Wildfire season is here and impacting several parks, so make sure you’re in the know before you go. Before you head to a park, please check its page or head to our alerts page for closures, alerts and other important information to make sure you have a fun, safe and informed trip.
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Embarking on a recreational journey for the first time can be exhilarating and scary. Whether you are joining the land of outdoor lovers to start a new hobby or improve your mental or physical health – the exploration process can be a bit challenging if you don’t know where to start. That is where Washington State Parks comes in!
Learn what parks take reservation and what facilities are offered.
Drop-in to dissect an owl pellet and learn the important role that owls play in the Park's ecosystem.
We want everyone, at all experience levels, to feel welcome in our outdoors, and we want the land and its inhabitants to stay healthy. We believe these goals are not mutually exclusive, and we have some win-win tips to help us all get there. Leave No Trace (LNT) means leaving things the same or better than you found them, but there’s a little more to it...
Can you survive as a salmon? Come try your luck and test your skills in this high energy game!
Come learn about the interesting adaptations that beavers have made to their aquatic environments.
Westport Light State Park encompasses the southern point at the entrance to Grays Harbor. The point is a constantly changing bit of land, at the whim of sand and waves. The name of the point has fluctuated, too, finally landing on Point Chehalis, using the tribal name of its original people, translated as People of the Sand.
Even during the dark days of winter, the world is your family-friendly playground at our state parks and Sno-Parks. But cold weather adventures do add a few layers complexity, pun intended. We’ve got tips (learned mostly through trial and error) on how to stay warm and dry in the outdoors this winter.
Named for Captain John Meares’ first thwarted voyage to find the Columbia, Cape Disappointment is steeped in Northwest history.
Twin Harbors State Park gets its name from its location between the “twin harbors” of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.
Discover the ingredients that earned this area the name “Graveyard of the Pacific”.
Hope Island State Park is one of two Washington state parks with the same name. This one is the more northerly one, located in Skagit County near Deception Pass.
Doe Island Marine State Park preserves an entire island along the southeastern coastline of Orcas Island in the San Juan Archipelago. It takes its name from the prevalence of deer in the area—nearby place names include Doe Bay, Deer Point and Buck Bay.
A Rocky Island
The San Juan Islands are distinct from most of Puget Sound in that they feature shorelines with exposures of hard bedrock, rather than the bluffs of clay, sand and gravel left by Ice Age glaciers that are predominant on most of Washington’s Salish Sea, the state’s inland saltwater passages.
From Leadbetter Point to Fort Worden, and beyond, we celebrate the life of Ms. Bessie Virginia Charawell-Jarboe-Koudal, a military wife in the early 20th Century, and later a mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and forever a curious kid.
…and… since a woman is so much more than her last name, we’ll call Bessie by her first name.
Learn more about what our Tribal Relations division is working on.
We asked the people who make our parks run – our Washington State Parks staff – what parks, recreation and time spent in nature mean to them.
Learn more about what our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) division is working on.
Learn some fun and surprising facts about Battle Ground Lake and State Parks with Ranger James Donnellan.
Fishing, sagebrush and chill time: what more could a desert vacationer want? Set directly behind Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River, Bridgeport State Park offers sunny fun on Rufus Woods Lake.
Pleasant Harbor is a cozy one-acre state park property for overnight moorage only. There are no services here. This is an ideal spot to tie up your boat and enjoy what Hood Canal has to offer including excellent shellfishing and water sports.
Gather with us at the Upper Campground Amphitheater for ranger-led talks about the park.
Join Ranger Kathy for a leisurely walk in the forest as we learn life lessons from our plant teachers.
Bridgeport State Park provides recreational opportunities on the shore of the Columbia River reservoir created by the hydroelectric dam named for Nez Perce Chief Joseph. The park is located in a part of the Colville Indian Reservation (where Chief Joseph lived in exile after his defeat by the US Army in the 1877 Nez Perce War) that was removed from Indigenous trust ownership by a Presidential Proclamation and transferred to non-Indigenous homesteaders in the 1920s.
To visit a state park you will need a one-day or annual Discover Pass most days of the year. Depending on what kind of activity you are planning, you may also need a permit, reservation or to pay a fee.
On
Learn about our youth programs, Bark Ranger and more! Our parks come alive with our programs. Get involved!