Adventures in Nature: Federation Forest State Park.

I am on a quest this spring with my eight-year-old son Malachi: To visit every Washington State park in the three-county region around our home.

This is a total of 16 state parks in King, Pierce and Thurston counties in western Washington.

Our goal is to learn exactly what makes each park special!

Why was that park designated as protected and preserved public land?

Does it have a unique history? Endangered ecosystems? Dwindling old growth forest?

That is what we set out to learn!

On January 14th, 2026, we went in search of Federation Forest State Park.

Federation Forest is located outside of Enumclaw, Washington, on the banks of the White River, as you wind your way up the highway toward the northern face of Mount Rainier. It is another King County state park.

The park protects a forest of ancient evergreens -- reaching upwards of 1,000 years old -- as well as river and wetland habitat. The rare old-growth forest offers camping and hiking opportunities. As much as I would have loved to go forth and adventure, there was not much that we could find in the way of trail accessibility -- a must when exploring with my little wheelie dude.

Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, the Catherine T. Montgomery Interpretive Center was closed for the season. We will need to plan a return trip during the spring or summer months.

Despite the winter chill and the hard, frozen ground, it was otherwise dry, sunny and, thanks to the ice, sort of... sparkly. It was very pretty.

Learn more about the history of Federation Forest State Park HERE.

---

State Park Visit 1:

We first visited Flaming Geyser State Park, in King County, near the city of Auburn, Washington, on January 9th, 2026. Read more about our visit HERE.