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.

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