New Campground Limits Coming to WA Beginning August 18th

Beginning August 18th, all campgrounds in Washington State will have new limits on how many nights people can stay.

 New limits approved by Parks Commission

 The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission recently approved the new limits, as of August 18th, campers can only stay ten consecutive nights in any campground in the state, within a 30-day period. Campers will also only be allowed to stay a total of 90 days per calendar year in all state parks.

Officials, according to the WA State Standard, explained the reasons for the changes.

"Chris Holm, operations division manager for Washington State Parks, said the changes will provide campers with “more clear and consistent” guidelines since they will be the same year-round.

Currently, the maximum stay at a state campground ranges from 10 to 14 nights between April 1 and Sept. 30, depending on the park. Between Oct. 1 and March 31, the limit is 20 consecutive nights. People also cannot stay more than 40 days at a campground in a 60-day period."

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Officials say putting limits will also create a more "equitable" opportunity window for more people to camp because there will be more available spaces.

However according to the WA Standard:

"Few people are expected to be impacted by the limits on long-term stays, commissioners were told. In 2023, only 10 full-fare campers stayed longer than 90 nights and of 10,000 Discover Pass holders, fewer than 100 of them exceeded that mark, state parks staff said."