National and State Parks - Recreational Areas
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Deception Pass State Park
State Park Information
State Park Overview
Camping
The Cornet Bay launch is open in winter.
The park provides five saltwater and three freshwater boat ramps, plus 710 feet of saltwater dock and 450 feet of freshwater dock. All motors are prohibited on Pass Lake and only electric motors are allowed on Cranberry Lake.
A daily permit is available for watercraft launching, vehicle parking and trailer dumping at the park for $5.Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia -t region offices, online and
at parks when staff is available.
The park also offers 1,980 feet of saltwater moorage. A boat pumpout facility is located at Cornet Bay.
Moorage fees are charged year-round for mooring at docks, floats and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m.
Daily moorage fee is 50 cents per foot, with a minimum of $10.
Moorage buoys, $10 a night.
Annual moorage permit fee is $3.50 per foot, with a minimum of $50.
Moorage permits are available at parks offering moorage. For information, call (360) 902-8844. Telephone Device for the Deaf, (360) 664-3133.
Picnicking
History of the Area
The human history of the park dates back over 6,000 years, when the first people settled in the areas now known as Cornet Bay, Bowman Bay and Rosario. Eventually, the land was settled by the Samish and the Swinomish. They lived on the land until the early 1900s.
During his Northwest coastal explorations, Captain George Vancouver became the first European to identify the area - Whidbey Island as a passage, which he named "Deception Pass." A 1925 act of Congress designated the property for public recreation purposes. In the 1930s, the Civililian Conservation Corps (CCC) built roads, trails, buildings and bridges to develop the park.
The name "Deception Pass" derived from Captain Vancouvers realization that what he had mistaken for a peninsula was actually an island. He named that island "Whidbey" in honor of his assistant, Joseph Whidbey, who was at his side when Vancouver realized the mistake. The captain named the inlet at which he was anchored "Deception Pass" to commemorate the error.