Tom and I left San Juan Island a week ago, although we didn’t travel far. We drove the RV onto the ferry, got off in Anacortes, and drove 17 miles south to Whidbey Island. We are staying at North Whidbey RV Park (more on that later) for a week while we explore northern Washington. After we got set up, we headed to Deception Pass State Park which borders the RV park.
Deception Pass State Park is the most visited state park in Washington. You can get there by car and it is an easy drive from Seattle. It has 15 miles of ocean shoreline and 38 miles of hiking trails. There are also several campgrounds.
The most spectacular feature of Deception Pass State Park is the bridge over Deception Pass. Parking lots on both ends of the bridge allow people to view the pass from overlooks or by walking across the bridge. Tom and I started to walk across the bridge but semi-trucks zooming past inches from us discouraged us from going all the way across.
Instead, we hiked a couple of the trails. We headed up Goose Rock, then circled around on the Discovery Trail. This trail goes through some beautiful old-growth forest and we were impressed by the size of the trees. We walked along North Beach and did the Dunes Interpretive Trail at West Beach.
The entire time we were hiking, Navy jets from nearby Naval Air Station Whidbey Island flew overhead, engaged in training missions. The jets were so loud we couldn’t talk when they were flying over, but we were glad the pilots were practicing and getting certified. We found a wayside that described the jets so Tom enjoyed telling me what jet was flying over us.
George Vancouver named Deception Pass when he discovered that Whidbey Island was not a peninsula as he assumed. Instead, the pass separated Whidbey Island from the mainland, hence the name. There is a beautiful Samish legend about the Maiden of Deception Pass, Ko-Kwal-alwoot. She sacrificed living with her people in order to provide for their well-being. You can read about the legend here.
Tom and I enjoyed our time exploring Deception Pass State Park. It is a beautiful and serene (except for the jets) place to visit.