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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The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular hybrid commission meeting on Thurs., July 13, 2023, at the Ocean Shores Convention Center. The public is welcome to attend in-person or online.
Agenda items include:
A Spit of Land
The formation of a sand spit extending outward from a headland requires three things:
Picture a green fairy forest of moss-covered rocks and cedar trees.
Matia island archipelago for its old-growth trees, rainforest vibe and dramatic cove with fantasy forest canopy and swirling sandstone formations. Picturing a green fairy forest covered with moss and cedar trees.
Located in the San Juan Islands, Matia Island Marine State Park is a secluded little island accessible only by boat.
Matia island archipelago for its old-growth trees, rainforest vibe and dramatic cove with fantasy forest canopy and swirling sandstone formations. Picturing a green fairy forest covered with moss and cedar trees.
Located in the San Juan Islands, Matia Island Marine State Park is a secluded little island accessible only by boat.
Alta Lake State Park is a land of fire and water. Tucked into the hills between Winthrop and Lake Chelan, Alta Lake has long been a hub for anglers, water sports enthusiasts and families that love to camp.
An Underground Wonderland
Crawford State Park Heritage Site preserves Gardner Cave, one of the largest limestone caverns in Washington. The cave is adorned with fantastic and delicate natural decorations that have formed over thousands of years.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission work session virtually on Aug. 23.
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.”
Washingtonians generally experience shock each November as the weather turns cold and wet. But, being hardy souls, we often shift quickly to embrace winter and its opportunities for snow play. Then we set out on adventures like:
Break out the boat, paddleboard or kayak — Blake Island offers classic island recreation while still being close to Seattle.
The rain (and snow) might be coming, but we've got your picnic plans covered (literally). Check out our staff picks for the nine best WA State Parks shelters for your winter cookout.
OLYMPIA – Sept. 13, 2022 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular hybrid commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Gladish Community Center in Pullman.
Commission action items include approval of the submittal of the 2023 supplemental operating and capital budget requests to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and approval of the 2023 regular commission meeting schedule.
In addition, the commission will hear updates and reports from agency staff.
Curlew Lake State Park is perched in a high valley in northeastern Washington that owes its landform features to Ice Age glaciers. The lake, six miles long, half a mile wide, and reaching a depth of 130 feet, is centered in the valley of Curlew Creek. The creek drains to the Kettle River, which wanders back and forth across the US/Canada border to its confluence with the Columbia River near Kettle Falls.
SPOKANE — Beginning next week, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will start work on a grant-funded project to build a new trailhead and expand parking access to the popular Knothead Loop Trail in Riverside State Park. Construction will tentatively be completed by July.
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission work session virtually on Aug. 21.
Commission work session items include a report about an opportunity for the agency to lease Beebe Bridge Park from the Chelan County Public Utility District, a revenue update covering the 2023-25 biennium, and an update from Parks Director Diana Dupuis about the agency’s progress on the Commission’s 2024 priorities.
Located between Seattle and Ellensburg off I-90, Lake Easton is a magnet for urbanites who have limited time for escapes. The park is also far enough east to (sometimes) see sun when Seattle is shrouded in gray.
OLYMPIA — Washington State Parks will perform its annual mooring buoy maintenance at marine state parks in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands in June.
This ongoing maintenance creates safe conditions for boaters who tie up to buoys at marine state parks and recreate or sleep in their vessels.
The following parks will have limited mooring buoy availability during the following timeframes:
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) invites the public to participate in conversations about a potential expansion of Riverside State Park.
On the surface, Fort Townsend is a classic state park on a Puget Sound beach. But a closer look reveals a hidden history.
Climb a mountain, ride a horse or try stand up paddling. Settle into your camp chair and soak your feet in an alpine lake. Kick back with a book, teach the kids to swim – or do it all – at Lake Wenatchee State Park.
A high desert adventure awaits you at this sprawling camping park located between Soap Lake and Coulee City. Experience a dramatic landscape of deep gorges and lakes where you can get out on the water, hike and play nine-hole or mini golf.
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.
Airplane pilots and boaters compare Puget Sound to a maze. Land fingers, islands and waterways comprise the stunning topography, and South Sound inlets dead-end at mudflats and beaches. Amidst all this intrigue, Joemma Beach State Park is remarkably accessible.
In my junior year at University of Washington, I learned about park aide positions available at Lake Sylvia State Park, just two miles from downtown "Monte," a park where I had spent sooo many hours swimming and playing as a kid - and way too many hours working on my tan as a teenager. I applied and worked there two summers - 1986 and 1987. Almost 40 years later I still think of that job as one of my all-time favorites!
OLYMPIA – May 24, 2023 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission work session virtually on May 31.
Commission work session items include a financial update covering Parks' 2021-23 biennium operating and capital budget expenditures and Parks Renewal and Stewardship Account (PRSA) revenue; a presentation on potential changes to the Foster Family Program; and a discussion about potential dates and locations for 2024 Commission work session and regular meetings.