This morning hike up to the Goose Rock Summit produced great views, along with wonderful wildflower and butterfly displays. By midmorning Echo Blue and Brown Elfin butterflies could be frequently seen flying among the wildflowers and shrubs along the trail. The showy wildflowers along the bluffs included Meadow Death Camas, Common Camas, Chocolate Lily, Oregon Sunshine, Sea Blush, Paintbrush & Stonecrop. Goose Rock Summit, at 484 feet, gives you incredible views of Deception Pass and the surrounding islands.

SO I went out and did Goose Rock and Hoypus point today on a beautiful sunny day. Did GR first, got there at about 9:00am and no one else was on the trail and only a few Deception Pass Bridge. Did the Perimeter Trail to the top of the rock and then coming down I took the Discovery Trail to the CCC trail and under the highway to my car where I was parked near North Beach. Some mud on the Discovery but other than that not much to worry about. Great time to go while the rest of the population is still hibernating. Hoypus Point/Hill was a little muddy for my tastes. All I've heard about this place is about how you can beat the crowds of people at the bridge and come over to this little know gem but on a weekday before noon there were several groups of people on all of the trails out there, wasn't prepared for that. I saw something big flash across the trail near one of the houses on the other side, I have to assume it was a coyote as I didn't have enough time to get a good look at it.

For New Years Eve, a hike on the rocks! We started our hike from the end of Cranberry Lake at the north beach trailhead. There are a number of places to start, but this gave us a nice beachwalk, which we did on the way back. The park trails are all very well signed, but if you have the Green Trails 41S map it is easier to plan your route. We did the bluff trail under the bridge, then took the perameter trail, then cut up from the south side. Some views of the N Cascades from the NE. On top there were good views out on the water and to the south.The rocks were wet and slick, be cautious. We did not see the Olympics as it was cloudy. We came back down the discovery trail, crossing under the CCC built underpass, then headed to the beach.

Beautiful day hike. It was a little rainy, but the trail shields you from most of that. Given the time of year, some parts were a little slippery when we hit larger rock faces. Of note: The trailhead parking lot in the directions is closed for the winter, but you can easily get there by parking elsewhere. We parked near the south beach, which added another mile or so to get to the listed trailhead. Would highly recommend this one!

With a nice sunny day we headed up to Deception Pass State Park for some hiking. Started the hike from the West Beach parking lot and went along the North Beach Trail as the tide was in so we could not walk up the beach. At the trail junction just past the Highway 20 Deception Pass bridge we took the Perimeter Trail to the second junction. Then up hill on the connector trail to the Goose Rock Summit Trail. We walked on the granite rock to the top at 484 feet elevation where we found a good spot for lunch. For a not too tall mountain, it does have a big view. Out to the west we could see all of the east side of the Olympic Mountains, down south to Rainier and to the SE White Chuck, Whitehorse, Three Fingers, Bear, Liberty and Pilchuck can be seen. We stayed on the summit for an hour enjoying the view and eating lunch, and also watching the Navy jets and four engine prop sub seeking planes do touch and goes at the WINAS. We hiked back down from the top on the Summit Trail to the Perimeter Trail next to Cornet Bay to do a loop. Further on we took the Discovery Trail back to the campground. The trail passes under the Highway 20 stone and concrete bridge build in 1934 by the CCC men. There is a plaque by the bridge giving the history of its construction. This part of the trail is on an old road bed. Passing through the now closed group camping area with the parking lot entrance blocked by big boulders, it brought back memories of my camping there for the first time fifty years ago with Boy Scout Troop 112 from Alderwood Manor (a town that no longer exists). We Scouts camped and hiked the trails at the park several times back in the early 1960's. Sally and I then took the service road down to the junction by the park maintenance buildings and hiked the mile on the West Beach Trail to the parking lot to complete our 5.2 mile loop. All of the trails we hiked are in good shape. Note that all of the campsites north of Cranberry Lake are closed for the winter. We only saw three other hikers all day. Check out Goose Rock for the big view.