Popular WA park reopens with cabin-style play ground. Have a look here
After more than a year, Kopachuck State Park is open to the public following its $10 million renovation. A celebratory grand reopening event was held at the park on Aug. 2.
This project was more than 10 years in the making, with Washington State Parks establishing a master plan in 2014 to improve the park’s daily operations, The News Tribune reported.
Mountain Construction was the lead contractor for the project.
“We’re honored that the Parks Commission, our project partners, and the community entrusted us to preserve and enhance this special place in a way that respects its natural character,” Rod McCarten, the project manager, stated in Mountain Construction’s news release.
A new cabin-style playground with an outdoor learning space was “manufactured to look like the landscape,” South Sound area manager Olyvia Buday told The News Tribune in an exclusive park tour Friday, Aug. 1. It includes a water pump, slide, climbing and wooden play areas.
Other amenities include a visitors center, outdoor amphitheater that can host special events like weddings, an accessible trail system leading to the beach, improved parking lots and restrooms, and a rentable event space, according to the news release.
Prices for the rental facility have not been confirmed, but Buday said by the end of the month, people should be able to make reserverations.
During the renovation process, crews also installed new water and sewer systems.
“This has exceeded any expectations, “ Lynda Filson, a board member of Preserve Our Parks (POP), told The News Tribune at the event. POP is a community initiative that contributed to preventing a permanent closure of Kopachuck in 2009 through fundraising and other efforts, Filson said. The Gig Harbor group also helped design the space.
The park will be open daily from 8 a.m. to dusk, Buday said.
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
