Chopaka Lake Campground to stay open as WA Department of Natural Resources announces site closures
A campground on one of Washington's most beloved fly-fishing lakes will stay open this year despite closure threats.
On Wednesday, the Washington Department of Natural Resources named 11 sites that will be closed or partially closed this year after the agency's recreation program took a $580,000 hit in the state budget.
The closures include campgrounds on the west side of the Cascades and one near Conconully. But the list is shorter than one DNR released in February, and one of its omissions has fly anglers breathing a huge sigh of relief: The DNR campground at Chopaka Lake will remain open.
The campground on the popular fly-only lake in Okanogan County was on the agency's initial closure list. In March, the Methow Valley Fly Fishers released a letter urging Gov. Bob Ferguson and Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove to keep the campground open, citing its importance to fly anglers and fishing clubs across the state.
The push worked. Reached Wednesday, Pete Speer, the president of the Methow Valley Fly Fishers, welcomed the news, which comes just in time for Chopaka's season opener on Saturday.
"A big thanks to all the fly-fishermen who weighed in and made their voices heard about how important it was to keep this resource open," Speer said.
Two other northeast Washington campgrounds were also spared closure - Skookum Creek Campground in Pend Oreille County and Dragoon Creek Campground just north of Spokane.
Courtney James, a DNR spokesperson, said that while all three sites will remain open, they will see reduced maintenance as the agency navigates its budget cuts.
The budget approved by the 2026 Washington Legislature included significant cuts for many state agencies. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife took major hits to its fish, wildlife and biodiversity programs, and it missed out on funding for 11 game warden positions. WDFW also lost $580,000 from its lands maintenance budget.
Eryn Couch, a WDFW spokesperson, said in an email that the agency expects the budget cuts will impact its wildlife areas and water access areas.
"If the pressure on certain sites outweighs our ability to adequately maintain them, it may prompt localized closures," Couch said. "We continue working to identify impacts to specific sites."
It is the second straight year of cuts for state agencies. DNR's recreation program had its budget reduced by 20% in 2025, according to a news release. Including the $580,000 cut this year, the program's budget is down $8 million.
Money flows into the program from grants, Discover Pass sales and a portion of gas tax.
Lawmakers were initially eyeing a $750,000 cut to the recreation budget. DNR responded with a list of 19 sites that could face closure if the cuts were that deep. The cuts were ultimately pared down, prompting DNR to re-evaluate its list of closures.
Upthegrove said in a statement that while fewer closures is a good thing, "these cuts move us in the wrong direction. At a time when more people than ever are relying on our public lands, we should be expanding recreation access, not reducing it."
DNR's closure list is made up of sites that are "either operationally expensive to maintain due to volume of use, longer travel distances for limited staff, or sites that will be impacted regardless due to capacity constraints compounded by storm damage," according to DNR's Wednesday news release.
Three campgrounds will be fully closed - Anderson Lake Campground near Elbe, the Upper Clearwater Campground near Forks and the Rock Lakes Campground near Conconully.
Other sites on the list will have shorter seasons, seasonal closures and restroom closures. The 29 Pines Campground near Cle Elum will open later than usual.
DNR's recreation program has 60 field staffers across the state. The Washington Conservation Corps has provided an additional 70 staffers in years past. DNR said in the news release that those crews were not funded for 2025 or 2026.
Fewer people means less work will get done. In the release, DNR said the budget cuts will be felt all over the state, including at the sites that remain open.
"Decreased funding for maintenance has a cascading effect - storm recovery will take longer, trailhead bathrooms will not be stocked, there will be more trash on trails, and sites will be less maintained and staffed due to a lack of resources," the release said.
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