A hidden Pacific Northwest Gem
We just got back from a 5 night trip to Lake Curlew State Park in northeastern Washington. This remote park is only 30 miles from the Canadian border and close to the eastern border of the state. It was a 6 hour drive from Seattle.
Unlike most Washington state parks, Lake Curlew tends to have reservations available all summer. Until the recent Washington budget crisis, Lake Curlew was a first-come-first-served park. Given the long drive from the west, it was a risk many wouldn't take. Now that the state has a reservation system for all parks, spaces can be reserved.
The location is Republic, Washington. This is a small western town that was settled around 1900 when gold was discovered there. The town retains its old west flavor with only a minimum of hokey "wild west" touches. People are very friendly there. In the case of this trip, getting there was a big part of the fun. From Seattle you cross three mountain passes in the Cascades: the first is the I90 Snoqualmie pass which has some spectacular views. Next on SR97 is the Bluette Pass. This pass is a 4,000 foot trip into deep, first-growth pine forests. The drive then follows the Columbia River for a while and then north again into the mountains. The roads are good and we had no trouble with the trailer.
Curlew Lake state park is a manicured lawn dotted with trees. Virtually every hookup site has a view of the lake and a large expanse of lawn to use for relaxing. There are also fire pits, but the current fire danger level has a burn ban in effect for all state parks. Every hookup site has 50 amp, 30 amp, and 20 amp connections. The pads are fairly level and covered with gravel. We didn't check out the bathrooms or showers. We use the trailer for that. I expect they are also excellent.
What to do at Curlew
The lake is large and stocked with rainbow trout and bass. We tried our hands at fishing (first time for both of us in fresh water in many years). We bought bait at the Republic Mercantile and got great advice on how to fish the lake. On the first day we fished for about an hour. My wife caught a small large mouth bass (oxymoron?). I caught 2 12" rainbow trout. We released our fish. The second day we fished, this time for about 30 minutes, I caught a fairly large rainbow trout -- probably about 15 inches. It was great fun. The lake has a lot of vegetation and we both lost bait and hooks in the weeds. That is one reason why we limited our fishing time. Still, we did catch great fish!
One of the coolest features of the Republic area is the Stonerose fossil site. This site is in the middle of town. For $8 you can dig for fossils and find them! Everyone came back with some. You can keep no more than three. The resident geologist will identify your finds. He also gives a very informative talk on how to find fossils. This is fun for everyone, not just kids. We had a blast.
Up the road from the dig (the dig itself was uncovered when they built the road), is an abandoned gold mine. Not a lot to see, but it is cool anyway. The mine was recently purchased and may soon be back in production.
Heading off in another direction, you can cross Sherman Pass. At over 5,000 feet, this is the highest pass in Washington that is kept open 12 months a year. Keep your eyes open. Deer are everywhere. Surprisingly, we saw many more bucks than doe. We also saw some cute spotted fawns.
Curlew Lake state park doesn't have a playground or wifi/cable, etc. I think this park is best for adults and older kids. There are a few commercial RV parks in the area if you want more amenities. One is Tiffany's. We took a look at it. Frankly, it is a typical RV park with vehicles very close together. Tiffany's will rent boats to people staying there and it has a playground.
Republic has a very good Mexican restaurant. It also has a saloon with real swinging doors! The Mercantile has a very good selection of fishing needs and is also a Radio Shack. Anderson's food market is the town's supermarket and has a nice selection at fair prices.
After the long drive to get there, we talked about the fact that we probably wouldn't come back. The second day into our stay, we extended another day from 4 days to 5 and vowed we would be back next summer. It felt like we had a vacation lake house. The park ranger has been there over 25 years and complained about having to worry about people paying for things. He said, "All I want to do is give people great memories of their time here." He succeeded with us. We will be back again and again!
Things to know
You need a to fish in the lake. Get it in advance from the state. It's about $20 for a year.Washington fresh water fishing license.
If you visit other state parks (your reservation gets you free parking at all areas in Curlew), you will need a Washington Discover Pass. This costs either $10 for a day or $30 for a year. It's worth the money for a year's pass.
