Got this update on Riverside State Park operations from the Fat Tire Trail Riders:

Hello, everyone,
Because of the economic challenges facing our state and nation, the
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission will need to cut
fuel costs and reduce its general expenditures by several million
dollars statewide by June 30, 2009.

To do our part, Riverside State Park will be changing operating hours
in two areas of the park during the winter. The ORV and equestrian
areas of the park will be open weekends only through November and
then will close for the winter starting December 1. We are planning
to reopen both areas in March or April; however, this will depend on
weather and road conditions.

We also will be performing limited snow plowing of park roads and
trailheads during the winter. We will do our best to keep the Bowl
and Pitcher day-user area and the Highway 291 boat launch site clear
of snow.

We put a lot of thought into how we can make these required budget
cuts with the least amount of inconvenience to our visitors. We
decided the best thing to do was to reduce operating hours during the
off-season months and keep the hours of operation the same for the
peak season (May to September). We considered winter attendance
figures and use patterns as well as the cost of fuel to maintain
these areas.

We do not anticipate further service reductions at this time, but we
will keep you posted.

I appreciate your support of State Parks through these tough economic
times. Please feel free to give me a call with questions or
suggestions.

Rene’ Wiley

Riverside State Park Area Manager
9711 W. Charles Road
Nine Mile Falls, WA. 99026
(509) 465-5064

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