Goose Rock Summit — Attraction in Whidbey Island

We stumbled upon Goose Rock Summit Trail while camping at Deception Pass, thinking it would be a quick hike with a nice view. We underestimated it! We left all our supplies (including water) in the car, expecting just a short jaunt—but that was on us for not doing the research.

That said, it was absolutely worth it. The views from the top are stunning—panoramic sights of Whidbey Island, the Olympics, even all the way out to Canada on a clear day. You can also spot Cranberry Lake and get a real sense of the area’s beauty from above.

We chose to do the full loop, which I highly recommend. It’s a bit of a climb going up, but the trail down runs alongside the water and is much easier and super scenic. You can do an out-and-back if you’re short on time, but the loop offers more variety.

Parking is limited on the south side near the bridge, but since we were already camping at Deception Pass, that wasn’t an issue for us. If you’re driving in for the day, I’d suggest parking at North Beach (Discovery Pass required), where you can also enjoy beach access and make a full day of it.

All in all, a beautiful and memorable hike. Just don’t...

This hike is one of the many trails at Deception Pass State Park. Our hike was 3.4 miles with a 600 foot ascent of Goose Rock. We started at the DP Park Headquarter building and took the Lower Forest Trail to the Goose Rock Perimeter Trail to the Goose Rock Summit Trail. The first part went through an open forest and then the Perimeter Trail follows Cornet Bay and eventually Deception Pass before hiking up the summit. It was a little rocky in some areas but a fairly easy hike. The summit of Goose Rock has wonderful open views looking East over Deception Pass and Cornet Bay. At the summit stay on the rocks as much as you can as they have a reclamation effort where they recently installed wooden rails. Our hike was a loop hike taking the Lower Forest Trail back to our car. This section was a little steep...

Great hike. Lots of incline but manageable. The views are breathtaking and worth it. I’d say all types of fitness can do this hike it’s more how fast you can do it. We saw a deer almost walk up to us! It was no more than 15ft away before it decided to jump back into the forest. Bring a backpack with snacks to have a little picnic at the top. Well maintained trail and bathrooms at the start of trail are nice. Here visiting from FL and...