Inslee announces easing of outdoor restrictions

Gov. Jay Inslee

Gov. Jay Inslee announced Monday a partial re-opening of some outdoor recreation activities.

“When I rolled out, ‘Stay Home, Stay Healthy’ over a month ago, difficult decisions were made to close state parks and public lands, golf facilities, and delaying hunting and fishing seasons. This was necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19, reduce travel and ultimately, save lives,” Inslee said.

“Outdoor recreation is one of the best things we can do promote physical, mental and emotional well-being for Washingtonians during a time of great stress and isolation. And springtime in our state is Washington at its best and people want to be out enjoying outdoor activities in a safe and responsible way.”

As of Tuesday, May 5, some outdoor recreation will be allowed with appropriate safety precautions including: fishing; hunting; playing golf; day use at state parks, state public lands managed by the Department of Natural Resources and at state Fish and Wildlife areas.


The governor stressed that all of these activities must be done with appropriate social distancing and the safety and security of participants and the people who work in outdoor recreation.

“If we see a sharp uptake in the number of people who are getting sick or are not following appropriate steps, then we won’t hesitate to scale this back again,” Inslee said. “This is not a return to normal. This is only a beginning phase of relaxing outdoor recreation restrictions.”

Public gatherings, events, team sports, and camping, among other things, are not resuming at this time.

Notably, the actions the state is taking in no way prevent the closure actions of local governments or national agencies, who may choose to continue their park, land and trail closures based on local public health needs.