Leavenworth Real Estate

Lake Wenatchee State Park Closed 8/26/10

 Commission announces emergency closure  of Lake Wenatchee State Park

OLYMPIA – Aug. 26, 2010 – The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission announced Wednesday the emergency closure of Lake Wenatchee State Park, located 18 miles northwest of Leavenworth in Chelan County, due to forest health issues and safety concerns for park visitors.

Within a two-week span, two seemingly healthy trees fell in the south campground of the park. State Parks staff and a pathologist from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conducted an emergency assessment of the trees and concluded the failure was due to root rot that was not evident from outward appearances. Staff also conducted assessments on trees in the north and south campgrounds and found additional trees infected with root rot. These trees were immediately removed. The root rot has been identified in grand fir and Douglas-fir trees.

State Parks staff, with the assistance of the DNR pathologist, will assess the structural integrity of the trees in high-risk areas in the next several days. The park will remained closed until this assessment can be completed and any necessary corrective action is taken.

A section of the south campground where the trees originally fell has been identified as a high-risk area and will not reopen for the remainder of the 2010 camping season. If it is determined other campsites in the park can safely be reopened, park staff will notify campers as soon as possible.

“We understand this is extremely upsetting for our customers, especially with the popular Labor Day weekend upon us,” said State Parks Director Rex Derr. “But the safety of our visitors is our top priority. We will always err on the side of caution and will work diligently to assist our visitors with making alternative plans for the remainder of the summer.”

Campers with reservations have been individually notified of the emergency closure, and park staff are offering alternate accommodations to displaced campers for free. This includes opening day-use areas in other state parks to tent campers and a parking lot for RV campers. Displaced campers with reservations will receive a full refund. Those who make alternate reservations on their own will pay regular camping fees, minus the “change reservations fee” usually required. An emergency response center has been activated and displaced campers may call (360) 902-8560 for additional assistance.

The Lake Wenatchee watercraft launch will remain open for use only by boaters. No other areas of the park will be available for access.

Lake Wenatchee State Park is a 489-acre camping park with 12,623 feet of waterfront on glacier-fed Lake Wenatchee and the Wenatchee River. The park is bisected by the Wenatchee River, creating two distinct areas – South Park, with areas for camping, swimming and horseback riding; and North Park, in a less developed, forested section, a quarter-mile walk from the lake. The park has nearly 200 campsites (with a majority available for reservations), a group camp, equestrian area and hiking trails.

STATE OF WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON STATE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

1111 Israel Road S.W.     P.O. Box 42650     Olympia, WA 98504-2650     (360) 902-8500