Five things
#1. Kanaskat-Palmer lies at the western edge of the Green River Gorge State Conservation Area, which the state legislature established in 1969 to preserve the last undammed, river-carved canyon in King County. Much of the park’s boundary is defined by the aptly-named Green River, a frothing mix of jade and teal. Rafting, kayaking, trout fishing and splashing in the shallows are popular activities here.
#2. A pleasant trail follows the river, with some big trees here and there, mostly western redcedars and a few spruces. We met a man removing holly who told us volunteers help control invasive plants in the park. Private homes are visible on a bench of land across the water; while they look to me to be in a flood zone, I must admit those homes have great views.
#3. The park is named for two nearby railway communities that are themselves named for two men who represent contrasting ways of life in 19th-century Washington. Kanaskat (also spelled Kanasket) was a Klickitat chief who attended the signing of the Medicine Creek Treaty in 1856, but opposed it as bad for Native peoples. Months of mostly small skirmishes over treaties, Native land rights, and White settlement had escalated into what became known as the Puget Sound War. In March 1856, Kanaskat and a small group of scouts were near present-day Bonney Lake (about 16 miles from the state park) when a soldier spotted them close to an Army camp where 125 troops were staying. The soldier raised the alarm and shot Kanaskat, paralyzing him. The chief yelled, perhaps warning the others in his group, allegedly saying, “My heart is wicked towards the whites, and always will be, and you had better kill me.” Ordered to keep Kanaskat quiet, a soldier killed him. The incident marked the beginning of the end of skirmishes between Native people and White settlers west of the Cascades, though battles continued east of the mountains. At the turn of the 20th century, the town of Kanaskat sported a thicket of rail lines from the Northern Pacific and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific railroads. Steam-powered trains stopped in Kanaskat for water, and the station also had a small rail yard and scale.
#4. Tiny Palmer was a telegraph station on the Northern Pacific Railway during construction across Stampede Pass circa 1886. It’s named for George Palmer, who as a railroad timber cruiser calculated forest volume for timber sales. To induce the Northern Pacific to build the transcontinental line that reached Tacoma in 1883, the federal government gave the railroad tens of millions of acres of forested land in a checkerboard pattern that extended 20 to 40 miles on either side of the route. A timber cruiser’s job was important, especially given the size of timber sales at the time. Timber baron Frederick Weyerhaeuser bought nearly a million acres in one of the biggest land sales ever, in the process making himself and Northern Pacific owner James J. Hill very, very rich. The original railroad went across Stampede Pass, through Palmer, and on to Enumclaw, Buckley, Orting, Puyallup, and into Tacoma. Between 1899 and 1900 the Northern Pacific built a cutoff across the Green River to Kanaskat that went through Ravensdale, Covington, and Auburn. That route is still used today to haul freight.
#5. Whitewater rafting and kayaking are popular here, but numerous signs warn that this water, rated Class II-IV depending on location, is for experts only.
Fast Facts about Kanaskat-Palmer State Park
- 320-acre camping park, open year-round
- two miles of freshwater shoreline along the Green River
- camping in 25 standard and 19 partial utility sites, max length 50 feet, dump out, yurts, group camp
- restrooms, showers
- picnic tables, grills, reservable kitchen shelter, horseshoe pits
- hiking, mountain biking, road biking, birding, wildlife viewing, metal detecting
- freshwater fishing, whitewater boating
- boating facilities: docks, moorage buoys, marine pumpout
- Discover Pass required, $10 daily or, for a very reasonable $30, purchase an annual pass
- campsites, cabins, yurts, group camps, vacation houses, kitchen and picnic shelters, marina spots, and retreat centers vary by park and are reservable online.
- park brochure
- park map
Land Acknowledgment
Kanaskat-Palmer State Park occupies the traditional and unceded lands of the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, who have lived and travelled here since time immemorial.