Last-minute camping tips for the long weekend

Planning to go camping for the long weekend? Here’s a roundup of the status of campgrounds in the county.

Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest:

Most of the campgrounds are open. Exceptions in our area: Gold Basin is closed for a safety review. San Juan, Troublesome Creek and Corral Pass are closed until the snow melts. See a full list of campgrounds here. Your best bet for checking on how full campgrounds are likely to be is to call the district the campground and ask. (The individual campground listings at the link above include links with contact information for the appropriate ranger district.) You can also try dispersed camping. Check this link for details. Ranger stations are also great resources to get ideas for dispersed camping.

Campers are reminded that fireworks or explosives, including exploding targets, are prohibited on national forest lands to reduce the risk of forest fires.

Check current trail and road conditions before visiting the forest. Local ranger districts and public service centers can provide more information on camping, hiking and access:

  • Darrington Ranger District, 360-436-1155
  • Verlot Public Service Center, 360-691-7791
  • Snoqualmie Ranger District, 425-888-1421
  • Enumclaw Public Service Center, 360-825-6585
  • Mt. Baker Ranger District, 360-856-5700
  • Glacier Public Service Center, 360-599-2714
  • Skykomish Ranger District, 360-677-2414

State parks

Camano Island State Park has 88 camping sites that are first come, first served. Cama Beach’s cabins are already all booked for the weekend. Check out state parks all around the state here.

Snohomish County Parks

Parks are no longer accepting reservations for this weekend. As of noon Thursday, there were still about 20 spots at Squire Creek County Park. River Meadows County Park had about seven spots left. The sites that remain are available first come, first served. Those campgrounds have water available, but no water or power hookups. Kayak Point, Flowing Lake and River Meadows county parks are all booked for the weekend.

Oso bypass

If you are planning to camp on Highway 530, remember that access east of Oso is limited by the mudslide. The Oso bypass is limited to trailers 24 feet or shorter. RVs are allowed. You’ll need to be able to navigate your vehicle over steep grade and around tight turns. The other route to the area is via the North Cascades Highway. To make things easier for locals, the WSDOT is asking only those with local or business ties to use the bypass road. Get more info here.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.