This trip was to Lake Sylvia State Park just outside Montesano, Washington. This is a park that dates back over a century, as it use to be an old logging camp. The logging camp built a dam that created Lake Sylvia, which for a time provided power to Montesano and that logging camp. That camp closed down after a number of years, and was donated to Grays Harbor County as a park. For a number of years, it stayed in the county’s hands before being turned over to the State Parks in 1936. Since then, it has been used as a state park.
We stayed in site 9 along the lake. The next time I visit here, I would definitely get another lakefront site, and bring some sort of watercraft along (such as a kayak or inflatable boat). Although due to its proximity to the coast (less than an hours drive) and its cooler weather, you could still go out on this lake and be comfortable for most of the summer. There are miles of trails stemming out from this state park that are all maintained by the City of Montesano. We didn’t have time to explore them all, but may in future visits.
