ordinary plans instead of saving it for a special occasion. A couple of hours in Coupeville can turn into a walk through the forest, a stop in downtown Coupeville, and a view of Penn Cove without adding much cost or logistics. The fact that the tour runs on an internet-enabled phone without requiring an app removes another barrier, especially for people bringing guests or trying to keep a day simple.

What the walk feels like

Price Sculpture Forest is not a gallery with walls and opening hours that end the moment you step outside. It is a community sculpture exhibition park and habitat preserve, so the art is set into the woods rather than separated from them. The organization’s mission says, “We create an environment where Art Enhances Nature and Nature Enhances Art,” which is exactly how the place is built to be used.

The collection includes dozens of sculptures by different artists, and the setting changes the way those works read from one visit to the next. Light, rain, leaf cover, and the pace of the walk all change the experience, which is why repeat visits make sense here. The site’s own framing, “A 365-day forest. For every body,” captures that idea: this is meant to be a place people can return to, not a one-time destination.

The rules also shape the atmosphere. No dogs, no bikes, and pedestrian use only keeps the trails quiet and focused on walking. That makes the site easier to share with visitors who want a slower outing than a traditional trail or a busier public park.

Trails and accessibility

The accessibility work at Price Sculpture Forest is one of its clearest strengths. The forest says it has two unique loop trails, and the first trail, Nature Nurtured, is designed to be as flat and accessible as reasonably possible in a natural dirt forest setting. Search results for the site note that the lower loop is wheelchair accessible, while the upper loop has roots and hills.

That matters in a county where many outdoor attractions are beautiful but physically demanding. Price Sculpture Forest does not pretend the woods are level pavement, but it does make a clear effort to widen access to the experience. For people planning a multigenerational outing, that is often the difference between a place that sounds nice and one that is actually usable.

The result is a site that works for different kinds of visitors at the same time. Someone who wants an easy, contemplative stroll can stay on the gentler trail, while others can explore the more uneven upper loop. The mix gives the forest a broader public value than a single-path park or a static sculpture garden.

The people behind the forest

Price Sculpture Forest is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), and its roots are closely tied to Scott Price and his family. A KING 5 story on July 4, 2023, said Scott Price originally bought land in Coupeville planning to build a house, then decided to preserve it instead. That same account described the site as a century-old forest and noted that volunteers help maintain the grounds.

The organization page shows Scott Price with Karen and Lydia Price in front of a sculpture, which reinforces how personal the project is. A Pacific Northwest Sculptors profile identifies Scott Price as the creator of Price Sculpture Forest. The site also describes itself as a small local organization ready to grow with the community, a useful reminder that this is not a large institution pretending to be local theater; it is a homegrown project built around a specific place on Parker Road.

That local identity shows up in the way the forest keeps adding activity around the art. A 2024 blog post titled “Collaboration and Mentorship With Maria Wickwire” points to continuing artist engagement, and the sculptors page invites artists to exhibit work in the forest. The project has also offered a free guided program tied to International Sculpture Day and Whidbey Earth and Ocean Month, which gives the site a public-culture role beyond a self-guided stroll.

How to plan the visit

The forest is on Parker Road in Coupeville, with public listings placing it at 678 Parker Rd, Coupeville, WA 98239. That location makes it an easy add-on to a day in central Whidbey, especially if you are already spending time in Coupeville’s historic core or along the Penn Cove waterfront. The site sits naturally within the central Whidbey heritage corridor, so the art walk can be one part of a broader local circuit rather than an isolated stop.

A simple visit looks like this:

• Go any day of the week between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., or before sunset.
• Use an internet-enabled phone for the free self-guided tour, no app needed.
• Leave dogs and bikes behind, since the forest is pedestrian use only.
• Pick the loop that matches your comfort level, especially if you want the flatter Nature Nurtured route.

The donate page lists the organization as a nonprofit with EIN 85-0495987 and WA UBI 604 588 673, which gives a practical route for anyone who wants to support the work after a visit. For Island County, that combination of free access, year-round hours, and a deliberately walkable design is what makes Price Sculpture Forest easy to keep in rotation.