Washington’s most popular state park, Deception Pass is best known for the spectacular green bridge that spans the narrow waterway that flows between Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands.

When Capt. George Vancouver first sighted this waterway in 1792, he called it Port Gardner. When he realized the inlet was actually a tidal passage between two islands, he renamed it Deception Pass, a name that took on greater significance from the swirling and tricky waters here that warded sailors off until 1852, when Capt. Thomas Coupe sailed a fully rigged three-masted vessel through the narrow entrance.

Nine miles north of Oak Harbor on Highway 20, the 3,600-acre park covers ground on either end of the bridge and offers facilities that rival those of some national parks: swimming and fishing at two lakes, four miles of shoreline, 28 miles of hiking trails, fresh and saltwater fishing, boating, picnicking, rowboat rentals, boat launches, viewpoints, an environmental learning center, and several hundred campsites.