State Parks urges people to recreate responsibly this Fourth of July
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) asks everyone who is planning a Fourth of July celebration at a park or on the beach to be safe and protect their friends, neighbors, public lands and wildlife.
Parks sees a dramatic increase in visitation during Independence Day celebrations, particularly on its beaches. The increase in traffic also increases the amount of trash left behind. Last year, volunteers collected more than 111,000 pounds of garbage from ocean beaches during Parks’ annual July 5 beach cleanup. That’s equivalent to the combined weight of about seven…
Search Results
138 Results
05/30/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is asking campers to weigh in on proposed changes to its camping stay limits.
The proposed update limits maximum stay lengths to no more than 10 nights in one park within a 30-day period. Total nights stayed cannot exceed 90 days per calendar year in all state parks.
The proposed changes will be presented to the Commission during its regular meeting on July 18, 2024. If adopted, the new stay limits will go into effect Aug. 18, 2024. Camping stay limits are outlined in Section 7 of WAC 352-32-030.
The current WAC has different… Read more
05/28/2024
Closure expected to last a full year
Olympia – Kopachuck State Park will close from June 3, 2024 until summer of 2025 for extensive construction and reimagining of the day-use park.
During the construction period, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will build an outdoor amphitheater, a new playground and a large, rentable facility in the upper day-use area. The goal of the project is to provide a park with better infrastructure, all while keeping its neighborhood park feel.
Additional construction will include a new park office near the entrance, an improved upper… Read more
05/22/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting virtually on May 29.
Commission meeting agenda items include a request to approve a land classification update at Bridle Trails State Park. The Commission will also host a work session where it will hear presentations on the agency’s budget planning and financial status, receiving an update on long-range planning at Fort Worden and discuss 2025 commission meeting schedules and logistics. View the full agenda and presentation materials here.
This is an online meeting, and all… Read more
05/20/2024
Overnight mooring space may be limited during construction
OLYMPIA – May 20, 2024 – Washington State Parks is set to begin contracted mooring buoy repair work in several state parks. Work in the San Juan Islands begins June 10 and work on the eastern Olympic Peninsula and Hood Canal will start July 8.
Parks will also complete routine inspections and maintenance of 81 of its public mooring buoys. The maintenance project will service state-owned public mooring buoys to ensure they are in top condition for boaters this summer.
Anticipated repair schedule:
San Juan Islands: June 10-14,… Read more
05/15/2024
OLYMPIA – May 15, 2024 – Recreational boating is a popular pastime in Washington. In fact, nearly 225,000 vessels were registered in 2023. When you include Washington residents who own at least one canoe, kayak, rowboat or stand-up paddle board, boats and boaters are everywhere! During the month of May, those who participate in boating activities (and those who don’t!) are encouraged to keep safety in mind.
Recreation is not without risk. The chilly waters of the Pacific Northwest can be unforgiving, and safety must be on the minds of everyone who plays in and around Washington’s waterways… Read more
05/14/2024
Olympia – May 14, 2024 – The Washington State Parks (Parks) Folk and Traditional Arts Program (FTAP) has announced their summer lineup of concerts and festivals, including a new concert series in Central Washington and a new cultural festival at Lake Sammamish.
In addition to the three popular outdoor summer concert series, at Deception Pass, Cape Disappointment and Lake Wenatchee state parks, the program will launch a four-concert series at Lincoln Rock State Park in July. The concerts feature local artists performing a wide variety of music, including Bluegrass, folk, Americana, Klezmer,… Read more
05/01/2024
OLYMPIA – May 1, 2024 – Schafer State Park is ready to welcome visitors to its expanded campground, just in time for its centennial anniversary as a state park.
Washington State Parks (Parks) is wrapping up a two-year renovation of the historic park on the Satsop River near Elma. Schafer’s new campground has 30 sites that add to its 38 existing sites and campground.
Construction improvements also include a new restroom building, welcome center, reservoir for the park’s potable water system, landscaping, entry road and roads through the campgrounds.
Parks is appreciative of the Friends… Read more
04/10/2024
OLYMPIA – As a proud member of the Washington Clean Coast Alliance, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will co-host the annual Washington Coast Cleanup on Saturday, April 20.
This year’s event will take place at ten state parks: Cape Disappointment, Fort Flagler, Fort Townsend, Fort Worden, Grayland Beach, Mystery Bay, Ocean City, Pacific Beach, Shine Tidelands and Twin Harbors.
In partnership with Washington CoastSavers, Parks puts on three beach cleanup volunteer events a year – and there is always more work to be done. In 2023, 1,923 volunteers picked up 133,249 pounds… Read more
04/09/2024
SPOKANE — Beginning on April 15, the easternmost 14 miles of the Spokane River Centennial Trail will temporarily close while the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission resurfaces the trail with a new layer of asphalt. The project is anticipated for completion in early September.
The project area extends west from the Washington/Idaho border to the Donkey Islands Trailhead in Millwood. The new asphalt will provide trail users with a new, smooth surface to walk, run, bike and ride.
Much of the Centennial Trail’s surface is the original 1989-1994 asphalt from the trail’s construction… Read more
04/04/2024
SPOKANE – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) invites the public to provide feedback and participate in conversations about a potential expansion of Riverside State Park to incorporate a property, newly acquired by Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, and known as “Glen Tana.”
The agency is now entering the second stage of its planning effort, which includes evaluation of a set of alternatives developed from the feedback it received during public meetings in the fall of 2023.
During this stage, the Parks planning team will suggest approaches to address the various… Read more