CHS 1 Hike - Deception Pass State Park: Goose Rock

We'll be venturing out to the north end of Whidbey Island for this early-season CHS1 hike. Perhaps you've walked or driven across the bridge at Deception Pass, but did you know you can also hike from the beach below to the summit of the peak above?

Our hike will start on the rolling trail that parallels North Beach for 1 mile, then we'll cross under the bridge and climb through the woods for another 0.6 miles (gaining 400ft) until we reach 'the Balds' atop Goose Rock. Here we will stop for lunch while taking in panoramic views of the Olympics, the Strait of Juan De Fuca, the San Juan Islands, and even Vancouver Island if the weather allows. After our break, we will descend the rocky switchbacks that take us down to Cornet Bay, then along the smaller ups and downs of the Perimeter Trail. We might even get a great view of Mount Baker across the water if conditions are clear enough. We will finish our lollipop loop by hiking back along the same beach to the trailhead at West Point. Fun Fact: we will hike 1 mile (0.083%) of the Pacific Northwest Trail on this route... only 1,199 miles to go!

Check out the route on this Gaia GPS Map, and find out more about the hike from the WTA trail description. A Hello Hiker email with more details will be sent out the week before the hike. Feel free to reach out to me via email with any questions in the meantime.

We will meet at 9:00AM at the West Point parking lot of Deception Pass State Park (beyond the NW corner of Cranberry Lake). Restrooms are located at the south end of the parking lot. We will have our boots and packs on ready to start our hike at 9:15AM.

Carpooling out to the island is encouraged. Consider using a free resource like GroupCarpool.com to organize your own carpools.

Discover Pass Required.