Go camping with a WTA work party this summer
Having a hard time snagging a campsite this summer? WTA may be hosting a work party with camping right where you want to be. Check out the schedule today!
It's summer. The days are long and many of us are thinking about overnight camping trips. But if you've tried to secure a campsite recently, you've likely discovered it can be difficult to get the spot you want.
Camping in Washington is popular and sites fill up early. At this point you may be left wondering 'Where can I go?' As your local expert resource, WTA has plenty of tips for finding your perfect campsite,but there's one other option you may want to consider if you're willing to get a little dirt on your hands for it — doing a day work party that offers camping.
The lighthouse keepers residence at Cape Disappointment State Park is one of several locations that WTA crews get to stay in when they volunteer. Photo by James Alexander.
Camping with Benefits
Have you ever wondered who gets to stay in the lighthouse keepers residence, historic guard station, or Forest Service cabins? WTA crews do!
Typically, these experiences are reserved for our backcountry trips, but thanks to support from our land agency partners, we can occasionally treat our day work party volunteers to amazing, private camps when they do a day or more of trail work, like the one pictured to the left. We sometimes even offer potlucks or cookouts with our camp stays!
These sites are a great way to see the state and get access to epic locations and camps.
After a day of trailwork, you'll likely find that your dinner has never tasted so fine, and you've never slept sounder. Plus, when you camp with WTA, you don't have to cross your fingers hoping there's a site available when you get there.
How to snag your spot
Start by reviewing our work party schedule. Because not all our work parties offer camping, you'll want to use the advanced search function and type "camping" into the keyword field to find our current work parties with camping offered. (They'll have details listed within the description.)
If the location works for you, register and look for an email with details. Invite your friends and family to register as well! You are welcome to camp the day before the work party, or the night after your registered day.
Camping before or after the work party means the time you are not volunteering can be used to explore the area.
You may want to venture out on your own, or if you make friends on the work party, you could explore together. It's up to you how social you want to be at camp.
Folks are quite friendly on trail crews - you may meet someone you want to hike with after the work party is over! Photo courtesy WTA staff.
If you are looking for a more nights outside, we also offer backcountry response team trips (BCRTs) and volunteer vacations. These are longer trips — usually at least three days but up to 7, that involve backpacking. They're really fun and worth trying out.
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