State Parks in Washington

Washington has 125 state parks covering about 100,000 acres — ranging from island marine parks to desert canyon parks.

Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island is the most visited state park in Washington. The park straddles the narrow, fast-moving Deception Pass, which connects the Skagit Bay and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The bridge over the pass offers dramatic views of the tidal rapids below. The park has beaches, forest trails, and a campground.

Palouse Falls State Park in the Columbia Basin is centered on a 185-foot waterfall plunging into a steep basalt canyon — a remnant of the Ice Age Missoula Floods that sculpted eastern Washington. The site was designated Washington's official state waterfall in 2014.

Mount Spokane State Park east of Spokane has 13,919 acres of forest on the flanks of Mount Spokane (5,883 feet). The summit road (open in summer) is one of the highest paved roads in eastern Washington, with views across the Spokane Valley and into Idaho.

Moran State Park on Orcas Island in the San Juans is the largest state park in the San Juan Islands. The 5,252-acre park has four lakes, 38 miles of trails, and Mount Constitution (2,409 feet) — the highest point in the San Juan Islands, with a stone observation tower built by the CCC in the 1930s.

Rasar State Park along the Skagit River has ancient western red cedar groves and exceptional fishing. The Skagit River is one of the most important salmon rivers in the Pacific Northwest.

Steamboat Rock State Park in the Columbia Basin is built around Steamboat Rock, a massive basalt butte rising 800 feet above Banks Lake. The surrounding Columbia Basin landscape — dry, stark, and enormous — is unlike anything else in Washington.