We're updating our camping and moorage fees to continue providing great experiences for visitors amid inflation and rising costs. You will see a rate increase for camping stays booked for May 15 and beyond. Moorage fees will increase Jan. 1. Learn more here.
Reminder: More than 30 state parks will offer First Day Hikes on New Year’s Day
OLYMPIA – Celebrate the new year with Washington State Parks during our annual First Day Hikes events on Jan. 1, 2025.
More than 30 state parks will host staff-led and self-guided hikes, snowshoe excursions, trail rides, polar plunges, scavenger hunts and more on New Year’s Day.
First Day Hikes events vary in difficulty, ranging from smooth, flat ADA-accessible trails to moderate hill climbs. A few parks will offer multiple hikes catering to different interests and abilities. Additionally, several hikes will include talks with rangers, which allow attendees to learn…
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12/24/2024
OLYMPIA – Celebrate the new year with Washington State Parks during our annual First Day Hikes events on Jan. 1, 2025.
More than 30 state parks will host staff-led and self-guided hikes, snowshoe excursions, trail rides, polar plunges, scavenger hunts and more on New Year’s Day.
First Day Hikes events vary in difficulty, ranging from smooth, flat ADA-accessible trails to moderate hill climbs. A few parks will offer multiple hikes catering to different interests and abilities. Additionally, several hikes will include talks with rangers, which allow attendees to learn… Read more
12/19/2024
OLYMPIA — Lake Sylvia State Park in Montesano has reopened for camping and day-use after undergoing construction and improvements.
Over the summer and fall, crews replaced a culvert beneath the main entrance road with a bridge. The new bridge will provide safer and more sustainable infrastructure, particularly in heavy rain events. Additionally, park staff used the closure to complete maintenance and improvements, including construction of pedestrian access to the park on the new bridge, a new road and a new sidewalk.
Visitors are invited to come check out the improved park. Lake… Read more
12/06/2024
SEATTLE – Several Washington state parks near Seattle sustained significant damage during the “Bomb Cyclone” storm of Nov. 19, forcing the closure of two popular parks.
Wallace Falls
More than 170 trees fell along the main trail at Wallace Falls State Park near Goldbar, uprooting trail tread throughout the system. The popular Middle Falls Viewpoint was also impacted by a rockslide.
The full extent of the damage is still under assessment by Parks arborists and trail crews. Staff and volunteers are working to clear the trails as they are able to access them. Updates will be provided… Read more
12/05/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Discover Pass Program has designated 12 Discover Pass free days for 2025.
On these days, visitors will not need a Discover Pass to park a vehicle at a Washington state park or on lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
The 2025 Discover Pass free days are:
Wed., Jan. 1 - New Year’s Day and First Day Hikes
Mon., Jan. 20 - Martin Luther King Junior Day
Sun., March 9 - Billy Frank Junior’s Birthday
Wed., March 19… Read more
12/03/2024
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking applications from winter sports enthusiasts for the agency’s snowmobile and non-motorized advisory committees. Five positions are available statewide to snowmobilers, and two are available statewide to individuals involved in non-motorized winter sports.
Both committees are made up of individuals representing snowmobilers and non-motorized winter sports participants. The Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Association of Counties each have one… Read more
12/03/2024
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold in-person-only planning meetings on Dec. 10 and 11 at its headquarters in Tumwater.
Commission planning meeting agenda items for Dec. 10 include a 2024 review presented by Commission Chair Sophia Danenberg, highlights from each Parks division presented by the agency’s Executive Leadership team and budget and priorities planning.
The public may attend the meeting, but no public comment will be taken. The Commission will not make any decisions at the planning meeting. Attendance is limited to in-… Read more
11/06/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting and work session virtually on Nov. 13.
The Commission meeting agenda has one item, a request to transfer a .68 parcel of land to the Washington Department of Transportation for a weigh station project
Work session agenda items include:
An update on the Mount Spokane State Park planning process
An update on master planning efforts at Blake Island State Park
A presentation on camping data and campaigns to fill empty campsites
An update… Read more
10/10/2024
OLYMPIA – Following a public process, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission voted on Thursday to keep the cabins at Cama Beach Historical State Park permanently closed where they currently sit.
Significant septic and infrastructure failures led to the closure of the cabins and other buildings in the beach area of park in February 2024. In addition to this issue, impacts of rising sea levels have damaged buildings in the area. Data shows these impacts will only increase in the coming years. There are also known cultural and historical complexities that impact the… Read more
10/04/2024
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks Winter Recreation Program will temporarily close fourteen motorized Sno-parks for the 2024-25 winter season, due primarily to a roughly 25 percent reduction in funds available from snowmobile registrations to support the motorized part of the program.
The following motorized Sno-Parks are slated for temporary closure: Echo Valley, Skate Creek, Bethel Ridge/Soup Creek, Crow Creek, Cloverland, Elk Heights, Fish Creek, French Cabin, Nile, Taneum, Reecer Creek, Crawfish, Nine Bark and Clear Lake.
The snowmobile program is self-funded from snowmobile… Read more
10/03/2024
OLYMPIA — The community is invited to attend an open house to learn more about an upcoming forest thinning project at Nisqually State Park.
Between fall 2024 and summer 2025, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will complete a 189-acre forest health treatment inside Nisqually State Park. There will be intermittent trail closures in the project area during this time.
Crews will focus on removing smaller and less healthy trees to reduce competition between remaining trees, which will help promote a natural, resilient, diverse forest.
Long-term benefits of this… Read more