Today, I’m writing about Camp Calvinwood, a 118-acre park run by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, that is now open to the public on a limited basis. According to camp hosts, quite a few people have already found this secluded jewel off Lake Flora Road. Folks walking their dogs and people fishing for trout and bass are the most frequent visitors. The reason it’s secluded is that, at least for the foreseeable future, you have to walk in 1/2 mile from Lake Flora Road. The payoff is, except for park hosts James and Nancy Parks, visitors typically have the place to themselves.
The gate will be open Saturday for an open house from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to introduce the public to the park.
Here’s a bird’s eye view. Ain’t Google Maps great?
South Kitsap’s “newest State park”? Uh… didn’t the State just shut down a bunch of parks because they “can’t” afford to keep them open?
BlueLight – As public facilities go, Camp Calvinwood is a pretty cheap date. The lease, as I’ll mention in the story, is an arrangement under which the state agrees to do maintenance and small repairs in exchange for occupying the property. Because of budget constraints, they have kept plans simple. For example, they repainted and re-carpeted the lodge, which is just like a large cabin with a porch, not a grand structure by any means. And they make money by renting it out. Otherwise, the park is strictly no frills, supervised by volunteers, overseen by a park ranger who also covers Manchester, Square Lake and Blake Island. As I mention in the story, the park has long been open to the public on a walk-in basis. Now with a new coat of paint at the lodge, they figure, they’re company ready and want to spread the word. The gate will remain closed – except for the open house Saturday – and people will still have to walk in until the state finds money to pay for toilets and running water on the grounds. I don’t see that happening soon. I visited the park this week. The thing that’s pleasantly different about it, as compared to say Manchester, is that it is notably vacant, except for the camp hosts and wildlife.
Hello Chris–
I attended this camp several summers when I was a girl. It was a church camp and I went with several other kids from my church in Tacoma. It was a beautiful spot! So is it okay to walk into the property from the road? I would love to see it again.
Thank you
Trish Ketvirtis
Tacoma
Trish – Yes, you can park by the gate (on the right side of Glenwood/SW lake Flora Road). It’s about a 7 minute walk. Chris Henry, reporter