Great hiking across Bowman Bay hiking to Rosario Head, Lighthouse Point, and looping Goose Rock the bridge and the Goose Rock perimeter trail descending down to North Beach and West Beach to get close to 10 miles of running. The trail to the bridge is as always steep and overgrown but it’s easy to follow for an unofficial trail. Lots of photographers about and good wildlife viewing with seals, oyster catchers, bald eagles, and waterfowl. I did a plunge into Bowman Bay post run and found it warmer than expected it felt nice to ice the knee after the ups and downs. Great day out by the bay.

We arrived at the Bowman Bay parking lot around 12:30 on a beautiful January day. The lot was about 3/4 full as expected on a nice day. There are privies at the parking area and they were in decent shape today. You will need a Discover Pass to park in the lot. 

The Rosario Head trail is in pretty good shape. There is a little mud here and there on the trail and some mud in the grassy picnic area that you walk through to access the trail from the parking area. It's rocky and rooty in places so good boots or sturdy shoes are helpful. There are some nice viewpoints along the trail and the views are gorgeous from Rosario Head. There were lots of people out on the trail today but there was plenty of space at Rosario Head to spread out. 

We returned to the parking area and headed south along the beach to the Lighthouse Point trail. The trail runs south from the parking area to a closed bridge that was damaged in a storm. The trail is still accessible by going around the bridge onto the beach and following the beach to a point where the trail picks up again on your left near the bottom of a large cliff. This trail is also rocky and rooty as well as steep in a few places so a trekking pole was helpful for us today. The trail has some mud in spots and there is a tree down over the trail that was easily navigated by both human and canine legs today. The Lighthouse Point Loop has several great viewpoints and there were lots of people out soaking up sunshine today. 

We returned to the parking area around 3:30. Strava measured our distance for both hikes to be about 4.5 miles, which is a respectable distance for me on a January afternoon. 

Trail Closed Bowman Bay side of Lottie point for a short section of boardwalk that is washed out. 
You can beach walk around the washed out area and continue on the path up the bluff to Lottie and Lighthouse Points.

Lots of road noise on the Deception Pass side of the trails.

A large tree across the Lottie Loop Trail  is easy enough climb over.

Overall a beautiful hike to finish off 2024!

Bottom Line:

Hiking in Deception Pass State Park from Bowman Bay boat launch (right turnoff right after Pass Lake as you approach the bridge from Anacortes) to Reservation Head, Lighthouse Point and Lottie Point. Always love a loop trail, and this one had 3. This hike is amazingly beautiful... from the green color of the ocean to the mosses high and low, huge Douglas Firs, colorful Pacific Madrone, and wildly windswept Cypress trees. The rocky headlands have many hidden channels and coves to explore via various spur trails. With the high tide and seas, lots of crashing waves near and far. Relaxing and beautiful! I only saw about 5 other people.

Stats:

• Distance: ~5 miles
• Duration: 3 hours 10 minutes
• Vertical: 865 ft (up and down - see profile below)
• Road/Parking: Road down to Bowman Bay has some flooded spots but no more than 6" deep. LOTS of parking at Bowman Bay boat launch, although it looks like the King tides may have flooded the lot recently; Discover Pass required; the pier connection to the beach is washed out
• Flora/Fauna: Seals and eagles today - heard more of the latter than I saw, but I did see one eagle fishing with a plunging dive. Not the crowds of eagles from the other day. The ocean has a fantastic green color in this area, will plenty of bull kelp. The forest is nothing short of amazing, from an understory of varied mosses to huge Douglas Firs, colorful and always-leafy Pacific Madrones, and windswept Cypress Trees. Did not seem like a December hike in Washington! The rocky headlands have lots of little spurs to explore but watch for some exposure and the possibility of sneaker waves.
• Trail: The trail from Bowman Bay to the junction at Lottie Bay has a short section that is washed out. It would be difficult to get past a damaged bridge when the tide is very high, like this morning's King tide. Today the tide was going out while I hiked, and there was ample beach to bypass the bridge on the return. The trails have some storm damage - e.g. down trees. Areas of mud. The isthmus to the "island" with Lighthouse Loop can also be hard to cross with a very high tide. Finally, you really need a low tide to cross to Lighthouse Point "island" via another sand isthmus; today, "low" tide was 7 ft and the crossing was underwater.  NOTE: There was a lot of navy jet traffic today but thankfully the surf was very loud as well :)
• Takeaway: Not the longest trail, and mainly pocket beaches, but lots of nooks and crannies to explore, and of course the ocean opens up the possibility of seeing whales or porpoises although the roughness today made that a little more difficult. Binoculars recommended! I was out there for 3 hours because it was so beautiful! Lots of grassy bluffs to chill on and just enjoy the view. More life the San Juan islands than say, my outer coast trip to Tofino (with those incredible reflections!!) over Thanksgiving.

The attached video shows all 3 loops as well as some higher-definition pictures.