So … a confession: I haven’t been on a pair of skis in more years than I care to admit. Probably not since I moved from Minnesota to Washington almost 20 years ago.

That made this park a bit of an enigma for me.

Pacific Beach is a small state park on the coast northwest of Aberdeen. On this sunny day, it was popular with RVers and people out for a walk on the beach.

For my first park of the new year, I went to the coast on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Ocean City State Park is nestled in an unassuming part of the coast just north of the city for which it is named.

The official description of this park says that the highlight is the beach. But, for me, it was the miles and miles of hiking trails.

Long ago, this was a family-oriented vacation spot. When the last of the owners’ family passed, they willed it to the state for use as a state park.

This park feels like two parks in one: There is the park with the gentle hiking trails and campgrounds. And then there is the park that serves as launch point for some high-adrenaline kayak adventures.

Peace Arch Historical State Park honors the peaceful relationship between the US and Canada. The arch itself was completed in 1921; the park and picnic grounds surrounding it on both sides followed in the 1930s. The principal highway between Seattle and Vancouver (I-5 / BC-99) straddles the Arch.

Pleasant Harbor is a small state park. It looks like it’s mostly intended for boaters looking for a place to stay for a night or two.

Located on the Hood Canal, several miles west of Silverdale, Scenic Beach State Park offers hiking trails, camping, and … ah, yes … a beach!

Jarrell Cove is reputed to be a busy and popular campsite for families. Situated on Harstine Island between Shelton and Bremerton on a corner of the south Puget Sound, it’s home to some quiet campsites, some short hiking trails, and beautiful water views.

In the peak of summer, this park is overrun with picnickers and swimmers. Come back in the fall and it’s a much quieter site mostly occupied by geese and seagulls.

Triton Cove is apparently famous for its sunrises, but … alas … that was not on offer when I visited.

Tucked in the midst of Bremerton’s north side, Illahee State Park includes hiking trails through dense forest, camping sites, and access to the beach on Puget Sound.

Once upon a time, a US Army fort was located here, but it burned more than 100 years ago and few traces remain. Today this park offers access to a beach on Port Townsend Bay and some nice hiking trails. If you time your visit well, there are some nice fall colors, too!

For decades, Saint Edward was the Northwest’s preeminent Catholic seminary. It closed in 1976 and shortly thereafter became a state park.

The official description on the State Parks web site describes Potlatch as “unassuming,” and I think I shall follow suit in describing the park myself.

After visiting Cama Beach, my friend and I took an easy stroll around Camano Island State Park. The key attraction was the beach with lots of driftwood.

What makes Cama Beach State Park distinctive is its well-preserved family cabins dating back to the 1930s.

Olallie is one of our largest state parks, with many trails to explore a short drive outside of Seattle. I hiked the Cedar Butte trail with a friend on a gray and slightly rainy day.

Miles of sandy beach? Dozens of campsites? This is Grayland Beach State Park, where you’ve got lots of room to stretch out and take a moment for yourself.

Twin Harbors is the quintessential Washington coast experience: cool, grey, and blustery, even in the midst of summer. It was a great opportunity for a leisurely weekend stroll.

Saltwater State Park lies right in the heart of the metropolis that is Seattle, Tacoma, and the many cities in between. The shallow tidelands appeal to divers and clam diggers and the rest of us who just like to explore a less-altered shoreline.

Eagle Island is a small water-access only park in the south Puget Sound, located between Anderson and McNeil Islands. (You may remember that McNeil Island was, until a decade or so ago, a federal and then state penitentiary.)

Getting to McMicken Island is half the fun! Once there, you’ll find a quiet island getaway popular with other boaters.

Miles of boulders to climb over? Miles of man-eating potholes to drive through? One of the most difficult hikes in the State Park system? Sure! Sign me up!

For those who live in the South Puget Sound region, Tolmie offers a big back yard: a place to dig for clams or just enjoy the beach. When I visited on a sunny Saturday afternoon, it was very popular.

Never have I ever seen so many herons in one place! I didn’t manage to capture the sound effects, but they make a sound that’s a lot like pigs grunting. Lots of flying pigs having turf battles amongst the treetops.

Joemma Beach is just what it says on the tin: a beach.

Two miles of beaches? Many trails? What’s not to like! This is Penrose Point State Park, a perfect place for a visit on a sunny summer afternoon.

Need a quiet walk in the woods? Lewis and Clark is your place. Though this is ostensibly a horse-friendly park, I encountered none in my tour.

Millersylvania, on the shores of Deep Lake south of Olympia, is a great place for relaxing and maybe a light hike.

Manchester State Park is one of many that are built on former military grounds in the Puget Sound region. It offers a nice combination of abandoned buildings, forested trails, camping, and waterfront views.

