Price Sculpture Forest turns Coupeville land into public art park
Price Sculpture Forest stayed out of the housing market and became a free Coupeville trail park, protected by a conservation easement over Penn Cove.
A 15.1-acre private forest in Coupeville was preserved instead of being turned into housing, becoming Price Sculpture Forest. The result is a rare public asset in Island County: protected woods, bluff-top habitat, walking trails, and outdoor art that anyone can reach without paying admission.
A private parcel became a public-purpose landscape
Scott Price and his family bought the main 15.1-acre parcel in 2008 with the idea of building a home there while still preserving as much forest and habitat as possible. That plan later evolved into a conservation easement with the Whidbey Camano Land Trust and the U.S. Navy, a legal step that removed residential development rights and blocked clear-cutting.
The protected property is 15 acres with about 700 feet of forested bluff over Penn Cove, with native rhododendron and Pacific yew in the understory. The easement leaves the land with only two allowed futures: undisturbed native forest or a sculpture park for the community.
The project was a first of its kind for the Whidbey Camano Land Trust. The easement locked in the founder’s vision for the property as conservation land with public access, rather than a private residence carved out of a wooded shoreline parcel.
What changed when the park opened
Price Sculpture Forest opened to visitors on October 23, 2020, after the conservation work was in place. The opening began with reservation-only guided tours on the first two days, a staged launch that matched the project’s careful approach to access and preservation.
The forest is not a formal museum building or a fenced sculpture garden tucked away from the town center. It is a managed woodland where public trails and outdoor art sit inside a conservation easement that keeps the parcel from being broken up for development.
The site also reflects local craftsmanship at the entrance. The entryway was designed and built by Ken Price and Langley artist Michael Hauser, adding another Island County layer to a property already shaped by family stewardship, land-trust protection, and public use.
How to visit the forest
Price Sculpture Forest is open every day from 8:00 a.m. until sunset or 7:00 p.m., whichever comes first. Admission is free, though donations are requested. Visitors can reach the park by car or bike, and the Coupeville waterfront walking path runs directly to the forest, making it one of the few places where a downtown stroll can turn into a protected woodland walk.
The park’s trail system is compact and easy to navigate, with just over a half mile of trails split into two loops: Nature Nurtured and Whimsy Way. The layout gives visitors enough distance to move between artworks, tree cover, and shoreline views without turning the visit into a strenuous hike.
Residents and visitors can drop in for a short loop, walk in from Front Street and the waterfront side of Coupeville, or make it part of a longer loop through the town’s historic core.
What you see on the trails
The forest is a 16-acre outdoor art space with century-old trees, rhododendrons, and native understory, and the bluff above Penn Cove is one of the conservation priorities.
Artworks by artists from across the United States are placed along the two trail loops, so the experience changes as the path turns through the woods. Some pieces are available for sale, and the forest is open to the public instead of remaining a private parcel.
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