Search results

1205 results found

A Walk by the Water

Park Lake Trail

Join us for some fun and time outdoors on National Take a Walk in the Park Day!

OLYMPIA – Sept. 13, 2022 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regular hybrid commission meeting on Thursday, Sept. 22 at the Gladish Community Center in Pullman.

Commission action items include approval of the submittal of the 2023 supplemental operating and capital budget requests to the Office of Financial Management (OFM) and approval of the 2023 regular commission meeting schedule.

In addition, the commission will hear updates and reports from agency staff.


OLYMPIA – Nov. 30, 2021 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a planning meeting in-person on Tuesday, Dec. 7 and Wednesday, Dec. 8 in Kalama.

Agenda items include year-end review, division highlights and 2022 priorities.

The public may attend the meeting, but no public comment will be taken. Attendance is limited to in-person only. No virtual access will be available.

The commission will not make any decisions at the planning meeting.

WHAT
Commission planning meeting

Curlew Lake State Park is perched in a high valley in northeastern Washington that owes its landform features to Ice Age glaciers. The lake, six miles long, half a mile wide, and reaching a depth of 130 feet, is centered in the valley of Curlew Creek. The creek drains to the Kettle River, which wanders back and forth across the US/Canada border to its confluence with the Columbia River near Kettle Falls.

The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission work session virtually on Aug. 23. 

Annual polar plunge on New Years Day

The rain (and snow) might be coming, but we've got your picnic plans covered (literally). Check out our staff picks for the nine best WA State Parks shelters for your winter cookout.
At Parks, we work hard to protect and preserve the millions of years of cultural, geological and biological history tied to the lands we steward. We know it might be tempting to take things you find while exploring a park. But did you know you might be accidentally removing or destroying something that represents a significant part of our state history? These items may be artifacts or natural history specimens, and it is important to know what to do when you find one.

SPOKANE – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) invites the public to provide feedback and participate in conversations about a potential expansion of Riverside State Park to incorporate a property, newly acquired by Inland Northwest Land Conservancy, and known as “Glen Tana.”   

Located between Seattle and Ellensburg off I-90, Lake Easton is a magnet for urbanites who have limited time for escapes. The park is also far enough east to (sometimes) see sun when Seattle is shrouded in gray.

Climb a mountain, ride a horse or try stand up paddling. Settle into your camp chair and soak your feet in an alpine lake. Kick back with a book, teach the kids to swim – or do it all – at Lake Wenatchee State Park.
A high desert adventure awaits you at this sprawling camping park located between Soap Lake and Coulee City. Experience a dramatic landscape of deep gorges and lakes where you can get out on the water, hike and play nine-hole or mini golf.

On the surface, Fort Townsend is a classic state park on a Puget Sound beach. But a closer look reveals a hidden history.

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will hold its regularly scheduled commission work session virtually on Aug. 21. 

Commission work session items include a report about an opportunity for the agency to lease Beebe Bridge Park from the Chelan County Public Utility District, a revenue update covering the 2023-25 biennium, and an update from Parks Director Diana Dupuis about the agency’s progress on the Commission’s 2024 priorities.  

Eagle Island is a great place to moor or anchor your boat. Gaze at the splendor of Mount Rainier, relax on the beach and watch harbor seals close to the shore.
Olmstead Place demonstrates homesteader family life, farming history and equipment. Walk the grounds or book a tour to experience life in the late-19th century.

SPOKANE — Beginning next week, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will start work on a grant-funded project to build a new trailhead and expand parking access to the popular Knothead Loop Trail in Riverside State Park. Construction will tentatively be completed by July. 

Airplane pilots and boaters compare Puget Sound to a maze. Land fingers, islands and waterways comprise the stunning topography, and South Sound inlets dead-end at mudflats and beaches. Amidst all this intrigue, Joemma Beach State Park is remarkably accessible.

OLYMPIA —  Washington State Parks will perform its annual mooring buoy maintenance at marine state parks in Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands in June.

This ongoing maintenance creates safe conditions for boaters who tie up to buoys at marine state parks and recreate or sleep in their vessels.

The following parks will have limited mooring buoy availability during the following timeframes:

OLYMPIA — Your visit to Deception Pass State Park will look a little bit different this year as park staff steward its recovery from winter storms.

Among the enchanting San Juan Islands, snag a cliffside campsite for breathtaking views, explore untamed beaches, and glimpse native residents such as deer and otter on Jones Island.
Located on the Yakama Indian Reservation, Fort Simcoe is one of the few remaining pre-Civil War forts in the west. Take a walk through the fort and enjoy the landscape.

All but hidden on the west side of Marrowstone Island, Mystery Bay State Park offers a great escape for visitors arriving by land or by water. Boaters can dock or lay anchor and stroll along the grassy and gravelly shoreline or enjoy the inlet's pristine waters.