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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01/16/2024
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular commission meeting on Jan. 25, 2023, at the Labor and Industries Offices in Tumwater.
The public is welcome to attend in-person or online.
Agenda items include:
Election of Commission officers for 2024
Adoption of the 2024 Parks Director Performance Agreement
Financial and legislative updates
Overview of interagency efforts to engage with tribes and improve management practices within Washington
Requested approval of grant requests to be administered through the Washington… Read more
12/13/2023
OLYMPIA – Gov. Jay Inslee has appointed Scott Merriman of Thurston County as the newest member of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
The Commission is made up of seven citizen members appointed by the governor. Commissioners are responsible for guiding the policies that steer the agency. Other duties include approving the agency’s strategic plan, setting Parks budget priorities and approving changes to Parks-related Washington Administrative Code.
Merriman is a graduate of Evergreen State College, where he earned his Bachelor of Science… Read more
12/07/2023
OLYMPIA – Ring in the new year with Washington State Parks during our annual First Day Hikes event on Jan. 1, 2024.
More than 40 state parks will host staff-led and self-guided hikes, snowshoe excursions, dog walks, bike and trail rides, paddle adventures and more on New Year’s Day.
First Day Hikes events will range in difficulty from paved, flat ADA-accessible trails to moderate hill climbs. A few parks will host more than one hike with options tailored to different interests and abilities. Additionally, some hikes will include fun and educational talks with rangers where you can learn… Read more
11/28/2023
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold in-person only planning meetings on Wednesday, Dec. 6 and Thursday, Dec. 7 at the Tulalip Resort in Tulalip.
Commission planning meeting agenda items for Dec. 6 include a discussion of 2023 accomplishments, the annual evaluation of the Parks director’s performance, updates to Commission priorities for the current biennium and a discussion about priorities for the 2025-2027 biennium.
On Dec. 7, the Commissioners will complete a board member training.
The public may attend the meetings, but no public comment will… Read more
11/20/2023
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Discover Pass Program has designated the Discover Pass free days for 2024. 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 2024 Discover Pass free days are:
Monday, Jan. 1 - First Day Hikes and New Year’s Day
Monday, Jan. 15 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Saturday, March 9 - Billy Frank Junior’s Birthday
Tuesday, March 19 - State Parks’ 111th Birthday
Monday,… Read more
11/16/2023
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission invites the public to nominate winter sports enthusiasts for the agency’s snowmobile advisory committee. Three positions are available statewide to snowmobilers, and one is available statewide to individuals involved in non-motorized winter sports.
The Snowmobile Advisory Committee is comprised of one snowmobile enthusiast from each of the state’s six represented winter recreation regions. The Washington Department of Natural Resources, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Association of Counties each have… Read more
11/14/2023
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) has identified 35 public recreational mooring buoys across western Washington that are at risk of breaking in the future.
Starting this week, Parks will close these buoys, which the agency plans to replace. Even though individual buoys will close, the impacted parks will still have other mooring buoys available for use.
Parks maintains 259 mooring buoys at 40 parks across Puget Sound, Hood Canal, the Kitsap and Olympic Peninsulas and San Juan Islands. Of these parks, 16 will be affected by partial buoy closures. They are: … Read more
11/06/2023
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting virtually on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Commission meeting items include a camping inventory update from Parks Director Diana Dupuis that covers use and trends at existing camping areas. The Commission will also hear a financial update and discuss its December planning meeting.
This is an online meeting, and all Parks staff and commissioners will be attending virtually. The public is invited to watch, but no public comment will be taken. The Commission will provide a meeting space for the… Read more
11/01/2023
Washington Sno-Park permits are now on sale. The State Parks Winter Recreation Program manages over 130 recreation sites, or Sno-Parks, across the state for recreators to enjoy during the winter season. Parking at these sites requires special permits.
Seasonal or daily Sno-Park permits can be purchased online or through a licensed vendor.
Snowmobilers also must register their snowmobile through the Washington Department of Licensing and receive a free Sno-park parking permit.
In addition to the seasonal permit, a special sticker is required to park at several high-use Sno-Parks, including… Read more
10/24/2023
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission has officially launched a redesigned and improved parks.wa.gov website.
The new, refreshed website has a modern, inclusive and accessible design. The refresh comes after many years of feedback from parks visitors that they struggled to find information on the website, especially when using a mobile device. Nearly 400 current and potential Washington Parks visitors provided feedback on the design of the new parks.wa.gov website.
New features on the website include:
Find the parks you want to visit. You can now search for parks based… Read more