In a meeting Thursday in Bellingham, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission approved new overnight camping rules. The limit on consecutive stays is now 10 nights and the annual cap is 90 nights total.
The new Washington State Parks guidelines, effective Aug. 19, come amid a nationwide campsite crunch that has prompted federal legislation.
The previous limits were seasonal. From April 1 to Sept. 30, the maximum stay used to be 10-14 nights — the exact figure was subject to each park's discretion — after which point campers were mandated to leave the park for at least three nights. From Oct. 1 to March 31, the maximum stay was 20 nights.
The new rules eliminate the seasonal distinction and also prevent campers from leaving for short periods and returning to the same park. Now, all stays are limited to 10 nights in any one park per 30-day period.
It's not the only change coming to Washington State Parks. In April, the State Parks director approved overnight fee increases that will take effect in 2025.
Previous rates of $20-$50 per site will now range from $23 to $56 per night, depending on season, desirability of campsite, and access to utilities like electricity and water hookups. Annual moorage fees will also increase, from $5 to $7 per foot of vessel length, and the minimum fee will bump from $60 to $80. The overnight buoy moorage minimum will also increase, from $15 to $23.
On the topic of overnight stays, "what we hear a lot is that there's just not enough camping," commission Chair Sophia Danenberg said at Thursday's meeting. "This is not going to resolve the issue of not enough camping, but it's encouraging to see staff starting to make progress and look at what has been a long-term issue."
The Washington State Parks system is home to 77 campgrounds, the two most popular of which are in Western Washington: Deception Pass and Cape Disappointment. Out of more than 321,000 systemwide reservations in 2023, 676 campers stayed longer than 10 nights on a single reservation. Only 10 full-fare campers and fewer than 100 discounted pass holders stayed more than 90 nights over the course of the year, according to a presentation by parks staff during the meeting.
Parks staff told the commission that the proposal generated 300 public comments. Among three dozen comments reviewed by The Seattle Times, the majority supported the rule change in order to free up campsites that have become difficult to reserve due to intense competition for a scarce resource.
The most prevalent opposition was on behalf of veterans, who are eligible for lifetime free camping in Washington State Parks. Some disabled veterans wrote to the commission describing how they have camped in state parks as a lifeline when other housing circumstances were inadequate.
Washington retirees who spend much of the year camping in recreational vehicles also wrote in to oppose the rule change.
"We want to emphasize the recreational aspect of camping versus residency-type camping," State Parks operations division manager Chris Holm told the commission. "Our goal is to provide a quality recreational experience."
The tighter overnight limits put Washington more in line with its neighbors. A California law, in effect since Jan. 1, caps at 30 the number of nights that one can camp in any single state park per year, and limits reservations to seven consecutive nights during peak seasons. Oregon State Parks limits stays to 14 consecutive nights, or no more than 14 nights in a 17-night period, per park. Idaho has a 14-night limit per 30 days.
The issue of hard-to-reserve campsites has also attracted congressional attention. Last month, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced the RESERVE Federal Land Act, which would mandate a federal review of the reservation systems on public lands, like national forests and parks, and an investigation of the fee structure on Recreation.gov.
Recreation.gov is the official website for reserving campsites, buying wilderness permits and entering lotteries for limited-capacity sites on federal public lands.
Washington's three national parks, one national volcanic monument and five national forests contain over 350 campgrounds. Popular backpacking destinations like the Enchantments and climbs from the North Cascades to Mount St. Helens all require permits, some of which are distributed by lottery. New this summer, Mount Rainier National Park operates on a timed-entry reservation system during peak visitation hours.
Washington isn't alone in dealing with a campsite crunch.
Online camping reservation platform The Dyrt found that nearly half of all campers surveyed nationwide for its 2024 Camping Report encountered a sold-out campground last year when making a reservation. The report found that it is four times more difficult now to book a campsite than in 2019, although better than in 2022, as land managers and private campground operators respond to increased demand.
The commission also held a special meeting earlier this week in Stanwood to discuss the future of the Cama Beach Historical State Park cabins, which closed indefinitely in February following a septic system failure.
Due to a failing seawall, increasingly common high tide floods, and archaeological record of Indigenous grave sites, State Parks is considering moving the historical cabins to a new, yet-to-be determined location, as first reported by Stanwood Camano News. A final decision on whether or not to reopen the cabins in their current location is scheduled for Oct. 10.
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