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…
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04/03/2024
Meeting update: The public will not be able to attend the April 11 Commission meeting virtually due to a technical emergency at TVW.
Though the meeting will not be livestreamed, a recording of the meeting will be posted on this webpage approximately one week after the meeting. The public is still invited to attend in person. By having an in-person option, this meeting meets the requirements of the Open Public Meetings Act.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting at the Yakima Valley Museum in Yakima on April 11. … Read more
03/28/2024
OLYMPIA — Your visit to Deception Pass State Park will look a little bit different this year as park staff steward its recovery from winter storms.
In January 2024, the West Beach parking lot was damaged in several areas and littered with large debris. Ahead of the park's busiest seasons, park staff is planning to create limited day-use parking availability in an undamaged area of the lot. This work will tentatively be completed in early May, permit timelines allowing.
The reduced lot will have a small drop-off area. RVs, trucks with trailers and boats will not be able to enter the reduced… Read more
03/19/2024
OLYMPIA – With daytime low tides returning and spring right around the corner, many of Washington’s clam and oyster beaches are now open or will soon reopen for recreational shellfish gathering.
State clam, mussel, and oyster harvesting seasons vary by beach. Regulations and season dates as well as shellfishing tips are available on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) website.
The two-page 2024 Puget Sound clam, mussel, and oyster season guide is also now available online, as well as a bivalve shellfish identification chart. The 2024 tides chart highlights the best days… Read more
03/12/2024
OLYMPIA – The Admiralty Head Lighthouse at Fort Casey Historical State Park will open later than usual, in mid-April, with an exciting update to its exhibits.
The lighthouse is a popular attraction on Whidbey Island that attracts more than 50,000 visitors a year. It will reopen with museum-quality interpretive panels that promise improved readability and new ways to interact with the two Fresnel lenses on display.
The previous exhibits were in place for nearly 15 years – and some longer. They told the broader story of Fort Casey State Park, while the new exhibits focus on the history… Read more
02/28/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting virtually on March 6.
This is an online meeting, and all Parks staff and commissioners will be attending virtually. The public is invited to watch, but no verbal public comment will be taken during the meeting. The Commission will provide a meeting space for the public to watch at the agency’s headquarters in Olympia.
Agenda items include:
Approval of the Commission’s priorities for the 2025-2027 biennium,
Financial and legislative updates,
Overview of a proposal to… Read more
02/06/2024
OLYMPIA — As of Feb. 26, 2024, the cabins and restrooms in the lower area at Cama Beach State Park will be closed until further notice. Day use in that area will remain open but restrooms will only be available in other parts of the park.
Significant parts of the septic system recently failed in the impacted area, and the repairs will require extensive disturbance of the ground, which has known environmental and cultural complexities.
This is not a decision we take lightly, especially in light of the site’s cultural significance and the park’s popularity.
We know this is disrupting and… Read more
02/05/2024
OLYMPIA – Feb. 5, 2024 – The development of Nisqually State Park took another step forward last week as leadership from the Nisqually Tribe and the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission updated their partnership agreements.
Signing these documents updates the agreements with signatures from the new leadership at Parks and the Nisqually Tribe, outlining the contributions from each partner for the next phase of park development. These contributions include approximately $500,000 of artwork by Nisqually artists and an ongoing commitment to shared law enforcement at the park.
The… Read more
01/24/2024
OLYMPIA — Millersylvania State Park is temporarily closed while the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) completes its water testing protocol. The park is anticipated to reopen later this week.
On Sunday, Jan. 21, park rangers discovered evidence of a break-in at the park's reservoir. Though Parks does not have any reason to believe the water was tampered with, in accordance with standard procedure and out of an abundance of caution, the park was closed and water was collected for testing. Testing requires the water to be shut off in the entire park, including restrooms,… Read more
01/23/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission Winter Recreation Program will be hosting Advisory Committee meetings in the coming weeks for both the Snowmobile Advisory Committee and the Winter Recreation Advisory Committee (WRAC).
The Snowmobile Advisory Committee meeting will be held Jan. 27 at 8:30 a.m. in the Cle Elum Rangers Station. The Snowmobile Advisory Committee assists and advises Parks in the development of snowmobile facilities and programs.
The WRAC meeting will be held on Feb. 3 at 8:45 a.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites Spokane Valley. The WRAC… Read more
01/17/2024
Seasonal positions will serve parks across Washington.
OLYMPIA – Washington State Parks is recruiting seasonal park aides to work in its beautiful outdoor places this spring, summer and fall.
Parks is looking for more than 300 park aides and senior park aides to work from April through September in such diverse environments as old-growth forests, channeled scabland and shrub steppe, on Pacific Ocean beaches, in the high desert and around Puget Sound and its islands.
Park aides enjoy a variety of duties. They register campers, maintain trails, clean campgrounds and maintain facilities… Read more