Celebrate a birthday! Deception Pass State Park is 100 years old this year! Set aside as a park in 1922, it has unfortunately suffered in the ensuing years from some uninformed development that destroyed key habitats. Consider West Beach as it once looked a hundred years ago. Sand dunes covered the backshore between Cranberry Lake and the Straits, from West Point all the way down to the present Navy base. In the Thirties, National Park planners designed park roads and structures to allow visitors to explore the park while still protecting critical and sensitive resources. The plans guided the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who added a swim beach at the east end of Cranberry, with a promenade in the lake and a bathhouse and store in the grassy uplands. No development other than a lakeshore trail went west of here, leaving the dunes and West Beach entirely natural. Fast forward to the early Fifties, when Parks decided to turn the lakeshore trail into a road. The unique and fragile dunes became a parking lot, first covered with gravel, then paved over, right into the beach driftwood. Later a long bathroom and concession dominated the narrow spit between the lake and seashore. Houses filled the dunes south of the park boundary all the way to the now-noisy Navy base. A remnant of the dunes was left untouched south of the concession stand, with a loop trail through the foredune and backwoods. Park staff later paved this trail, then added interpretive signs to illustrate the life of the dunes that remained. We hiked the Dunes Trail last weekend. The parking lot was filling up at noon on this warmish day. We went south, passing kids swimming in the still-cool waters of the lake, families barbecuing at picnic tables, folks flying kites, and a scattered stream of beachcombers walking the gravelly shoreline on an outgoing tide. The Dunes Trail, though, was empty as we walked down the eastern edge and through the shaded woods, sheltered from the breezes off the water. At the lakeshore overlook we paused to listen to a chorus of birds in the ecotone of forest and wetland. Love songs of spring filled the air. A bright-yellow Wilson’s flitted past, a ray of sunshine through the dark green branches. Walking farther south, we commented how we had neither seen nor heard anyone for some time now. That’s when three young kids barreled toward us on bikes, their parents sheepishly following behind, apologizing to us. “No apology necessary,” we said, as the kids passed us slowly and safely, heading to the beach. We followed them along a spur trail to the beach and sat down on a log to soak up the sun and salt air. Groups of friends and families strolled by in both directions, smiles on their faces. Dogs led their owners over to us to greet our dog Murphy, who relished meeting new faces and smells. We eventually headed back to finish the loop. The openness of the sunny skies above filled our hearts with joy after months of gray. The half-mile trail was still mostly devoid of people, yet full of interest and beauty. Flowers burst in vibrant colors above the sand. We stood in awe to marvel at the 800-year-old fir near the end of the trail, its magnificent branches intricately interwoven. An elderly woman shuffled past us, clinging to the elbow of her friend for support. A lone woman walked past, lost in thought. A young couple sauntered the other way, arm in arm. An eagle watched over it all from its perch above. We wandered back to the hubbub and busyness of the parking lot, the dunes a distant memory underneath. Oh what changes time brings, what changes we have wrought upon the land. And what remnant havens we still have today and for the next hundred years. Directions: From Highway 20 at the Deception Pass Bridge, go south one mile to the Cornet Bay Road intersection and stoplight. Turn right, west, into Deception Pass State Park. (A proper park pass is required to park in the park.) Follow the signs to West Beach, and park in the large parking lot. (Or park at the entrance and follow the lakeshore trail as the original planners intended.) Go south from the parking lot to the remnant of the dunes. The trail is a loop.
By bus: From March's Point or Oak Harbor, take Island Transit 411W to Seabolts or the nearby Cornet Bay transit stops at Deception Pass. Enter the park on the west side of the highway. By bike: Highway 20 is narrow and hilly in this area, for several miles in each direction, particularly from the north. Mobility: From the West Beach parking lot, the paved trail follows the lake shore to become the Dunes Trail. Be aware: the park is extremely busy on warm days, especially in the summer, and may be full. Parking is plentiful at the park entrance. And jets fly low and loud at times, but less often on weekends.
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Maribeth Crandell has been a hiking guide in the Pacific NW for over 20 years. She's lived on Whidbey and Fidalgo Island for decades. As a frequent bus rider she easily makes connections between trails and transit. Archives by date
April 2024
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