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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Planners will discuss facility improvements at Blake Island Marine State Park
OLYMPIA – April 20, 2022 – Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission invites the public to a hybrid in-person and virtual public meeting on Bainbridge Island to learn more about planned facility improvements at neighboring Blake Island Marine State Park.
McMicken Island is so small, you could easily miss it. But boaters who love Puget Sound would not want to miss it. This small state park, in the fold of Harstine Island, is only reachable by boat. Low tide allows you to walk across a tombolo to and from Harstine Island for a few hours each day.
Tuesday, June 10th from 10AM-2PM: We will meet across the street from the Bear Creek Lodge at the entrance to Mt. Spokane State Park and work on sanding and staining the bridge near the old tubing hill!
Goldendale Observatory, set in the hills above the Columbia River, houses one of the nation's largest public telescopes. Reservations are required to enter the visitor center and attend programs. See information below.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission invites the public to nominate winter sports enthusiasts for the agency’s snowmobile advisory committee. Three positions are available statewide to snowmobilers, and one is available statewide to individuals involved in non-motorized winter sports.
OLYMPIA – Washington State Parks’ Folk and Traditional Arts Program (FTAP) announces its lineup of concerts and festivals this spring and summer, including the popular Waikiki Beach concerts at Cape Disappointment and the longstanding American Roots concerts at Deception Pass.
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 to identify common crabs of Washington!
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.
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 — As of Feb. 26, 2024, the cabins and restrooms in the lower area at Cama Beach State Park will be closed until further notice. Day use in that area will remain open but restrooms will only be available in other parts of the park.
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:
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.
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.
…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
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.
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.