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.
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Columbia Hills Historical State Park is acres of stunning shrub-steppe beauty, high-desert panoramas and river shoreline. Full of climbing, biking and horseback riding opportunities. Boat, windsurf or dive into history with regional geological features and Native American petroglyphs located at the park.
Posey Island is a one-acre marine park located north of Pearl Island, near Roche Harbor. This tiny island has two primitive group campsites and is a terrific overnight stop for kayakers.
Two of Washington’s great rivers converge at Wenatchee Confluence State Park. This place connects different geologic terranes, Indigenous nations, fruit growers, packers and distributors, transportation networks, residents and visitors.
Penrose Point State Park preserves a landscape that was a beloved summer retreat for a family that played a prominent role in education and public service in Washington State.
The winding saltwater passageways of southern Puget Sound, including Carr Inlet surrounding Penrose Point, were molded and scoured by glacial meltwaters at the close of the Pleistocene ice age.
Pacific Pines State Park provides public access to the 27-mile-long beach fronting the Pacific Ocean on the Long Beach Peninsula, a stretch of sand and storm-driven waves dedicated to public recreation.
Emerald waters, forested trails, magnificent sunsets and sandstone formations have made Sucia Island a crown jewel among our state marine parks. Venture into the coves and harbors and discover why it is a world-class boating destination.
Between the Mountains and the Sea
Dosewallips State Park features extensive tidelands at the mouth of the Dosewallips River on Hood Canal. Erosion of the Olympic Mountains to the west combined with the steep gradient of the river carries a large quantity of sediment downriver. Silt, sand and gravel are deposited by the river when it reaches the flatter terrain in the park, naturally braiding its riverbed with many channels as it flows towards Hood Canal. The large fan of sediment and mud at the river’s mouth has long been a rich estuary.
Dune grasses, knobby shore pines, and a sandy shore create the classic Washington beach scene. This 10-acre day use park is a relaxing stop for playing in the sand, birdwatching, fishing, clamming, and watching the sunset.
Set on a stretch of shoreline between Tacoma and Seattle, Saltwater is one of the most popular Washington state parks. While you won't often have the beach to yourself on a warm summer day, the atmosphere can't be beat.
Cama Beach is a waterfront park with spectacular views of Saratoga Passage. The park also features amenities such as the Cama Beach Cafe.
By Holly Sproul (Parks Forms Manager & Web Specialist) & Nephew Evan (Age 9)
For my family, campouts have typically centered around boating and fishing. This summer, my sister and I took my 9-year-old nephew Evan to state parks in different areas of Washington. Here is our just-over-a-week campout experience with Evan’s insight and tips – and some tips from the adults as well.
Rockport State Park is renowned for its forest of giant Douglas fir, western red cedar and western hemlock trees--some more than 600 years old. The classic old growth forest features large trees, standing snags, decaying logs and layered, multi-aged forest species. It has held great value for people through the ages, although it has been valued in different ways in different times.
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.
Ike Kinswa State Park encompasses a rich history about the ways in which natural resources have been stewarded and exploited at the historic confluence of the Tilton and Cowlitz Rivers, now flooded by the reservoir behind Mayfield Dam.
This small camping park northwest of Aberdeen features camping sites next to the roaring Pacific Ocean and a flat sandy beach to run and play on. Fly a kite, play in the sand and fall asleep to sound of crashing waves.
Set beside a charming, placid lake, Lake Sylvia is a popular park with a classic Western Washington forest feel. Cast a line from the fishing bridge in summer or take in seasonal colors on a fall hike around the lake.
Nestled in the richly forested Selkirk Mountains with 100 miles of trails, Mount Spokane offers both summer and winter recreation and has something for everyone.
Pacific Beach State Park has a long history as a place for travelers to rest as they journey along Washington’s Pacific Ocean coastline.
Indigenous Lands
The park lies within the traditional territories of Coast Salish Indigenous people whose present-day descendants include members of the Quinault Indian Nation and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.
Ethnographers reported that the mouth of Joe Creek in today’s Pacific Beach State Park served as a “rest stop” for Indigenous people traveling along the coast between trading centers.
Beacon Rock State Park centers on the prominent rock monolith that rises more than 840 feet above the Columbia River, but the park’s landscapes and stories extend well beyond the rock.
Boring Volcanics and Ice Age Floods
Beacon Rock is the core of an extinct volcanic cinder cone that erupted about 57,000 years ago. It is part of a volcanic feature geologists call the Boring Volcanic Field (named for the town of Boring, OR), as is the explosive caldera featured in nearby Battle Ground Lake State Park.
Federation Forest is a day-use park next to the White River with hundreds of acres of old-growth trees and kid-friendly hiking trails. Pack a picnic and bring your family for a relaxing afternoon under the cool forest canopy.
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is undertaking a planning process to develop a Master Plan for the future of Blake Island Marine State Park.
Admire the Ice Age flood-carved Palouse landscape while picnicking under shade trees on the grassy lawn or boating at the confluence of the Snake and Palouse rivers.
Fort Ebey State Park preserves a World War II era military facility established to bolster Puget Sound coastal defenses. Its unobstructed view west through the Strait of Juan de Fuca provided a valued strategic location and features wide vistas for park visitors today.
Wallace Falls State Park highlights three plunging waterfalls on the Wallace River. The largest one drops 265 feet down a sheer face of moss-covered rock. The park’s busy, well-built trails are a testament to the hard work and persistence of those who dedicated themselves to its creation.