The big guns at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island came from the Philippines, and its lighthouse lost its lantern to another one

The most photographed guns at Fort Casey on Whidbey Island aren’t original to the fort. They traveled here from the Philippines in the 1960s, and the story of how they got here is better than most of what you’ll find on the interpretive signs.

The lighthouse next door has its own plot twist: its original lantern ended up on a different Washington lighthouse entirely. Fort Casey is a place where almost nothing stayed put, and that’s exactly what makes a slow wander through it so fun.

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A fort built for a war that never showed up

Congress authorized three forts to guard the entrance to Puget Sound at Admiralty Inlet in 1896, and Fort Casey was one of them. Construction began in July 1897, and the fort was fully operational by July 1902.

At full strength it held 35 pieces of artillery, from 3-inch pedestal guns up to sixteen 12-inch mortars. None of them ever fired at an enemy, which makes this one of the most expensive standoffs with absolutely nobody in Washington history.

The original 10-inch and 12-inch guns were scrapped in 1942. The pair of 10-inch disappearing guns you can stand beside today came from Fort Wint in the Philippines and were dedicated here in 1968.

A disappearing gun, if you’ve never seen one, was designed to rise up out of its protective emplacement, fire, and drop back out of sight. It’s a clever bit of engineering, and standing next to one makes the scale click in a way a photo never will.

The lighthouse that gave away its lantern

Admiralty Head Lighthouse sits right on the grounds. The version standing now is a 30-foot brick and stucco building completed in 1903, replacing an earlier wooden lighthouse that first lit in 1861.

It was deactivated in 1922, and its lantern was later moved to the New Dungeness Lighthouse near Sequim. The lantern you see up top today is a replica, dedicated in 2012.

The lighthouse has exhibits inside, but its hours vary by day and season, so check with Washington State Parks before you plan your day around a climb. The grounds themselves are open from dawn to dusk year round.

How to spend a few hours here

Start with the gun batteries, then bring a flashlight and duck into the rooms beneath the big guns. My one firm opinion: the dark rooms are the best part of the whole park, and most people walk right past them to get to the lighthouse.

The bluff and beach trails are easy and wide. The loop of roughly 2.5 miles round trip with about 200 feet of elevation gain covers the fort, the bluff, and the shoreline, with views across the water to the Olympic Mountains and the Cascades.

Bring a layer, because wind off Admiralty Inlet doesn’t care about the forecast. Keep an eye on the water too, since orcas and bald eagles are both possible sightings here.

Want to see where that missing lantern ended up? New Dungeness Lighthouse sits at the end of a long sand spit on the other side of the water.

Make it a Whidbey day

Fort Casey pairs well with the island’s other old defenses. Fort Ebey has a bunker to explore, and Fort Worden across the water shares the same never-fired-a-shot story.

For a bluff walk with a very different feel, try the Ebey’s Landing loop, and browse our full guide to things to do on Whidbey Island for more ideas. A state park day-use spot like this one needs a Discover Pass.

Which would you rather explore first: the dark rooms under the guns, or the lighthouse on the bluff?

Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in your hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.

Rules and fees change, so always confirm current requirements before you go.

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