There is a great boat launch in the park. The lake is uncrowded. Even on the weekend there are only a few boats on it.
Have fun!
Unlike most Washington state parks, Lake Curlew tends to have reservations available all summer. Until the recent Washington budget crisis, Lake Curlew was a first-come-first-served park. Given the long drive from the west, it was a risk many wouldn't take. Now that the state has a reservation system for all parks, spaces can be reserved.
The location is Republic, Washington. This is a small western town that was settled around 1900 when gold was discovered there. The town retains its old west flavor with only a minimum of hokey "wild west" touches. People are very friendly there. In the case of this trip, getting there was a big part of the fun. From Seattle you cross three mountain passes in the Cascades: the first is the I90 Snoqualmie pass which has some spectacular views. Next on SR97 is the Bluette Pass. This pass is a 4,000 foot trip into deep, first-growth pine forests. The drive then follows the Columbia River for a while and then north again into the mountains. The roads are good and we had no trouble with the trailer.
Curlew Lake state park is a manicured lawn dotted with trees. Virtually every hookup site has a view of the lake and a large expanse of lawn to use for relaxing. There are also fire pits, but the current fire danger level has a burn ban in effect for all state parks. Every hookup site has 50 amp, 30 amp, and 20 amp connections. The pads are fairly level and covered with gravel. We didn't check out the bathrooms or showers. We use the trailer for that. I expect they are also excellent.
What to do at Curlew
The lake is large and stocked with rainbow trout and bass. We tried our hands at fishing (first time for both of us in fresh water in many years). We bought bait at the Republic Mercantile and got great advice on how to fish the lake. On the first day we fished for about an hour. My wife caught a small large mouth bass (oxymoron?). I caught 2 12" rainbow trout. We released our fish. The second day we fished, this time for about 30 minutes, I caught a fairly large rainbow trout -- probably about 15 inches. It was great fun. The lake has a lot of vegetation and we both lost bait and hooks in the weeds. That is one reason why we limited our fishing time. Still, we did catch great fish!
One of the coolest features of the Republic area is the Stonerose fossil site. This site is in the middle of town. For $8 you can dig for fossils and find them! Everyone came back with some. You can keep no more than three. The resident geologist will identify your finds. He also gives a very informative talk on how to find fossils. This is fun for everyone, not just kids. We had a blast.
Up the road from the dig (the dig itself was uncovered when they built the road), is an abandoned gold mine. Not a lot to see, but it is cool anyway. The mine was recently purchased and may soon be back in production.
Heading off in another direction, you can cross Sherman Pass. At over 5,000 feet, this is the highest pass in Washington that is kept open 12 months a year. Keep your eyes open. Deer are everywhere. Surprisingly, we saw many more bucks than doe. We also saw some cute spotted fawns.
Curlew Lake state park doesn't have a playground or wifi/cable, etc. I think this park is best for adults and older kids. There are a few commercial RV parks in the area if you want more amenities. One is Tiffany's. We took a look at it. Frankly, it is a typical RV park with vehicles very close together. Tiffany's will rent boats to people staying there and it has a playground.
Republic has a very good Mexican restaurant. It also has a saloon with real swinging doors! The Mercantile has a very good selection of fishing needs and is also a Radio Shack. Anderson's food market is the town's supermarket and has a nice selection at fair prices.
After the long drive to get there, we talked about the fact that we probably wouldn't come back. The second day into our stay, we extended another day from 4 days to 5 and vowed we would be back next summer. It felt like we had a vacation lake house. The park ranger has been there over 25 years and complained about having to worry about people paying for things. He said, "All I want to do is give people great memories of their time here." He succeeded with us. We will be back again and again!
Things to know
You need a to fish in the lake. Get it in advance from the state. It's about $20 for a year.Washington fresh water fishing license.
If you visit other state parks (your reservation gets you free parking at all areas in Curlew), you will need a Washington Discover Pass. This costs either $10 for a day or $30 for a year. It's worth the money for a year's pass.
There is a great boat launch in the park. The lake is uncrowded. Even on the weekend there are only a few boats on it.
Have fun!
