Camping in Washington: Best Months, Booking and Fire Rules
Across Washington's 3 NOAA reference stations, camping weather is mild from May to October, with average highs of 61 to 84 F and lows of 40 to 57 F. Nights at or below freezing show up from October to May, most often in December, when they average 20.7 a month. State park sites are booked through Washington State Parks reservations, up to nine months ahead.
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The best months for camping in Washington
By NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, camping weather in Washington is mild May to October. Pick the station nearest your campground below; high ground runs colder than any station.
- Jan41° / 29°Freezing nights
- Feb46° / 30°Freezing nights
- Mar53° / 34°Freezing nights
- Apr60° / 38°Freezing nights
- May69° / 46°Freezing nights
- Jun75° / 51°Mild
- Jul84° / 57°Mild
- Aug84° / 56°Mild
- Sep75° / 49°Mild
- Oct61° / 40°Freezing nights
- Nov48° / 33°Freezing nights
- Dec40° / 28°Freezing nights
Each month shows the average high and low across the state’s reference stations, in F. Mild means an average high of 60 to 85 F with lows of 40 F or more. Freezing nights means the stations average one or more nights a month at or below 32 F.
Seattleelevation 370 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48 F | 38 F | 7 |
| February | 50 F | 38 F | 5.8 |
| March | 54 F | 40 F | 1.9 |
| April | 59 F | 43 F | 0.1 |
| May (mild) | 66 F | 49 F | 0 |
| June (mild) | 71 F | 53 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 77 F | 57 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 78 F | 57 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 72 F | 54 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 61 F | 47 F | 0.2 |
| November | 52 F | 41 F | 3 |
| December | 47 F | 37 F | 7.2 |
Spokaneelevation 2,353 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35 F | 25 F | 25.9 |
| February | 40 F | 26 F | 22.9 |
| March | 49 F | 32 F | 19.4 |
| April | 57 F | 37 F | 8.3 |
| May (mild) | 67 F | 45 F | 1.5 |
| June (mild) | 74 F | 51 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 84 F | 58 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 84 F | 57 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 74 F | 49 F | 0.4 |
| October | 58 F | 38 F | 7.5 |
| November | 42 F | 30 F | 19.2 |
| December | 34 F | 24 F | 26.9 |
Yakimaelevation 1,064 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40 F | 24 F | 27 |
| February | 47 F | 26 F | 23.2 |
| March | 57 F | 30 F | 20.4 |
| April | 65 F | 35 F | 11.4 |
| May (mild) | 74 F | 44 F | 2.6 |
| June (mild) | 81 F | 50 F | 0.1 |
| July | 90 F | 55 F | 0 |
| August | 89 F | 53 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 79 F | 45 F | 0.7 |
| October | 64 F | 35 F | 11.4 |
| November | 49 F | 27 F | 22.5 |
| December | 38 F | 23 F | 28 |
How to book a state park campsite in Washington
Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission takes reservations through Washington State Parks reservations. The longest advance booking its page states is nine months.
How far ahead you can book
Reservations can be made up to nine months in advance of the first date of your trip.Washington State Parks, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
First come, first served sites
First come, first served visitors are welcome when space is available.Washington State Parks, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
When the campgrounds are open
Some parks have year-round or expanded reservation seasons.Washington State Parks, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Quoted from Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission pages read October 18, 2026. Windows and fees change, so confirm on the booking site.
Campfires when you camp in Washington
Where fire restrictions are posted
When a burn restriction is in place, it prohibits outdoor fires on all state, county, city, and private land under DNR fire protection , including all state forests, DNR-managed forestlands and DNR campgrounds.Washington DNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Current restrictions: Washington Department of Natural Resources.
Washington camping questions
Camping in other states
Where this page’s facts come from
- State park, forestry and federal land pages (read October 18, 2026). Booking windows, reservation systems, campfire rules, fire restriction sources and rules for camping outside a campground, each quoted word for word with a link to the page it came from.
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 (read October 18, 2026). Average monthly high, low and nights at or below 32 F at 150 reference stations, the same stations the heat season and heating season pages use.
- National Weather Service alerts (live, read in your browser when the page loads). Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, Fire Warnings, Freeze Warnings and High Wind Warnings, read live from api.weather.gov.
- National Weather Service 7 day forecast (live, read in your browser when the page loads). The weekend forecast for the ZIP code a visitor enters, read live from api.weather.gov.
Climate figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals at 3 reference stations in Washington. Rules are quoted from agency pages and can change.