The Long Way
Island County
A green suspension bridge spans a body of water between rocky, wooded shores under a clear blue sky.
Plate I. Deception Pass Bridge, Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From parks.wa.gov
A red building on a wooden pier by the water with boats docked alongside.
Plate II. Coupeville Wharf along Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From stateofwatourism.com
A large ferry is docked at a pier during sunset.
Plate III. Ferry terminal, Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From scenicwa.com
Two men walk along a wooden pier beside a waterfront town.
Plate IV. Coupeville Wharf along Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From stateofwatourism.com
A large arched bridge spans across water between forested cliffs.
Plate V. Deception Pass Bridge, Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From stateofwatourism.com
A winding gravel path through a garden with blooming pink rhododendrons and trees.
Plate VI. Blooms along Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From scenicwa.com
A view of a waterfront town across a body of water.
Plate VII. Whidbey Scenic Isle Way. From scenicwa.com

Whidbey Scenic Isle Way

Coupeville, Island County, Washington. State park; year-round.

Details

Map. Coupeville, Island County, Washington. Larger map
Where
Coupeville, Island County, WA. No street address stated. Directions
Getting there
Reach it by driving across the Deception Pass Bridge or by taking a short ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton.
Access
About an hour from downtown Seattle; twenty minutes of the journey includes a relaxing Washington State ferry ride.
Website
stateofwatourism.com
Managed by
State of Washington Tourism.
Established
1967 (State of Washington listed the corridor in its Scenic Byway program); added to the Cascade Loop in 1978.

Runs the length of Whidbey Island along State Routes 20 and 525, connecting Deception Pass State Park in the north to the town of Clinton in the south.

Notable Events

  1. 1919Regularly scheduled ferry service between Hoypus Point in today's Deception Pass State Park and Fidalgo Island began in 1919 under a contract awarded to Berte Olson and her husband. parks.wa.gov
  2. 1935The historic and scenic Deception Pass Bridge and Canoe Pass Bridge, the most notable of four bridge structures in the Whidbey Island highway corridor, were built. cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org
  3. 1935The Deception Pass Bridge, funded by New Deal federal emergency relief funds and built under a contract awarded to Puget Construction Company of Seattle, was dedicated on July 31, 1935 after construction began in August 1934. parks.wa.gov
  4. 1967In recognition of its scenic values, the State of Washington listed the corridor in the state's Scenic Byway program. islandcountywa.gov
  5. 1978The corridor was added to the Cascade Loop, a larger scenic road system. islandcountywa.gov
  6. 2004Island County prepared the Whidbey Scenic Isle Way Corridor Management Plan to establish priorities for future growth and to guide development. islandcountywa.gov

People

  • Captain Vancouver, Named the island Whidbey and the inlet Deception Pass.
  • Joseph Whidbey, Assistant to Captain Vancouver; the island is named in his honor.
  • Annette Pitts, Executive director of the Cascade Loop Association, which pursued the National Scenic Byway designation of the loop that includes the Whidbey Scenic Isle Way through a decade-long effort.
  • Berte Olson, Ferry operator at Deception Pass who, with her husband, designed and built the ferries Deception Pass and Acorn, and became the first woman licensed to skipper a ferry boat on the waters of the Salish Sea.
  • Pearl Wanamaker, Teacher and legislator who ran for the Washington House in 1928 largely on building the Deception Pass Bridge and shepherded the bridge franchise bill through the legislature.

Sources

  1. stateofwatourism.com/scenic-byways/whidbey-scenic-isle-way
  2. scenicwa.com/whidbey-scenic-isle-way
  3. islandcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3399/Island-RTPO-Historic-Road-Management-Options-Report-2014-PDF
  4. parks.wa.gov/about/news-center/field-guide-blog/deception-pass-state-park-history
  5. cdm16977.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/api/collection/p16977coll2/id/6876/download
  6. heraldnet.com/2021/03/03/the-cascade-loop-is-designated-a-national-scenic-byway
  7. whidbeycamanoislands.com/things-to-do/whidbey-scenic-isle-way