Goose Point is located within the Deception Pass State Park and rises about 460 feet above sea level. There are a number of interconnecting trails throughout the park allowing you to customize your route to fit your day hike needs.
The Hike:
My original plan for the day was to join the Mouunt Baker Club for an exploratory day hike to Split Rock in Skagit County, but gated roads meant that the easy day hike would now consist of at least 18 miles.
No thanks.
The MBC decided to change the destination to something a little less ambitious: Goose Rock.
Never having been to that part of the Deception Pass park before, it seemed like a good opportunity for a short hike while also getting to meet some local hikers.
I'm glad I did.
We started the hike near Cranberry Lake, following park paths with beach views until we reached the Deception Pass bridge.
From the bridge, we kept to the left, following the Goose Point Perimeter trail instead of ascending straight to the top.
As the trail went up and down we enjoyed the massive trees as well as the growing ground cover and even some spring flowers, including Indian Paintbrush. Here is a picture of some Oregon Grape:
Eventually we began a steep ascent toward the peak, gaining about 430 feet in about 4/10th's of a mile.
Near the top we encountered this informative sign, providing some insight as to how delicate the meadows are up here.
Arriving at the peak we took some pics and tried to find a nice spot for lunch that would also block some of the chilly wind that was picking up.
This is a pic from Goose Point, looking southwest. Note the Indian Paintbrush blooming at the bottom of the photo.
A wider view, showing more of the above mentioned fragile meadows.
Another once with a nice log.
After a group picture (there were nine of us) we packed up and began the descent. Instead of returning the way we came, we chose to descend the steep section that we originally bypassed near the bridge.
As we approached the beginning of the descent, there is a view (through power lines) across Deception Pass. If you look carefully, you can see the remnants of a mine from long ago. IIRC, this mine made use of prison labor back in the day (a fact I learned during our Deception Pass Boat Tour last summer... read about it here).
Here it is with super-zoom... quite the gate on that thing!
We proceeded down the trail and eventually found ourselves hiking under Hwy 20 before arriving at the beach for a lovely walk back to the vehicles.
We concluded the hike with a cold beverage at the Longhorn Saloon in Edison before I returned home to let the dogs out.
This was a very pleasant close-to-home local hike. You might find me out here again this summer... with the kids and the dogs.
Happy Trails!
~E
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