WA Weekend: State Parks’ Birthday Party

Washington’s State Parks are 100 years old this month and that calls for a celebration!



Mark your calendars for next Saturday, March 30th, 2013 when all state parks will welcome guests – for FREE – no Discover Pass needed!

In fact, mark your calendars for all these FREE days at Washington State parks in 2013:

March 30: Recognition of State Parks’ 100th birthday on March 19
April 27 - 28: Recognition of National Parks Week
June 1: National Trails Day
June 8 - 9: National Get Outdoors Day and WDFW Free Fishing weekend
Aug. 4: Peak summer season free day
Sept. 28: National Public Lands Day
Nov. 9 - 11: Veteran’s Day weekend

Celebrate the State Parks Centennial at Cama Beach and Camano Island state parks:


These two parks are just over an hour’s drive north of Seattle and and overlook Puget Sound’s Saratoga Passage. 

Cama  Beach State Park is the state’s newest state park – a once-privately-owned fishing resort -- that has been lovingly restored by the state parks department staff and a group of dedicated volunteers.

The March 30th celebration begins at 10 a.m. when you can build and fly kites at Camano Island State Park with the Friends of Camano Islands Parks. Then hike to nearby Cama Center at Cama Beach State Park for the main event activities. A shuttle is available to transport visitors back to the Lowell Point Parking lot.


 Main events at Cama Beach State Park: Activities include beach walks (2 to 3 p.m.);
* toy boat building (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.);
* marine tank display (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.);
* craft projects (noon to 4 p.m.);
* boat house tours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.);

And what’s a birthday party without cake?  The cake cutting will take place at 1:30 p.m.

For a schedule of events at all state parks, just click this link:
Washington State Parks’ Centennial Celebration and let the party begin!

Thanks for your visit today! Come back again on Travel Tip Tuesday and Travel Photo Thursday. . .and if you’ve not yet ‘liked’ our Facebook page, TravelnWrite – you are missing out on other travel tips and tidbits!

About these Photos: I took them last September during a visit to Cama Beach State Park. It is enchanting and offers overnight accommodations. There’s more information and photos about it at:  http://www.travelnwrite.com/2012/09/waweekend-cama-beach-retro-resort.html

WAWeekend: Cama Beach ~ A Retro Resort

Visiting Camano Island’s Cama Beach State Park, is time-travel at its best.  It’s so delightfully vintage that I call it a ‘Retro Resort’. It’s one of the last remaining of the popular early 20th Century ‘auto court resorts’ that once proliferated our state. 

The rage of the 1920’s to 1940’s was the auto court resort ~ those places you could drive to in the then-state-of-the-art automobile; places like the privately owned and operated Cama Beach Resort on the southwest shore of Camano Island, overlooking Sarasota Passage.

The resort was among some 22 such places that could be found on Camano Island alone, even more were to be found on neighboring Whidbey Island.  Fast forward through a half century: the resort’s owners sold the property to the Washington State Parks Department.

In 2008 following several years of updating and renovation, Cama Beach Resort opened as Washington State’s newest park. Featuring more than 30 original cedar-sided cabins and bungalows, the resort operates year-round.

In the warm months, the screened windows slide open to allow sea breezes to cool the small cabins and electrical heat warms during  the cooler winter months.  While the original cedar paneled walls and pine floors remain, a modern-day a coffee pot, refrigerator and microwave make the cabins less ‘rustic’.

Where have you stayed lately, where beds were covered with hand-made quilts? They are here, thanks to the efforts of a devoted group of volunteers who call themselves the Cama Quilters. You need to bring your linens – towels, sheets, pillows and/or sleeping bags, but the quilts are provided. (If you are curious, they are washed between guests just like any hotel would do).

I toured the resort last Monday, thinking that it would take about an hour.  Instead, I spent the entire morning with a most enthusiastic tour guide, Jeff Wheeler, the Park Manager. I simply couldn't get enough of the place and he was more than willing to show me everything! 

The history, the setting, the renovations, and the community support of this park combine to make this one special place. I told Jeff he’d be seeing us again as overnight guests.

There is far too much history, not to mention all the activities (hiking, boating and kayaking for starters) to include in a single post so check back for Part II of this story on Travel Photo Thursday.

If You Go:

Cama Beach State Park is 90 minutes north of Seattle by auto, 19 miles off Interstate 5.

This place is perfect for families, couples and all of those who may be in the transition years of going from ‘tent camping’ enthusiasts to those who prefer a bit more comfort of a cabin, bed and modern bathroom facilities. Some cabins offer en suite facilities and others share a huge, modern bathhouse.

The Cama Café operates in the recently opened Cama Center, on the ridge overlooking the cabins. It’s open daily for breakfast and lunch in the summer and on weekends in the winter.

For more information:  Cama Beach State Park, (360) 387-1557 or visit the website: Cama Beach State Park for seasonal rental rates. Less than six cabins: you can book 9 months in advance; more than that can be reserved 18 months in advance. (Don’t forget you’ll need a state Discover Pass when using this park. They can be purchased at the entry gate when you arrive.)