Though Washington State Parks, like other parts of state government, did not make it through this year’s legislative session with its budget unscathed, park visitors shouldn’t notice any staffing or service changes this summer, according to the agency.

“We were fairly fortunate in that we were able to make mostly non-staffing cuts to be able to stay within budget,” said Sarah Fronk, a State Parks spokesperson.

The agency’s operating budget for the 2025-27 biennium is $257.6 million, about $14.7 million less than its budget for the 2023-25 biennium.

State Parks cut nine vacant positions and made other reductions, such as limiting staff travel, to stay within its tighter budget.

“It’s really being extremely mindful of where we’re spending and what our priorities are,” Fronk said of managing the cuts, adding that maintaining safe and clean parks is the agency’s primary focus.

In addition to a smaller budget, State Parks is now expected to fund 71% of its costs with revenue from Discover Passes and other fees, up from 65% in the last budget cycle.

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Discover Pass prices will rise from $30 to $45 on Oct. 1. Transaction fees can also apply to pass purchases, including a $5 charge for online sales. The passes are required for motor vehicle access to state parks and other recreation sites.

The Legislature approved the Discover Pass price increase during last year’s session. It’s the first price increase since the passes were introduced about 14 years ago.

“We’re really grateful to the Legislature for having our backs and kicking a little more revenue support our way,” Fronk said. “With the Discover Pass, I really can’t reiterate enough that it really does go to support your state parks and the stewardship and recreation work that we’re doing, because so much of our agency’s revenue is dependent on those sales.”

Washington State Parks manages about 123 developed parks, 6,000 campsites, 800 historic buildings and 1,300 miles of trails across 12,000 acres of land.

State Parks’ busy summer season runs from Memorial Day weekend in May to Labor Day weekend in September.

“We’re anticipating that there’ll be a lot of visitors to state parks this year, and so we’re definitely gearing up for that,” Fronk said.

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In an effort to support staff with a smaller budget, State Parks is bolstering its education programs “so that people coming into the park don’t need quite as much help, and we can stay focused on cleaning and doing interpretive work,” Fronk said.

New this summer, State Parks has partnered with the Washington State Parks Foundation and the online education platform Fridie Outdoors to create an educational video series for park visitors.

State Parks also has a variety of outdoor guides and other resources available on its website to help visitors build outdoor literacy.

“I really believe that, once people get those experiences outdoors and understand more what they’re seeing around them, they’re going to be more excited and interested in helping protect that, as well,” Fronk said.

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News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/07/05/washington-state-parks-visitor-access/