Washington State Parks is soliciting public comment on the possibility of expanding Pearrygin Lake State Park’s boundaries
State Parks considers loop trail around lake
Pearrygin Lake State Park could eventually expand to include the north end of the lake — with a complete loop trail around the lake — if the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission decides to update the potential long-term boundaries for the park.
Revising the long-term boundaries of the 1,186-acre park would allow the state to purchase private property or a trail easement if property owners are interested in selling, State Parks Planning & Real Estate Program Manager Nikki Fields said. The park can’t consider adding more land without a decision by the commission to update the plan for the long-term boundaries, a process that includes public input.
There are three parcels on the north end of the lake that are not part of the park. Two are private parcels, and the third is owned by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has a boat launch that’s already used by the public, Fields said.
One of the private property owners, who owns undeveloped land on both sides of Bear Creek Road, has approached State Parks with an interest in selling, Fields said. The other private landowner is the Silverline Lakeside Resort. All three parcels — about 58 acres in all — provide lakefront access.
Acquiring additional land is a complicated process. The first step is to update the goals for the park’s future boundaries, which would allow the commission to purchase land or an easement if the opportunity arose, Fields said.
Several years ago, the former owners of the Silverline Lakeside Resort approached State Parks with an interest in selling, but State Parks couldn’t take any action at the time because acquiring that land wasn’t part of Pearrygin’s long-term goals. Moreover, the park didn’t have funding to buy the land, Fields said.
The former Silverline owners didn’t want to wait for the boundary-planning process, nor for the state to look for money for land acquisition, Fields said. Those owners sold the resort to new private owners in November 2022.
If the commission approves changes to the park’s long-term boundaries, State Parks can apply for grants next year, which could provide funding in 2025, Fields said. Changing the boundary goals could also allow State Parks to work with a land-conservation organization to temporarily hold the property until the park obtained funding to buy the land.
Pearrygin currently has 11,000 feet of waterfront, a boat launch, about 170 campsites, and 6.5 miles of hiking trails, plus trails for winter recreation.
Ways to comment
The parks commission is soliciting public input on the future of Pearrygin and adjacent lands. There are several opportunities to provide comment. People can comment to https://parks.wa.gov/FormCenter/Planning-6/Public-Comment-65 by Sunday (Oct. 1).
People can also attend the next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission, which is at Sun Mountain Lodge on Thursday, Oct. 19, where commissioners will consider changes to the long-term boundaries for Pearrygin.
The public is invited to speak at the meeting or to provide written comments in advance. The Pearrygin boundaries are on the agenda at 11:50 a.m., but the topic could come up earlier if other matters are handled more quickly, so people interested in speaking should arrive before that, Fields said.
People can submit comments to the commission until Friday (Oct. 13). That email address will be posted on the commission’s website.
Commissioners typically decide these matters at the same meeting as the discussion, Fields said.
