Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission

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Washington State Parks & Recreation Commission No matter how you connect with nature, Parks is here to welcome you into the wild, wonderful outdoors to 5 p.m., Monday – Friday), and as resources allow.

Washington State Parks protects some of the most diverse — and most beautiful — lands in the country. From ocean beaches to mountain waterfalls, hiking trails to swimming areas, Washington’s state parks welcome you to explore a wide variety of outdoor recreation and experience the state’s most iconic and breathtaking natural wonders. Mission
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission cares for Washington's most treasured lands, waters, and historic places. State parks connect all Washingtonians to their diverse natural and cultural heritage and provide memorable recreational and educational experiences that enhance their lives. Vision
Washington's state parks will be cherished destinations with natural, cultural, recreational, artistic, and interpretive experiences that all Washingtonians enjoy, appreciate, and proudly support.

-Social Media Comment Policy-

We welcome comments from the public to encourage a productive community dialog about state parks news, events, programs, activities, conditions, alerts and other matters related to state parks and recreation in Washington. Our social media channels provide a limited forum for public engagement. Information on the our social media pages are not a substitute for legal or official notice by the agency. Comments posted by users are not considered legal or official notice. Our Communications staff monitor agency social media channels during business hours (8 a.m. We do not monitor the page 24 hours a day and will respond to public comments as quickly as possible. Comments from the public should be on topic. The views expressed in comments reflect those of the author. We reserve the right to hide or remove comments as well as block offenders at its discretion for comments that:

-Are unrelated to topics posted by Washington State Parks
-Use offensive, abusive, vulgar, obscene, racist, sexist, homophobic, threatening, or harassing language, photos or other content
-Use language that includes libel, slander or personal attacks against individuals, organizations, agencies or programs
-Include unsupported accusations or false information
-Are solicitations, commercial or political endorsements, advertisements, spam or comments promoting services or products
-Share private, personal or protected information
-Contain copyrighted or other proprietary materials
-Incite or suggest violent action against others
-Suggest or encourage illegal, dangerous or destructive activity

Removal of inappropriate content and comments posted by outside users on agency social media sites shall be retained with a record of that contributor’s name, date and time the content was edited or removed. The records should be retained in such a manner that they can be deleted after meeting the required retention periods. Comments violating our comment policy will not be edited to comply with agency guidelines. Learn more here: https://parks.wa.gov/about/news-announcements/social-media-comment-policy

These critters have some in-cider info on where to go this fall. 🍎🍂 Squirrel says Lake Chelan, while raccoon is voting f...
10/16/2026

These critters have some in-cider info on where to go this fall. 🍎🍂 Squirrel says Lake Chelan, while raccoon is voting for Moran. Where are you headed next?

🍄We think mushrooms are morel-less the most down-to-earth thing about late fall forest walks, but we admit coming up wit...
10/15/2026

🍄We think mushrooms are morel-less the most down-to-earth thing about late fall forest walks, but we admit coming up with this post cap-tion gave us a bit of truffle.

🍄 In honor of National Mushroom Day today, we’re asking you to spore up your knowledge and identify some or all of the mushrooms in these photos. We know we’ve got some mushroom ID champignons out there – leave your guesses in the comments below.

Fall colors are putting on a show in central Washington right now. 🍂 Just east of the Cascade Mountains, Wenatchee is su...
10/14/2026

Fall colors are putting on a show in central Washington right now. 🍂

Just east of the Cascade Mountains, Wenatchee is surrounded by a little bit of everything: rolling orchards and farmland, rugged peaks, riverfronts and wetlands. And with around 200 days of sunshine a year, there's plenty of reason to keep exploring this area into fall and winter.

Here are five Washington State Parks within a day-trip distance of Wenatchee:
📍 Lincoln Rock | 20 min
📍 Squilchuck | 20 min
📍 Daroga | 35 min
📍 Ginkgo & Wanapum Rec Area | 65 min
📍 Bridgeport | 90 min

Check our website for current alerts and winter schedules before you go, as some parks and campgrounds have seasonal closures:
⚠️ Alerts: parks.wa.gov/about/news-announcements/alerts
❄️ Winter schedule: parks.wa.gov/find-activities/winter-schedule

And if you're already dreaming about warmer days, campsites can be booked up to nine months in advance. Now's the time to start planning for your June and July getaway: washington.goingtocamp.com.

⚓Starting today: Reid Harbor at Stuart Island is getting a new dock and repairs to its pumpout station. ⛴The new dock wi...
10/13/2026

⚓Starting today: Reid Harbor at Stuart Island is getting a new dock and repairs to its pumpout station.

⛴The new dock will have a flatter grade for greater accessibility and grated decking, which will filter light to the shallow aquatic environment below.
🚣🏼‍♀️The pumpout station's creosote piles will be replaced with new galvanized steel piles, which will improve water quality in the bay.
⛴ Crews will also be taking out an aged linear buoy system.

⚓Mooring buoys will be available, but boaters can expect congestion and construction noise, and Reid Harbor won't have a pumpout until that work is done. 🌊We appreciate your patience as we improve our parks in the San Juan Islands. https://parks.wa.gov/find-parks/state-parks/stuart-island-marine-state-park

State Parks Commissioner Scott Merriman recently spotted some orcas taking a fall stroll through the South Puget Sound n...
10/13/2026

State Parks Commissioner Scott Merriman recently spotted some orcas taking a fall stroll through the South Puget Sound near Hope Island State Park (Mason County). 🐳🍂 Not a bad way to spend an autumn day! Aren't they amazing? 😍

Washington's whale-watching season typically runs from June through September, but you may still spot some in October. Keep an eye out when you're traveling around the Puget Sound and Salish Sea, and always bring your binoculars. 👀

10/10/2026

Take 10 seconds today to pause, breathe and reset. 💚 Your mental health matters — especially on World Mental Health Day.

If you have the day off, soak in some nature and enjoy a deeper reset at one of our parks during today’s Discover Pass free day.

10/08/2026

Plus, Schafer’s campsites and cabins are reservable all year round! Visit our website to book your cozy fall getaway: washington.goingtocamp.com. 🍂

10/07/2026

One hand for the essentials. The other for picking up dog p**p. 🤭💩

10/06/2026

No time for stupid questions here. 🤭 The answer will always be yes!

Visit our website to find your next state park to explore ➡️ parks.wa.gov/find-parks.

The stone tower atop Mount Constitution is under restoration starting Oct. 7 until mid-November. Work includes wood refi...
10/06/2026

The stone tower atop Mount Constitution is under restoration starting Oct. 7 until mid-November. Work includes wood refinishing and window glass repair in the summit house, reinforcing stone masonry in one corner of the building and strengthening rebar and stair tread in the tower. The tower itself and the area directly beneath it will be closed, but the rest of Mount Constitution - the road, restrooms, visitor center and overlook will be open. Visitors will hear construction noise and see equipment and workers during the day.

This project is made possible by a grant from the Washington State Parks Foundation. We appreciate your patience as we work to preserve this beloved historic structure.

Address

300 Desmond Drive SE
Lacey, WA
98503

Telephone

+13609028844

Website

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