It was another loverly Wednesday morning so I went back to Deception Pass State Park for more hiking fun. My route started from the Cranberry Lake day-use area (huge parking lot nobody uses, except in summer) and passed along the North Beach Trail to the bridge. The North Beach Trail closure near the bridge has been reopened, though I’m not sure if it’s an official reopening, as the barricades are still there but have been pushed to the side. All the same, many people were passing to and fro along the “closed?” section of trail.

I skipped Goose Rock this time around and crossed the bridge to see Lottie Bay, Lighthouse Point and Rosario Head. At the statue of Ko-Kwal-alwoot, the story of the Maiden of Deception Pass is becoming weathered and difficult to read, but you can still decipher most of it.

After Rosario, I went over to Pass Lake and explored some of the trails there. I almost got carried away following the PNT route north, but forced myself to turn around as it got later. There are some great local views along the ridge above Pass Lake, and the west lake loop is steep and makes for a nice leg-burner.

All the trails are in excellent shape as usual but some places are very muddy, so expect wet feet. I wore gaiters, which was a bit overkill, but nice all the same. Other than mud and some tree roots, the main trails are all quite tame and easy to hike. There are about a billion and a half social trails at this park though, and some of them can be very sketchy. Be careful and keep dogs on leash near the sea cliffs! Some trails run right up to the precipice and dogs, especially small ones, might not see the edge coming.

In all, this was another fantabulous outing to Deception Pass. In addition to the hiking, I got to sit and watch a family of seal fish in the waters near Pass Island. I rooted for a remote-controlled sailboat race at Rosario Head, and discovered the remains of an old house near the PNT. Good times!

“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.”

-Lewis Carroll, “Jabberwocky”

This is a beautiful park that I can’t believe I haven’t checked out before. Took me about 2 hours each way from Maple Valley but oh so worth it. It was a beautiful sunny day & there where lots of people on the trails working from home LOL. I did the lighthouse point & Lottie Bay. The trails are in great shape. The parking lot is big & Sani cans clean. Be sure to bring a lunch as there are many grassy places & big flat rocks to picnic. I enjoyed watching sea otters play while sharing my sandwich with my pup. I can’t wait to return as there is a lot more to explore.

This is a STUNNING hike! Definitely do not miss out on this one. We started at Bowman Bay and made our way to Lighthouse Point. Right from the parking lot you get stunning views of the beach. There is also a huge grass area, playground (under construction and covered up), picnic tables and grills. So, lots of stuff right at the Parking area. 

When facing the water, head left, to start the trail. Cross a wooden bridge and begin this easy but epic journey exploring several coves. Soon after the bridge the trail goes up into the forest with some peekaboo views. Then it quickly descends down to two coves. Another picturesque view right at the start. Then the trail enters back into the forest and there is another epic cove spot with Deception Pass Bridge in view. Continue through the forest and then the trail opens up to  more coves with stunning views. This hike wins with amazing views and little work. So fun to explore all the coves. I lost count on how many coves there were. We went clockwise on the loop trail. 
I saw some purple little flowers blooming in one of the grass areas. 

After exploring Lighthouse Point, we made our way to Lottie. Lottie is less maintained and a little more work to get to the stunning views but you do get closer to the bridge. 

Lastly, we finished our day with watching the sunset by the Deception Pass bridge. 

The parking area on the fidalgo side of the bridge is closed for construction so we parked in the main parking area across the bridge. Then walked along the bridge to get back to the Fidalgo side. The views from the bridge on both sides are epic. It was about 30mins before sunset. We walked down the stairs and followed a faint short dirt path to get to the best sunset view with the bridge in the foreground. 

Easy and fun adventure with epic views 

It seemed like the quiet before spring in the park and only a few visitors this morning. I took my time to explore all the side trails on Reservation Head. On one of those bluff trails I found a large patch of stonecrop coming on strong as an early announcement of spring. Hopefully another year of no Silent Spring.