Campers in Washington’s state parks will soon find themselves unable to stay in one site quite as long.

New rules approved by the Washington Parks and Recreation Commission limit camping stays to no more than 10 consecutive nights in one park in a 30-day period and a maximum of 90 days per calendar year in all state parks. 

The new limits go into effect Aug. 18 and will apply year-round. The parks system will honor existing reservations and enforce limits on new reservations after Aug. 18.

Commissioners made the decision at their July 18 meeting in Bellingham.

Chris Holm, operations division manager for Washington State Parks, said the changes will provide campers with “more clear and consistent” guidelines since they will be the same year-round.

Currently, the maximum stay at a state campground ranges from 10 to 14 nights between April 1 and Sept. 30, depending on the park. Between Oct. 1 and March 31, the limit is 20 consecutive nights. People also cannot stay more than 40 days at a campground in a 60-day period.

Another point of the new rules is to provide more “equitable access” to camping opportunities.

If a campsite is always occupied by one individual or a group of individuals, others cannot get into that same site, nor can state parks employees do maintenance on the sites, Holm said.

Few people are expected to be impacted by the limits on long-term stays, commissioners were told. In 2023, only 10 full-fare campers stayed longer than 90 nights and of 10,000 Discover Pass holders, fewer than 100 of them exceeded that mark, state parks staff said.

“We want to emphasize more of the recreational aspects of camping …  versus residency-type camping,” Holm said. “And enhancing the visitor experience is our overall goal. We want to create an atmosphere in state parks where people feel welcome and have a great time.”