The Parks headquarters Information Center is moving from its current location in Tumwater to the Department of Ecology building at 300 Desmond Drive SE in Lacey. Our customer service team is located at the front desk, just inside the main entrance.
Search results
1107 results found
OLYMPIA – Feb. 22, 2022 – This month, Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Holly Williams of Vancouver as the newest member of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
Forest thinning project will reduce wildfire risk to Roslyn, Cle-Elum
OLYMPIA – May 12, 2022 – Washington State Parks will begin work to thin approximately 90 acres on the Bullfrog State Park Property near Cle Elum this month. The hired contractor will remove smaller, weaker and less fire tolerant trees to reduce fuel loads and promote fire tolerant species. The project will return the forest to historic site conditions and improve the health of remaining trees by reducing competition.
Learn about the fauna of Harstine Island and the tracks they make with a lively game of Bingo! All ages welcome.
Test your boating knowledge and try to win a prize! Trivia questions are designed for ages 12 and up.
Learn to identify common crabs of Washington!
Parks host hikes, snowshoe excursions, bike rides and more on New Year's Day!
OLYMPIA – Dec. 6, 2021 - Washington State Parks invites the public to take a First Day Hike on Jan. 1, 2022.
At least 42 state parks have scheduled staff-led hikes, self-guided hikes, dog strolls, cross-country ski trips and more for New Year's Day.
OLYMPIA – March 20, 2025 –The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is opening up more camping opportunities for visitors by expanding its same-day reservation option to all parks with reservable campgrounds.
Monticello Convention State Park Heritage Site commemorates two meetings attended by Euro-American men that helped set in motion the establishment of the Washington Territory.
Despite the fact that the territory had fewer than 4,000 settlers, the petitions ultimately succeeded in influencing the passage of legislation establishing the Territory of Washington, approved by President Millard Fillmore on March 2, 1853.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is seeking applications from winter sports enthusiasts for the agency’s snowmobile and non-motorized advisory committees. Five positions are available statewide to snowmobilers, and two are available statewide to individuals involved in non-motorized winter sports.
OLYMPIA — Washington State Parks needs the help of its visitors to stop the spread of invasive pests that can cause significant damage to our forests.
State parks have a wide variety of natural native and planted non-native trees and forests, which puts them at risk for almost every worrisome invasive pest. Parks are of particular concern because they welcome visitors from all over the state and country who often bring their own camping supplies for their stay. This includes the main culprit for invasive pest transfer: firewood.
Free performances celebrate diverse cultures
OLYMPIA – June 7, 2022 – The Washington State Parks' Folk and Traditional Arts Program will reprise two of its beloved concert series this summer at Deception Pass and Cape Disappointment state parks. The program also added a third series at Lake Wenatchee State Park, expanding free access to diverse musical traditions in Central Washington.
Performance schedules are as follows:
Once a Yakama Nation camping area, the rich, fertile region sparked discord between the tribes and Euro-American settlers, prompting the U.S. Army to construct a fort in 1856. Fort Simcoe's military history was short-lived when in 1859 the fort was closed and turned over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It is one of the few remaining pre-Civil War forts in the west.
Brooks Memorial sits between the pine forests of the Simcoe Mountains and the Columbia River Gorge. This environmental diversity makes for a stunning park site. The miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails lead along the Little Klickitat River and up through Ponderosa pine and stands of Oregon white oak.
…a seacoast fortification may be said to have most efficiently performed the function for which it was intended, if it is never called into action at all.
-Eben Eveleth Winslow, US Army Corps of Engineers
Ebey’s Landing State Park Heritage Site is situated at a point where tall bluffs of ice age glacial outwash that ring most of Whidbey Island gently lower to the sea, affording easy access from the saltwater beach to the open prairies of the island’s interior. People have lived here for more than 10,000 years. It is among the most culturally significant settings in the Pacific Northwest.
Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage Site preserves a significant site in the running battle that occurred on May 17, 1858, between allied Indigenous warriors under the leadership of Chief Kamiakin (Yakama/ Palús) and US Army soldiers under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Edward J. Steptoe. The battle was a significant victory for the Indigenous warriors in their drive to protect their way of life against the incursion of American colonists into their homelands.
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks Folk and Traditional Arts Program (FTAP) and Kirkland-based non-profit Ubuntu Nerudo will partner to hold the second-annual Ubuntu Nerudo African Heritage Festival at Lake Sammamish State Park next month.
OLYMPIA – Jan. 11, 2023 – This month, Gov. Jay Inslee appointed Ali Raad of Thurston County as the newest member of the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.
Willie Keil’s Grave is located in a small, private cemetery just off State Highway 6, about 5 miles east of Raymond. Stop at the State Parks highway pullout to view the gravesite, pay your respects, and read about the so-called "Pickled Pioneer."
In the evening by lamp-light, Willie was buried here November 26, 1855.
Willie Keil Grave State Park Heritage Site commemorates a tale that is legendary for its strangeness, its example of devotional love for a departed son, and for its story of a father’s promise kept.
The Boring Volcanic Field
Battle Ground Lake is a part of a geologic formation called the Boring Volcanic Field (named for the town of Boring, OR), but the stories revealed in its bedrock are actually quite interesting!
Spokane County Parks, Recreation, and Golf
State Parks is seeking input on a proposal to amend an easement and update the land classifications of a portion of the property associated with the Spokane River Centennial Trail adjacent to the Plante’s Ferry Sports Complex in Spokane County.
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.