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The campgrounds will be open seven days a week. The maximum stay limit is 10 nights in a 30-day period. These campgrounds are available only on a first-come, first-served basis.
The state forest is west of Belfair in Mason County.
The state Department of Natural Resources closed the campgrounds in 2009 when budget cuts forced it to close or reduce services at nearly 40 trailheads, campgrounds and other facilities across the state.
Agency officials said they are able to reopen the campgrounds due to several factors, including receiving grant funding this year from the Nonhighway and Off-road Vehicle Activities program and also, in part, from revenue from sales of the Discover Pass. This funding will help pay for enforcement, maintenance and additional staffing. The department also gets help from the inmate crews at Mission Creek Corrections Center. The female crews help maintain facilities and trails, install small bridges, and pick up litter.
Starting Jan. 6, visitors will be able to camp at the Tahuya River Horse Camp on a first-come, first-served basis. The agency will no longer take reservations for this campground.
The horse camp will open for camping at noon each Friday through noon the following Monday. On the following holiday weekends, the horse camp will open at 9 a.m. the Wednesday prior to the holiday and close at noon the following Wednesday: Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July and Labor Day weekend.
For more information about camping at Tahuya State Forest, including a description of the campsites, visit dnr.wa.gov/recreation and follow the link to DNR’s South Puget Sound Region.
