Such a beautiful park! Deception pass is always inspiring, but on a blue-sky day becomes magical. I arrived relatively early shortly after 8AM and was surprised how empty the main beach parking lot was. I guess it's still spring and not warm summer morning yet.
My adventure today was a trail run to refresh my memories of the trails and pave the way for some future kiddo hikes. I began on the North Beach trail, passing the amphitheater and continuing up to the bridge. This trail is in great shape and beyond the amphitheater it provides intermittent access to the beach and the occasional picnic table. After climbing to the bridge I continued under and along the Goose Rock perimeter trail, enjoying great views of Cornet Bay and Mt Baker peeking through the clouds. I followed this loop 3/4 of the way around to the south side before turning onto a summit trail and heading to the top. Great views out over the islands on a clear day from the summit, but please note that you can't see the bridge or beaches of the park from here.
I descended to the north along the NE Summit trail to return directly to the bridge (the various summit trails are signed at the bottom but not up top, however things are pretty straightforward). I then jogged across the bridge (stopping to enjoy the views of course) then along the wide should approx 1/4 mile to where an unsigned but obvious trail drops through a gap in the guardrail and drops down to the Lighthouse Point trail. Just below the road there is a "signed" 4-way intersection that doesn't provide much clarity, just continue straight, going down the hill for the quickest route.
Lighthouse point is a gem, crossing the short isthmus while enjoying views of Bowman Bay and then immediately making a short climb to the beginning of bridge views. If you're just looking for the bridge views stay straight/left to see the bridge and then return the same way. When hiking the whole loop I prefer going counter-clockwise, making the right hand turn towards the burned tree (you'll know it when you see it!) This way you're covering the beautiful, but less epic, section first. This stretch of the trail is cutting west across the point and you soon return to great views as you reach the western shore and can either spur to the north or continue along the main loop south. Following along to the south the views just get more and more impressive, looking out west to the islands, south across to the main park/beaches, east to the bridge. Absolutely beautiful and worth the short hike in from Bowman Bay!
After basking in the magnificence of nature (aka catching my breath) I completed the loop and climbed back up the hill to return across the bridge and back down the North Beach Trail and the main parking lot. A LOT more folks around at 10:30 and the trails were probably a bit crowded later in the afternoon, but if a sunny weekend afternoon is the only time you've got I'd say it's worth braving the crowds!
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