Complete information for Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreational Area

Park overview:

Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is a 7,470-acre park with year-round camping at Wanapum recreational area. The park features 27,000 feet of freshwater shoreline on the Wanapum Reservoir on the Columbia River. Petrified wood was discovered in the region in the early 1930s, which led to creation of the park as a national historic preserve.



Want to support Washington State Parks? Get involved by joining a friends' group. For more information, visit the Friends' Group web page.

Park hours/updates:

Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
Winter: Open 8 a.m. to dusk on weekends and holidays from Nov. 1 through March 1.

Camping at Wanapum:
Check-in time: 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time: 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Winter Schedule for all Washington State Parks

Agency information:

Don't move firewood: Please protect the Pacific Northwest from invasive species by obtaining or purchasing your firewood at or near your camping destination (within 50 miles). Firewood can carry insects and diseases that threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by buying and burning your firewood locally. For more information, visit online at www.dontmovefirewood.org or the Washington Invasive Species Council website.

Campsite Information:

The Wanapum recreation area has 50 full hook-up sites and two restrooms. All sites have full hook-ups. Maximum site length is 60 feet (may have limited availability). Tenters are allowed to use the sites but must pay full fee.

The campground is subject to high winds, especially in the evening. Campers should secure tents and light-weight articles.

The park is heavily used during Gorge concert season. Facilities fill early on weekends.

To reserve a campsite for dates between May 15 and September 15, visit online or call (888) CAMPOUT or (888) 226-7688.

2013 camping fees:

Please note that the following general fee information is not customized for each individual park, so not all fees will apply to all parks (for example, primitive campsite and dump station fees listed apply only to parks that have primitive campsites and dump stations).

May 15 – Sept. 15 (peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $23 non-premium site, $26 premium site
Partial-utility campsite*: $30 non-premium site, $35 premium site
Full-utility campsite*: $32 non-premium site, $37 premium site
*Please note: Camping fees during the 2013 peak season are $28 for partial-utility sites and $29 for full-utility sites at Beacon Rock, Lewis & Clark and Schafer state parks. These parks are first come, first served.

Jan. 1 – May 14 and Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 (off-peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $22 for non-premium and premium sites
Partial-utility campsite: $28 for non-premium and premium sites
Full-utility campsite: $29 for non-premium and premium sites

Maximum eight people per campsite.

Second vehicle: $10 per night is charged for a second vehicle unless it is towed by a recreational vehicle. Extra vehicles must be parked in designated campsite or extra vehicle parking spaces.

Dump stations (if available): Year-round dump station fees are $5 per use. If you are camping, this fee is included in your campsite fee.

More about park hours
Check-in time is 2:30 p.m., and check-out time is 1 p.m.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Engine-driven electric generators may be operated only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Length of stay: You may stay up to ten consecutive days in any one park from April 1 through Sept. 30; the stay limit is extended to 20 days between Oct. 1 and March 31.

To view campsites and facilities reservable at this park, visit the reservation system and campsite maps.

Driving Directions

Located appoximately 30 miles east of Ellensburg, Wash., on the Columbia River in Kittitas County.


Park address:
4511 Huntzinger Road
Vantage, WA 98950

From east or west on I-90:
Wanapum recreation area: Take exit #136. Follow signs south on Huntzinger Rd. three miles to the park entrance.

Ginkgo Interpretive Center: Take exit #136 north through Vantage one mile to Ginkgo.

Park Maps

To view campsites and facilities reservable at this park, visit the reservation system and campsite maps.

Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreational Area downloadable pdf map #1


Ginkgo Petrified Forest/Wanapum Recreational Area downloadable pdf map #2


List of all downloadable Washington State Park maps.

Park Features

Ginkgo Petrified Forest is a registered national natural landmark. It is regarded as one of the most unusual fossil forests in the world.

History

The park is home to the Vantage Forest, one of the most diverse groups of petrified wood species in North America. Professor George Beck was the first to fully recognize the site’s significance. Upon his 1932 discovery of a rare petrified Ginkgo log (Ginkgo biloba), Beck led efforts to “set aside this remarkable forest and preserve it.” In 1935, as part of a grand vision to establish the site as a National Monument, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park was born.

