July 2025

A vibrant sun sets over Jarrell Cove State Park.

Contain your fire, you'll still have fun (we promise)

As summer heats up, your schedule may be sizzling like a steak on a grill! We’ve entered the prime season for outdoor cooking and campfire magic.

Summer is also wildfire season, and we have tips to help you stay safe, have fun and not burn down the state:

• Burn bans are not there to dampen your vibe, rather they keep you, our parks and our wildlife safe. Please respect them and make sure you check to see which bans are in place before you head to a park.
• If your park is not under burn ban and you make a campfire or burn charcoal in a firepit or grill, make sure your fire is fully out before going to bed or leaving your site. If the fire is too hot to touch, it is too hot to leave.
• The best way to put out a campfire is to douse it with water, stir it with a stick and then dump more water on it.
• Park cars and RVs on asphalt, not on grass where a warm engine could start a fire.
• Put out all cigarettes, cigars and pipes in water.
• Where beach bonfires are allowed, keep them 100 feet away from dune grasses and make sure they are fully out before leaving.
• Follow all DNR guidelines and enjoy this cute video about fire safety.

Want to know how to have fun without a flame? Learn about some alternatives here.

Statewide programs, partnerships bring people to parks!

Find the Check Out WA program at libraries statewide. Photo: Moments and Mountains.

Check out the Check Out WA Program

Did you know you can borrow a Discover Pass, binoculars, field guides for free at your local library?

Your local library could be your ticket to outdoor adventure, thanks to continuation of the Check Out Washington program!

The program allows library card holders at all Washington libraries to check out a Discover Pass for a week at a time.

All participating Check Out Washington libraries have Discover Passes available for check out, and some locations have Adventure Packs, which include binoculars, field guides, brochures and maps of local state parks.

The program increases access to public lands for folks who might not have resources to buy a Discover Pass, or who might not yet realize the value of the investment. It’s a chance for people new to the outdoors to get acquainted with state parks and recreation lands.

Check Out Washington is a partnership between State Parks, the Washington State Parks Foundation, Washington State libraries and WSECU.

The NLCI Program will open the outdoors for many young people from historically marginalized communities.

No Child Left Inside grants awarded

This summer, thousands of Washington youth will get outdoors, thanks to the No Child Left Inside (NCLI) program.

State Parks, in a longstanding partnership with the state Recreation and Conservation Office, awarded over $1 million in grants to 15 organizations. Grants fund programs that take kids from marginalized communities into nature to learn, play and grow.

Community organizations across the state received grants to host camps and activities for youth with life-altering medical conditions, disabilities and economic hardships.

Several of the grants will help kids learn gardening, equestrian skills, swimming and navigation on open water. Some offer campouts with career and educational guidance for urban Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) youth.

Many programs use state parks around Washington, while others utilize other state and federal recreation lands, urban parks and private camps.

Kopachuck State Park will reopen early next month!

Kopachuck State Park near Gig Harbor reopens Aug. 2!

Get ready for mid-summer days at Kopachuck State Park!

The beloved forested beach park in Gig Harbor reopens on Saturday, Aug. 2, after a 14-month renovation. Come enjoy its new:

• Outdoor amphitheater
• Playground
• Improved tails
• Rentable facility
• Park office and welcome center

 Join us on opening day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a free, family-friendly event. We’re excited to welcome you back to the park with live music, food trucks, local vendors, Junior Ranger activities, beach walks and talks, park tours and more.

The new parking lot holds 98 vehicles. Overflow parking for the event is available at neighboring Voyager Elementary School. We can’t wait to see you!

S'mores can be made a number of ways, including with chocolate malt balls, courtesy of Eastside Ranger Colleen Foster.

Park staff share trail snacks and camp foods that fuel their work and play

This month we asked our staff to share favorite trail snacks and camp foods. Some may not be your cup of tea, but each treat promises flavorful fuel for exploring our parks:

Corbin Willmorth (Riverside)

Depends on what I find at whatever store I visit on my way to the trailhead. Almost always, it will be 1 to 1.5 L of water and teriyaki jerky or protein bars.

Jarrod Loeffler (Belfair)

My go-to for working in or visiting parks is my version of "trail mix" that I call Mish-Mash. Ingredients are: Beef, Pork or Venison jerky cut into small cubes; M&Ms (I like the peanut butter filled ones); cashews; almonds; macadamia nuts; dried seaweed (ripped into small shreds); fresh tangerine wedges; fresh cherries (Rainier, of course); apple slices (Cosmic Crisp - ALWAYS); cucumber slices; colby or pepperjack cheese cubes and Tajin.

Kahla Magbenga (Flaming Geyser)

Camp fire roasted hot dogs turned into chili dogs!

Clare Delong Tuminez (Headquarters)

Canned lunch meat musubi rolls! Take a whole nori sheet, slather in sushi rice, place strips of fried canned meat a couple inches from the bottom of the nori and roll away. They are compact, salty, carby and delicious. We throw them in a lightweight container with packets of soy sauce that seem to accumulate in the kitchen drawer.

Raven Pacheco (Riverside)

Camp scramble: Throw whatever veggies and meat you want into a pan over the fire and scramble with eggs and a lot of butter. Perfect meal to start the day.

Santos Solis (Twanoh)

S’MORES! Classic. I've recently perfected the S’mores algorithm. The trick is to let the marshmallow sit atop the chocolate a few minutes, and don't smush it.

Sarah Fronk (Headquarters)

Mock Thanksgiving dinner is a crowd pleaser, for sure. Just a bag of stuffing , a packet of turkey gravy and a can of chicken. Add water and BAM, a delicious, filling meal after a long day paddling or hiking. 

Programs like the Waikiki Concerts at Cape Disappointment are funded by the State Parks specialty license plate.

Support programming, concerts and festivals with a WA State Parks license plate!

Park alerts

Always check for park alerts and closures before heading out on an adventure!

When you’re putting together your pre-trip checklist, make sure it includes checking the conditions at your intended destination. Here are a few parks with active alerts:

Lake Sylvia has been drawn down by five feet to monitor cracks in the Lake Sylvia State Park dam, built around 1918.

Mystery Bay will be closed from July 14 to Aug. 20 for major repairs to its pier.

The Paradise Point day-use area, including Lewis River access and disc golf, will be closed July 14-27 for WSDOT pre-construction on the I-5 bridges over the park. The campground will remain open.

Parts of Lake Sammamish State Park will have intermittent closures and delays, including the boat launch and three trails along Issaquah Creek for underwater construction and a restoration project.

Much of Cape Disappointment State Park is scheduled to close from mid-September to late May 2026 for major construction.

Check the full list of alerts here.

Trip resources

Book your same-day and flexible camping reservations now!

Looking for an impromptu camping trip? Keeping things flex? We've got two new features to help make your trip a success: