Mike Salsbury/The Olympian
Seattle firefighter Kyle Shoecraft makes sure his uncle, Lee Shoecraft of Phoenix, is protected from insects during a camping trip at Millersylvania State Park.

There's room at holiday campsites

N.S. NOKKENTVED, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published May 22

OLYMPIA -- Campers in Western Washington this Memorial Day could wake up to soggy tents and sodden campsites -- although the National Weather Service is predicting warm, dry weather through the weekend.

All the usual places will be open, providing the full range of outdoor activities.

Thousands of people will head for the outdoors this holiday weekend -- the traditional start of the camping season each year -- but officials don't expect campgrounds to fill up, even at normally crowded Mount Rainier National Park.

"Campers have a good chance of finding an open site," park spokeswoman Amy Allabastro said.

Gov. Gary Locke's recently declared drought emergency raised some concerns over the potential effects on outdoor recreation. But state and federal park and campground managers say the low precipitation this winter won't hurt the availability of campsites this weekend.

Weekend weather is more likely to affect the availability of camp spots. When the weather is good, campgrounds tend to fill up fast, said Jack Thorne, spokesman for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

Continued dry weather, however, may affect some outdoor activities later in the summer. But drought is not expected to affect the availability of campsites. Some shallow campground wells might dry up, and campers should bring their own water.

Water levels in many reservoirs might drop below boat ramps, making it impossible to get a boat in the water. And later in the summer, if the dry weather continues, campfires might be banned in some areas -- especially in backcountry and primitive camp sites or in national forest areas where dispersed camping is allowed.

If fire danger becomes high enough, campfires in developed campgrounds also may be banned.

n Get ready: Find out where and how you can make reservations for campsites within driving distance of South Sound. C1

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