DNR Recreation Sites May Close Due to State Budget Cuts

Agency identifies sites that could close or see service reductions without restored funding

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced tentative reductions to recreation access across the state due to budget cuts amplifying an ongoing lack of funding for maintenance and staff.

DNR's Recreation Program provides recreation experiences across millions of acres of state-managed lands in Washington. The work to maintain recreation sites by clearing trails, cleaning restrooms, addressing ongoing public abuse, clearing storm damage, and more has been underfunded for years. This critical maintenance and operations funding could be reduced even more , impacting DNR's ability to provide W ashingtonians with safe, accessible and meaningful recreation experiences across the state.

"Washington's world class outdoor recreation opportunities draw visitors to the state and Washingtonians to our lands. The last thing we should do is underfund them," said Commissioner of Public Lands Dave Upthegrove. "From hiking and biking, to riding ORVs and paragliding, DNR lands offer opportunities for families across the entire state to enjoy quality time in the great outdoors. It's what makes our state the best in the nation. But the continued lack of funding threatens that access, creating an unsafe environment for users, and impacting our public lands."

The Governor's proposed budget for the 2026 legislative session includes cuts that threaten crucial maintenance work performed by DNR staff. The Operating Budget for DNR's Recreation Program was already reduced by more than 20% moving into the 2025-2027 biennium, and the 2026 proposal includes an additional $750,000 per year in reductions. Both proposed House and Senate Operating Budgets also include reductions to the Recreation Maintenance Account.

DNR R ecreation has only 60 field staff across the entire state; only one staff person per every 21.6 miles of trail, 50,000 acres, or 333,000 visitors to DNR-managed lands. Partnership with Washington Conservation Corps crews previously supported DNR with the equivalent of 70 additional field staffers, but the funding to purchase that critical corps time was left unfilled during the 2025 legislative session.

The list of service reductions includes sites that are either operationally expensive to maintain due to volume of use, longer travel distances for limited staff, or sites that will be impacted regardless due to capacity constraints caused by storm damage. Access re ductions could range from full closures of campgrounds like Bear Creek (Clallam County) and Chopaka Lake Campground (Okanogan County), and service reductions at Snoqualmie area trails and Reiter Foothills State Forest.

While not every trail or recreation site will face closure, it's likely that impacts of budget cuts will be felt across the entire state. Decreased funding for maintenance has a cascading effect - storm recovery will take longer, trailhead bathrooms will not be stocked, there will be more trash on trails, and sites will generally be less maintained and staffed due to a lack of resources.

To learn more about the potential reductions and the budget crisis facing DNR's Recreation Program, head to this link: https://dnr.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2026-02/amp_rec_funding_onepager.pdf

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