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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Camano Island State Park feels a world away with its forested trails, rocky shoreline and sweeping views of Puget Sound, the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier. Come for a fun and laid back camping weekend filled with boating, hiking, fishing and beach exploration.
OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting virtually on May 29.
Adjacent to Orcas Island, Doe Island Marine State Park offers quiet marine camping with a short hiking loop.
OLYMPIA — The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission meeting virtually on Aug. 27
Seaquest State Park hugs the shore of Silver Lake in the foothills of Mount St. Helens, famous for its major eruption on May 18, 1980. A major attraction at the park is the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center, where the story of the mountain’s volcanic history is interpreted with exhibits, ranger programs and audio-visual media.
We asked the people who make our parks run – our Washington State Parks staff – what parks, recreation and time spent in nature mean to them.
OLYMPIA – April 6, 2022 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular in-person commission meeting Thursday, April 14 at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco.
Commission action items include 2023-25 capital budget target request level and proposed modifications to the Klickitat State Park Trail long-term park boundary.
In addition, the commission will hear updates and reports from agency staff and the Washington State Parks Foundation.
A Mountain on an Island
The pinnacle of Moran State Park, Mount Constitution, rises 2,407 feet directly from sea level to the second highest point on an oceanic island in the contiguous 48 US states. The rocks that make up the heights of Mount Constitution began as lava erupting on the ocean floor or slowly accumulating sediments formed by skeletons of marine microorganisms, windblown dust and volcanic ash settling to the ocean floor. The pillow basalts, chert and shale seen at rocky exposures in the park are evidence of these events.
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.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge held neighboring property until Parks could buy the land
OLYMPIA – June 15, 2022 – Washington State Parks, with critical assistance from Friends of the Columbia Gorge, purchased a tract of land next to Beacon Rock State Park. That land will be used to create safe, accessible pedestrian crossings, a new entrance and egress and additional parking.
Set along the picturesque Touchet River, Lewis & Clark Trail State Park is an oasis-like forested park surrounded by an arid grassland. With unusual vegetation and geology, the park also offers rich history.
Palouse Falls State Park Heritage Site is a 94-acre day use park with dramatic views of the official state waterfall.
The International Peace Arch is a 67-foot dramatic white arch that rises from the green lawns and flowering gardens on the U.S.-Canada border at Blaine. It is the iconic feature of this Washington Historical State Park, which is devoted to peace and serenity. Peace Arch is unique among parks because it consists of two parks in two countries. The southern half of the park is owned by Washington State Parks and the northern half is owned by British Columbia Parks.
Maryhill State Park is a waterfront camping park right on the Columbia River. Visit for a relaxing camping weekend and experience this area's natural beauty, wonder and cultural history.
The arching bridges that link Fidalgo Island to Whidbey Island are only an introduction to the beauty and fascination of Deception Pass State Park.
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 – 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.
Live Music at Birch Bay State Park.
Live music at Birch Bay State Park!
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.
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.
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
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.