During the midst of the Great Depression, emergency work relief funds were used to protect and develop the park. Between 1934 and 1938, Civilian Conservation Corps enrollees, as well as local emergency work relief laborers, built much of the park infrastructure we see today, including ranger residences, an interpretive center, and a trail-side museum and trail system. In 1965, the park was formally registered as a National Natural Landmark.

Construction of the Wanapum Dam in 1963 silenced the waters of the adjacent Columbia River. To enhance public access, state park management was expanded in 1974, and most recently in 2012, to provide overnight and day-use facilities along the shores of the Wanapum Reservoir.

Interpretive opportunities

The park features three interpretive areas.

The Ginkgo Petrified Forest Interpretive Center offers spectacular views of the Columbia River, Sentinel Gap and surrounding Ice Age flood-carved basalt landscape. Indoor exhibits tell the geologic story of the Vantage Petrified Forest and display one of the most diverse petrified wood collections in North America. Admission is by donation.

The “Trees of Stone” Interpretive Trailhead, located two miles west of the interpretive center, guides you through an ancient fossil bed with nearly two-dozen petrified logs exposed along this one-mile loop trail. Along the trail you also will find ice-rafted erratics remaining from Ice Age floodwaters thousands of years ago.

The Cove Recreation Area, located one-and-a-half miles south of the Wanapum campground, offers a half-mile, self-guided interpretive trail along Johnston Creek.

For more information regarding tours and programs, call the park at (509) 856-2700.

Services/Supplies

Available in the park	Available in the area
• Camping	• Auto repair • Camping • Diesel • Fishing/hunting • Gasoline • Gifts • Groceries • Overnight Accommodations • Pay phone • Postal service • Propane • Wood • Swimming

Most services are available within 30 miles of the park.

Activities

Trails	Water Activities	Other
• 3 mi. Hiking Trails	• Boating (freshwater) • 1 boat ramp (freshwater) • Fishing (freshwater) • Personal Watercraft (freshwater) • Swimming (freshwater) • Water Skiing (freshwater)	• Bird Watching • Interpretive Activities • Museum • Wildlife Viewing
A recreational license is required for fishing and shellfish harvesting at Washington state parks. For regulations, fishing season information or to purchase a recreational license, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website.

Events

Full list of events at Washington State Parks

Boating Features

There is one watercraft launch with two ramps in the park.

A daily watercraft launching permit for $7 and a trailer dumping permit for $5 is available at the park.

Annual permits also may be purchased at State Parks Headquarters in Olympia, at region offices, online, and at parks when staff is available.

Picnic and Day-use Facilities

Wanapum Picnic and Day-use Facilities:
There are 57 unsheltered picnic tables, available first come, first served. The park is heavily used during Gorge concert season, and fills early on weekends.

The Cove Picnic and Day-use Facilities:.
Through an agreement with Grant County PUD, the Cove includes 15 acres on a protected cove off the Columbia River and Lake Wanapum, The area allows for picnicking, hiking, hand boat launch lane, wildlife viewing and special activities in the group area. Additionally, The Cove has an Eagle Management area, including a restricted activity zone until Bald Eagle nestlings fledge.

Wildlife

Mammals	Birds	Fish & Sea Life
• Badgers • Bobcats • Coyotes • Deer or Elk • Marmots • Muskrats • Rabbits • Raccoons • Skunks	• Chukars • Crows or Ravens • Doves or Pigeons • Ducks • Eagles • Geese • Gulls • Hawks • Herons • Hummingbirds • Jays • Owls • Quail • Snipes • Woodpeckers • Wrens	• Clams • Bass • Bluegill • Bullhead • Catfish • Crappie • Perch • Salmon • Steelhead • Sturgeon • Trout • Walleye

Environmental Features

Physical Features		Plant Life
		• Douglas Fir • Ponderosa Pine • Apple • Ash • Birch • Maple • Oak • Poplar • Lupines • Paintbrush • Thistle • Poison Oak

Park photo gallery