ISLAND COUNTY, Wash. — A full three weeks after a howling windstorm blew through western Washington, crews are still clearing the damage at Deception Pass State Park.
At least 32 old-growth trees towering 150 feet in the sky, some more than 200 years old, are down. Officials said the last time a storm did this much damage to the park was in the 1990s.
Getting the park back in shape before the start of camping season on April 1 will be a tall order. Some of the campsites will never be the same.
"There will be about 20 sites that are gonna have a lot more sun than they did last year," said Park Manager Jason Armstrong. "That's really unfortunate because that's the part of the park that people really enjoy — the shade and the tranquility in there."
Clean up crews outfitted with chainsaws and heavy equipment have a hard deadline to finish work. The park reopens April 1 for the first day of camping season.
"Plus we have the destruction of campsites, pedestals, power supplies and water lines. There's a lot of work to get done before April 1," Armstrong said.
Deception Pass is the busiest in all of Washington state. It sees 3.2 million visitors every year. Its 360 campsites are almost always sold out.
And with so many people cooped up from stay-at-home measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the park is expected to see even more people this year.
That April deadline can't be moved.
"We can't push the opening back because we do have lots of reservations," Armstrong said. "People plan the whole year to come to Deception Pass. It takes nine months to get a reservation. People plan their entire lives around these trips. We're gonna do our best to accommodate what they've reserved their weekends for."
One bright spot, all those downed trees will be made into new fencing and picnic tables for people to enjoy for years to come.
Cost of the cleanup project is estimated at between $30,000 and $40,000.