Washington May Close Popular Campgrounds
Washington State Department of Natural Resources is considering closing some campgrounds near popular lakes and forests due to proposed budget cuts to public lands. A destination rainbow trout fishery in Northcentral Washington is among the sites potentially affected.
The proposed cuts to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) include an additional $750,000 reduction per year in the governor's 2026 budget proposal. This comes on top of an existing 20% budget cut for the 2025-2027 biennium. The agency's recreation maintenance and operations funding was already reduced by over $7 million during the 2025 legislative session. Among the campgrounds facing potential full closure are Chopaka Lake in Okanogan County, a popular fly-fishing destination, as well as Bear Creek and Lyre River in Clallam County. Other sites threatened with complete closure include Hoh Oxbow near Forks, Skookum Creek near Newport, and Winston Creek near Mossyrock. Service reductions are also slated for areas like the Snoqualmie area trails and Reiter Foothills State Forest. The DNR currently has only 60 field staff to manage its recreation sites across the entire state. This equates to approximately one staff member for every 50,000 acres, 21.6 miles of trail, or 333,000 visitors. These potential closures come at a time when outdoor recreation contributes significantly to Washington's economy. In 2024, outdoor recreationists spent $25.2 billion in the state, supporting over 237,000 jobs and contributing $20.5 billion to the state's GDP. The budget situation has already led to the loss of a partnership with the Washington Conservation Corps, which had previously provided the equivalent of 70 additional field staffers to help with maintenance. Officials select sites for closure or service reduction based on factors like high operational costs due to visitor volume, remote locations that are difficult for limited staff to access, and areas already impacted by storm damage. The proposed budget for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) also includes reductions, with the Senate proposing a $2 million annual cut and the House an $800,000 cut to the agency's recreation land maintenance budget from 2023-25 levels. Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove has expressed opposition to the cuts, stating, "Washington's world class outdoor recreation opportunities draw visitors to the state and Washingtonians to our lands. The last thing we should do is underfund them."