Sequim Bay is a popular spot for cyclists, campers, and boaters. This park offers a chance for some short hikes and a quiet getaway on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula.

Sadly, the lake for which this park is named is no longer the chief attraction. A long-running algae bloom has made the lake water unsafe for most animals, including humans, to touch, so boating, swimming, and the like are now off limits.

Rasar is a compact park on the banks of the Skagit River, but it offers quite a variety of experiences nonetheless.

Hike through a rare old-growth forest in Washington State? Sure! That is what Rockport State Park offers you.

Bay View State Park borders the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, where marine biologists and other scientists study the plants and animals that call this bay home.

Hope Island State Park is a well-traveled marine state park. When I visited, there were several sailboats anchored just off the island to the north, several other kayakers, and a few people who motored right up onto the shore for a picnic on the beach.

Your own private island (for a little while, anyway)? That was my experience when I visited Skagit Island earlier this summer. I had the island to myself for the hour or so that I visited this park.

Kukutali Preserve is the product of a unique collaboration between Washington state government and the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. In 1990, they agreed to jointly purchase and operate this property and develop it into a public park. Today it is a quiet place to go for a walk and enjoy the woods and ocean.

I visited Cutts Island on Memorial Day 2021 as summer weather was just beginning and fears about the pandemic were waning. People were eager to get out and enjoy a day out on the water and breathe a sigh of relief; thus the island seemed transformed into one enormous “life resumes” party.

This park reflects an early chapter of European settlement in Washington: The Olmstead family started this farm in the late 1800s to raise beef and then dairy cattle for sale into the emerging Seattle market.

Who would know this was once a gravel pit? Today, this park is an examplar of wetland restoration, teeming with all manner of birds, beavers, and other wildlife in the midst of the city. A large network of hiking trails winds its way through forest, marsh, ponds, and the Yakima River itself.

Fort Simcoe was built to support the European expansion into Washington Territory in the 1850s, but was only actively used as a fort for a few years. Today, under an arrangement with the Yakama Nation, it serves as one of the few remaining preserved settlements in our area from that time.

Brooks Memorial State Park offers a chance for a hike in the woods or a game of disc golf. If you get deep enough into the woods, you are rewarded with some panoramic views of Mount Hood.

This park honors the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers, the Lewis and Clark expedition that reached this point in October 1805, and, of course, it bears the name of the native Shoshone guide who helped them make this journey.

Once upon a time, there was a ferry here. It’s long since been superceded by a bridge which is surprisingly narrow by today’s standards. Lyons Ferry State Park offers a view of the abandoned historic ferry and expansive views of the Snake and Palouse Rivers.

Steptoe Butte is a geographic anomaly: a deposit of quartzite that has resisted the nature’s attempts to wash it away. Today it sits a thousand feet above the surrounding landscape and offers panoramic views of the Palouse hills.

Reed Island State Park is, as the name might suggest, an island park. It’s a bit east of Portland/Vancouver in a surprisingly quiet part of the Columbia River.

Shine Tidelands State Park is a quiet day-use beach park located at the west end of the Hood Canal Bridge, not far from my home. A few mornings ago when I woke up, I noticed that it was foggy out. I knew it would be a good day to document this park.

Never heard of Dugualla State Park? Neither had I. A happy accident while surfing Google Maps pointed me in this direction, and I found a beach and a set of hiking trails popular with the locals, but seemingly unadvertised to the rest of the world.

This is a park for those with small, beachable watercraft. Like me! I loaded up my kayak and paddled from nearby Indian Island to Kinney Point on a mild spring day. I was treated to a very quiet day on the water and in the woods.

Blake Island Marine State Park is a popular island boating destination near my home. I’ve lived in this area for nearly two decades and not managed to visit it before this year. On the April day that I visited, there were people from all kinds of watercraft visiting: kayaks, sailboats, motorboats, and the Argosy tourist boat from Seattle.

This park is pretty much what it says on the tin: an epic waterfall in the middle of the rolling hills and grasslands of the Palouse in eastern Washington.

At first, I wondered why Columbia Hills got the designation of Historical State Park. Now as I review the photos I made on three separate visits, I see many important histories preserved here.

First, there is the natural history, a reminder of a time when human’s impact on the landscape was minimal.

At first glance, this might look like an ordinary riverside scenic park. And, yes, it is that. Look a little deeper. Notice the wind. Notice the mountains nearby. Squint a little bit and watch the river. See those waves?

Beacon Rock is so many parks in one: an iconic rock along the Columbia River, comfortable flatlands along the river, and a deep inventory of hiking trails. It took me three separate visits to feel like I had truly understood this park.

