Summer splash
This out-of-the-way park in North Central Washington has more water than land – 97 acres of camping, picnic and day-use facilities – and 5,400 feet of freshwater shoreline.
Visitors can enjoy two lakes - the lower Conconully Reservoir, a glassy lake amidst rolling hills, and the upper Conconully Reservoir known as Salmon Lake down the road. You can catch smallmouth bass, rainbow trout and Kokanee; swim to your heart’s content; kayak or SUP (bring your own equipment), or rig up your waterskiing line and take the kids for a spin.
After a day of water play, kick back in your campsite. Let the family run around in the springy grass fields and the playground. Pitch your tent, hook up your RV, or rent one of five charming cabins near the lower reservoir.
Whether you pack your hours with watery fun, or you sprawl on the lawns until dinner, you’ll notice the pace of life slowing down. You could forget civilization altogether.
Winter sparkle
Conconully State Park - and the entire Okanagan area - looks different under a blanket of winter white. Though park facilities shut down, the area offers snow play options galore, including backcountry snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and dogsledding. And you’ve got a good chance of finding blue skies in this part of the state.
Just don’t mind – and please don’t feed - the many deer that wander through the park year round.
Noodle around town
Take a night off cooking for a local saloon meal, look for wooden outdoor quilts on the sides of the town buildings and check for events in the small community of Conconully. Events include dogsled mushing and outhouse races in January, Trout Derby in April, ATV Jamboree in June, craft and quilt show in August and more.
Whether you've come for a snow romp or a summer break, you may feel a twinge of nostalgia when you get back in cell range and your phone starts to beep.
Park information: http://parks.state.wa.us/491/Conconully
