I hiked 8 miles along an out-and-back stretch connected to a loop within Deception Pass State Park. I started beside Cranberry Lake and soon found myself beside West Beach.
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| Cranberry Lake |
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| West Beach |
The trail offered many views of the surrounding waters and made its way through forest.
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| Trail through Alder Trees |
While the majority of the hike was flat, it did involve two climbs. The first was to one of the two bridges that connect Whidbey Island to the mainland.
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| Climb to the Bridge |
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| Deception Pass Bridge |
Once on top, I walked out on both sides of the Deception Pass Bridge to take in the view. It was a little uncomfortable being on the narrow bridge and only having a thin wire in a rope-style barrier between you the heavy traffic roaring by.
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| Tour Boat near Strawberry Island |
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| North Beach to the Left and Deception Island Straight Ahead |
After leaving the bridge, I began the loop which included the second climb to Goose Rock Summit.
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| Goose Rock Summit |
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| View on an Overcast Day from Goose Rock Summit |
As I made my way down off the summit and then followed along Cornet Bay, I realized the tide was out and there was more mud than water across the furthest reaches of the area. From the higher elevation, it had looked like water. With the mud came a distinct musky odor.
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| Low Tide Near the Inland End of Cornet Bay |
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| Ben Ure Island Northeast of Cornet Bay |
Once I completed the loop, I descended from the bridge to the shoreline and then made a detour. I walked along North Beach instead of retracing my steps through a section of forest.
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| Westward along North Beach |
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| North Beach and Deception Pass Bridge in the Distance |
I eventually came back to the trail and returned to the hike's starting point.
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