Who names a park after everyone’s “favorite” road misfeature? Sorry. I couldn’t resist. Actually, it’s not named for that. The park is named for the unique landforms created in the Ice Age, in which the land itself appeared much like a pitted road. Now flooded as part of the O’Sullivan Reservoir, these depressions form myriad small lakes that are a favorite of fisherman and birders.

The grasslands above the Columbia River near Vantage offer expansive views and a peek back in time. This park is named for a ginkgo and sequoia forest – preserved by volcanic activity – that existed some 15 million years ago.

Situated at the intersection of the Wenatchee and Columbia Rivers, Wenatchee Confluence State Park offers a place to enjoy some peace and quiet or some active fun in the heart of the city that is Wenatchee.

What a difference a week makes! A week earlier, my daughter and I were kayaking and enjoying the relatively warm weather. For this holiday weekend, I had hoped to drive (solo) to some parks that were farther from home. Alas, the weather had other plans. A heavy snowfall made it unwise to travel long distances, but it also rendered one of my local parks especially interesting.

And now, for something completely different! By my count, 23 of Washington’s state parks are accessible only by water. No problem! Have kayak; will paddle! The first of them, Hope Island, is located a few miles east of Shelton in Puget Sound. My daughter and I set out on a mostly sunny afternoon to explore the waters and the island.

Bogachiel is Washington’s sole state park on the outer reaches of the Olympic Peninsula. Situated on the banks of the Bogachiel River south of Forks, it offers camping and some short hiking trails. On this rainy winter day, it offered solitude, too. I had the park more or less to myself for much of an afternoon.

Kopachuck was once a popular camping park. It has since become a day-use park with some nice hiking trails and beach access. I visited on a blustery winter day and found myself wishing I, too, had brought a dog to walk in the park.

Alas, there are no flames. No geyser, either. I’m told that I arrived a bit late for that party. Like several decades too late. But the park did offer a nice hike along the Green River and some fun stories from days of yore.

Bottle Beach State Park offers more than a mile of pristine shoreline on the south shore of Grays Harbor. Known mostly for birding, this park was delightfully quiet when I visited on a gray January afternoon.

Battle Ground Lake State Park is a quiet retreat from the busy-ness that surrounds the Portland/Vancouver metropolis. Camp, hike, ride your horse, fish, … whatever it is that helps you relax, you can do it here.

Jackson House State Park is Washington’s second-oldest state park; it contains a reconstruction of one of the earliest white settlements in the precursor to Washington state.

At first glance, when you drive through this park on Highway 101, you might be tempted to say this park is for the birds. I wouldn’t blame you: from the highway, you see campsites and a parking lot full of geese. But if you stopped there, you would be missing a lot.

You might be forgiven for thinking that this isn’t really a full-fledged state park. From the official description, the park isn’t developed yet due to lack of funding. But, if you are looking for a great place to hike, missing this park would be a big oversight. You should go.

This is perhaps less than a favorite park of mine: It’s urban, heavily traveled, and doesn’t offer the iconic views that many other parks in Washington’s system would. That said, it did offer a good opportunity for me to spend a couple of hours with a close friend who lives in Seattle as we walked the perimeter of the park grounds.

Washington’s first state park started in 1915 as a small waterfront park donated by Charles Larrabee, a prominent Bellingham businessman and philanthropist. It has since grown to a large forest preserve with many miles of hiking trails.

Situated at the tip of Long Beach Peninsula, Leadbetter Point State Park offers an excellent opportunity to get away from it all by clamming, birdwatching, or just enjoying the unending thunder of the ocean trying to climb up onto the dunes.

The day I visited Lake Easton State Park was a chilly and snowy day, and yet the park and its forests, trails, and views offered me a warm welcome.

Rainbow Falls State Park offers a moment to enjoy the sounds of rushing water along the Chehalis River or a longer rest camping among the tall trees of an of old-growth forest.

Looking across Port Townsend Bay to the city itself from the Lower Campground area.

Fort Flagler is one of several former military bases in and around the Puget Sound which have been turned over to the state for use as public parks. In this park, you can camp, enjoy miles of beaches, and explore the remains of the Triangle of Fire, which once guarded access to the waters near Seattle.

There’s really no mystery regarding what Mystery Bay State Park is about: It’s about being lazy and relaxing. BYOB is recommended (Bring Your Own Boat). But even if you come without a boat (as I did), it’s a delightful place to disconnect and enjoy the water and the views.

The lime kiln from above.

The only state park on San Juan Island faces Canada’s Vancouver Island. It’s a small and busy park, containing a lighthouse that now houses an orca research project and the remains of a lime kiln built just over 100 years ago.

I decided to start this project in the San Juan Islands. I made time to visit Spencer Spit State Park on Lopez Island as a day trip on my way to Friday Harbor, where I am spending a long weekend vacation.