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Illahee State Park takes its name from the Chinook jargon word for “homeland.” The park lies within the traditional territories of Coast Salish Indigenous people whose present-day descendants include members of the Suquamish Tribe. Indigenous historian Vi Hilbert noted that today’s park occupies a site known as Xitca’sEb, meaning “to feel a tremor.” Geologists have mapped two main faults of the Seattle Fault Zone running north and south of the park area. The fault zone was the site of a major earthquake 1,100 years ago.

Fields Spring State Park has long been a summer oasis of wildflower-filled forest and a winter paradise for snowshoers and skiers. The park occupies a corner of the Blue Mountains, rising high above the arid landscape of the Columbia Plateau below.

Joemma Beach State Park provides access to the shores of southern Puget Sound. The sinuous saltwater passageways of the South Sound, including Case Inlet in front of the park, were molded and scoured by glacial meltwaters at the close of the Pleistocene ice age.

Leadbetter Point State Park preserves an otherworldly place of sand dunes, stunted forests, wildlife-filled wetlands and solitude at the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula on Washington’s southern coast.

Lake Sammamish State Park is one of Washington’s most popular state parks, attracting visitors from the large cities and towns nearby with its attractive beaches, picnic areas, athletic fields and open space.

Tongues of the great Pleistocene glaciers that excavated the passageways of Puget Sound also dug the nearly seven-mile-long basin of Lake Sammamish. Today’s park encompasses the floodplains of Issaquah Creek and Tibbetts Creek at the lake’s inlet.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.