Is camping in a Washington State Park on your list? Get ready to pay more. Washington State Parks camping fees could go up in 2025, if park officials get approval for their plans.
Camp fees haven’t changed in four years
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission is considering upping the fees for campsites and boat mooring. The cost of Discover Passes, which are set in state law, will not change. The Discover Pass costs $35 per year, or $11.50 per day for day use. It’s required for day use in state parks, and to enter and camp on certain other state lands. Paying campers in state parks aren’t required to have one.
The proposed increases will help the agency catch up with inflation over the last few years. Prices for camping were last updated in 2020 and for mooring in 2015.
“We really try to balance access with the revenue that we need to run the parks,” Darleen Simkins, business insights analyst at the department, told the commission on Wednesday.
Rate jump less than inflation in general
Under the new fee proposal, camping prices will jump no more than $6, though the exact price depends on the type of site and time of year. The current price of a basic campsite with no hookups is $32 during the peak season of May through September. Under the new plan, that will jump to $37. Sites with full electric, water, and sewer hookups would jump to $56 during peak season. For comparison, full hookup sites would jump about 12%, while the rate of inflation in general since 2020 has been almost 21%.
Camping fees are the second largest source of money for the state parks, bringing in about $23 million last year at more than 6,400 sites. Rates for staying overnight in state parks haven’t been adjusted in the last four years, despite rising costs.
“Inflation continues to go up, and while it might be a shocker to the customer, it’s going to be a shocker to us to not be able to recoup those costs,” Commissioner Ken Bounds said Wednesday. The camping price adjustment would likely bring in another $3.12 million each year for state parks.
Washington following lead of neighboring states
Washington isn’t alone in its efforts to keep up with inflation. Idaho doubled its entry and campsite fees at some popular parks for non-residents three years ago, and Oregon began charging non-residents 25% more for RV sites two years ago.
The new fees must be approved by the State Parks and Recreation Commission Director Diana Dupuis, who will likely give the final OK this month. The agency would then work to implement them for all reservations made for 2025.
Could Washington State Parks camping fees go up again after that? The agency will also look to create a structure for reviewing and adjusting fees every two years.
For more information on Washington State Parks’ plans for raising the tide on moorage fees, click here for the complete story on washingtonstatestandard.com.
##RVT1153b
$56 for a State park? No way!
I guess I’ll take Washington off my list completely.
I thought they were already a bit high; higher than Oregon anyway. They call it “adjusting.” But yes, Oregon costs more for out-of-state folks.
Thank.you, Russ and Tina! 🙂 Interesting development. I wonder how congested Washington state parks have become and how well maintained? Further, I wonder how both aspects will be affected by the higher camping fees? One would expect that some campers would respond to the higher fees by camping less (including those who stop entirely) in state parks. Meanwhile, higher fees should result in better maintenance and or better (including more) amenities, which may attract more campers to state park campgrounds. Now, let us see if the data match the theory. Meanwhile, thanks again and safe travels! 🙂
A Discover day pass only costs $10 if you buy it onsite. I guess the website charges an extra $1.50 to get it online?
I spend my winters hosting in WA state parks. Their funding comes totally from money collected in parks, with no additional taxpayer support. Overall, I’d say the parks do a great job maintaining these beautiful parks, even if they are a bit pricey.