MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Heading to a state or national park? You may need an app

May 19, 2025, 7:05 PM

app for state or national park...

Sunrise at Wenatchee River, Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service is asking people to download an app for state and national parks. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service via Flickr Creative Commons)

(Photo courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service via Flickr Creative Commons)

Visiting a state park? You might need an app for that.

The Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest said it’s moving to a mostly cashless system for collecting fees at trailheads, day use sites, and campgrounds.

The U.S. Forest Service is asking people to download the Recreation.gov mobile app before visiting national forests.

However, park-goers can still purchase passes from local vendors and online.

Officials said recreation fees and passes are used to maintain and operate national parks.

Read more of Heather Bosch’s stories here.

MyNorthwest News

Police are searching for a suspect in a deadly shooting in Des Moines, Washington early Sunday morn...

Tom Brock

Des Moines police searching for murder suspect in early morning shooting

Police are looking for a suspect who shot and killed a man in downtown Des Moines early Sunday morning.

18 hours ago

A hiker missing on the Sauk Mountain trail in Skagit County has been found deceased. (Photo: Getty ...

Tom Brock

Missing hiker found dead on Sauk Mountain trail

A hiker missing on Skagit County's Sauk Mountain trail has been found dead.

19 hours ago

ml king shooting...

Tom Brock

Shots fired, vehicle crashed: 2 dead in south Seattle

Two people are dead following a shooting and car crash in south Seattle early Saturday morning.

2 days ago

Homeless veterans...

Frank Lenzi

Washington gets $45M in VA grants to fight veteran homelessness

More than $45 million in federal funding is headed to Washington state to help homeless veterans and veterans at risk of losing their homes. The Department of Veterans Affairs said it has awarded grants to 17 community organizations across Washington for Fiscal Year 2027 as part of a record-setting national investment. “This funding is part […]

2 days ago

9th ave...

Chris Sullivan

SDOT plans to paint over Convention Center street art that won’t come off 9th Ave.

SDOT, which granted the Seattle Convention Center the permit to paint 9th Ave., now has a plan to fix the problem.

2 days ago

Oreogate...

Katrina Guischard

‘Oreogate’ has parents picking sides over a kindergartner’s lunchbox

A chocolate sandwich cookie has become the center of a viral parenting showdown, real or not, dubbed "Oreogate."

2 days ago

Heading to a state or national park? You may need an app