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Seasonal positions will serve parks across Washington.

OLYMPIA – Jan. 17, 2023 – Washington State Parks is recruiting seasonal park aides to work in its beautiful outdoor places this spring, summer and fall!

Parks is looking for 305 park aides and senior park aides to work from April through September in diverse environments like old-growth forests, channeled scabland and shrub steppe, as well as on Pacific Ocean beaches and the high desert and around Puget Sound and its islands.

Washington State Parks has started a planning process for Steptoe Butte State Park and Steptoe Battlefield State Park Heritage Sites. CAMP is a multi-staged, public participation-based planning process for individual parks that culminates with adoption of park land classifications, a long-term park boundary, and a park management plan. The combination of these deliverables constitutes a land use plan.

OLYMPIA – Nov. 9, 2021 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular in-person commission meeting Thursday, Nov. 18, in Vancouver.

Commission action items include authorizing the transfer of the Lake Newport property in Pend Oreille County for local park purposes and authorizing the sale of the Auburn State Park Property in King County.

Park planners will discuss design alternatives for Nisqually State Park

OLYMPIA – Feb. 15, 2022 – Washington State Parks invites the public to an in-person open house to learn more about plans for day-use facilities and trails at Nisqually State Park.

WHEN:
6 – 8 p.m.
Thursday, March 3

A Rain-fed River Runs Through It

Bogachiel State Park hugs the bank of the Bogachiel River (locally known as the “Bogie”) on the northwestern reaches of the Olympic Peninsula, providing recreational opportunities on the windward slope of the Olympic Mountains. Storms and moisture rise as they are forced up over the Olympic Mountains from the Pacific Ocean. When the moist air rises, it expands and cools. The colder air is less able to hold moisture, so clouds and precipitation form. Bogachiel State Park averages over 120 inches of annual precipitation!

OLYMPIA – May 1, 2024 – Schafer State Park is ready to welcome visitors to its expanded campground, just in time for its centennial anniversary as a state park.

Lake Wenatchee is a Northwest icon with a clear blue lake surrounded by forested mountains.

Dash Point State Park provides access to the shores and undersea gardens of Puget Sound in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. The woodsy ravine behind the park’s beach can be explored on miles of trails, and visitors enjoy camp life just minutes from the homes of millions of people.  

Lake Easton State Park is a popular recreation site that lies at the nexus of historic travel and transportation routes that have been used for millennia.

Twin Harbors State Park gets its name from its location between the “twin harbors” of Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.

Turn Island is a kayaker's dream. With its pebble beaches and shoreside campsites, this marine state park is a social destination for the paddling crowd, or a quiet retreat in the off-season.

South Whidbey State Park owes its preservation in no small part to a group of citizens who put their bodies on the line for its protection.

Cutts Island State Park is proof that good things come in small packages. Only reachable by boat, this intriguing little island offers the perfect day at the beach.
Set in one of the driest microclimates west of the Cascade Mountains, Miller Peninsula State Park dwells in the Olympic rain shadow, making it the perfect place for a day visit.
A National Natural Landmark, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park offers hiking and interpretive activities. Camping and water access is down the road at Wanapum Recreation Area.
In the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, Battle Ground Lake State Park offers hiking, biking and equestrian campsites. The spring-fed lake draws swimmers, paddlers and anglers.
Located in the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington, Fields Spring is a forested camping park open year-round for hiking, biking and lots of snow play.

From park rangers to camp hosts, here’s who can help you enjoy your state park visit

Our in-park staff are excited to welcome you to Washington’s state parks. Whether you’re picnicking for the day, camping for a week or just passing through, there are staff available to help you.

Before you head out, here’s a little bit about the who’s who of staff in our parks.  

The 130-mile Columbia Plateau State Park Trail starts southwest of Spokane. Built on an abandoned railbed, the trail follows the Snake River south, ending near Pasco.

Washington State Parks is currently working on the Classification and Management Planning (CAMP) process for Gingko Petrified Forest State Park. State Parks started the CAMP process in January 2019; however, planning was put on hold in June 2021 when it was determined that additional environmental analysis was necessary. In August 2023, State Parks secured funding to hire PBS Engineering and Environmental to perform an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Recreation Drive Trail, located in the northern portion of the park.

Twin Harbors State Park offers a quintessential coastal getaway. Explore trails winding through grassy sand dunes down to the driftwood-strewn beach. Enjoy the sun, sand and fresh ocean air while strolling along the shore flying a kite, looking for sand dollars, playing with your pets or building sandcastles with family and friends.
Steptoe Butte State Park Heritage Site is a National Natural Landmark, with stark, dramatic panoramic views of the surrounding farmlands, mountains and states.

Set on the shore of Rich Passage, Manchester State Park makes the perfect getaway for day-trippers or Puget Sound campers on a Kitsap Peninsula road trip.
Crawford State Park is a 40-acre forested day use park home to Gardner Cave, one of Washington's longest limestone caves, offering access to an intriguing underground landscape. Reservations are required for tours. See information below.

Among Lake Sylvia State Park’s peaceful trails and campsites are nearly hidden stories of ventures to wrest timber and hydroelectricity from the landscape.

Indigenous Lands

Lake Sylvia State Park lies within the traditional territories of Coast Salish Indigenous people whose present-day descendants include members of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.