Since I have subjected Sam to enough tough climbs and hikes lately, I have been trying to keep it simple. With her heading to the east coast for work for awhile she has been wanting to see the Deception pass area more.
After looking up trails the hike leaving from Rosario Beach seemed easy enough. It looked like we could connect with the lighthouse point and Lottie Point hikes as well. The ferry ride to get out to Whidbey Island had no traffic. I almost drove around through Skagit County, but, I am glad I checked the ferry traffic before going.
Arriving at the trailhead it was all but full. We got one of the last spots available in the small circle parking lot. Pretty lucky for a nice sunny winter day.
The Rosario Beach hike starts off very easy heading through the woods for a short distance. Soon it pops out at the tip of Rosario head and has exceptional views of the surrounding bays and islands. Enjoy a nice slow walk around the head and the trail will bring you back to the parking area.
From here you can head back to the car, or continue to the southwest and some more trail.
After leaving Rosario Beach the hike gains a small amount of elevation. It’s nothing difficult and in spots where there are cliffs the trail has railings. Meander along the hillside for around half a mile and enjoy the views out over Bowman bay. From here you can see Lighthouse point your next destination.
The trail is easy to follow and leads right out onto the next beach. There is a pier (closed signs all over) that some people were walking out on. We chose to respect the signage and move on for some more views.
Lighthouse point was the best part of the Rosario Beach hike. When you first walk out onto it there is a long sandbar that separates from the mainland. Once back into the woods on the point, there are trails that go in several directions. We took 3 and all were easy and had kids as young as 5 or so running along them.
Whichever trail you choose to take you will exit the woods to the best view of the day. The end of Lighthouse Point has the best view of the Deception Pass Bridge that I have ever seen. Make sure to stop and snap some photos.
There is also a small rock on the south side of Lighthouse point that can you can scramble. The view is a little better up there but not much. If the scramble looks uncomfortable you aren’t missing much.
Once back to the mainland fro Lighthouse point, you can continue down the trail to Lottie point. That is the only place we had any issues during the day. Along the hike out too Lottie if you stay along the left path there are two spots where it gets fairly steep.
I was okay with the exposure in those spots. Sam did it but wasn’t happy. If you don’t like heights, I would take the path to the right. Lottie point was the least interesting part of the Rosario Beach hike. Not worth the extra few steps in this writers opinion.
06:11 | 
20:07
TEMP: 60 ℉
WIND: 14 mph
RAIN: 0 mm
SNOW: 0 mm
