Washington is home to three national parks that capture the diverse array of ecosystems and landscapes unique to our state. Over 5 million combined visitors each year explore an active volcano with alpine vistas and subalpine meadows in Mount Rainier National Park, temperate rainforests and wild coastlines in Olympic National Park, and the most heavily glaciated area in the country outside of Alaska in North Cascades National Park.
But the unfortunate reality is that our national parks are facing constant threats from the impact of reduced staffing, increased visitation, aging infrastructure and limited resources. Congress must act now to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund to ensure the parks in Washington and across the country have the funding necessary to undertake critical, priority repairs that will make our parks fit for the visitors of today and tomorrow.
Washington’s national parks tell our state’s story. They serve as awe-inspiring natural wonders, along with representing crucial connections to the natural world and our history. They are also on the ancestral lands of many tribal nations who still have deep connections to these spaces today. But to foster the appreciation and connection with our public lands requires accessibility, care and maintenance. The National Park Service has been working to maintain and restore our national parks but currently faces an estimated backlog of $24 billion in deferred maintenance and repairs across the country, with $723.5 million needed for Washington national parks alone.
The Legacy Restoration Fund, established under 2020’s bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act, sought to tackle this problem, allocating $6.5 billion over five years to make parks safer, more modern and better prepared for record levels of visitors. It directly supported more than 72,000 jobs, infused $5 billion in the labor market nationwide and contributed $8 billion to the nation’s GDP.
This was accomplished through the funding of nearly 400 projects by the LRF, including 188 projects dedicated to addressing the maintenance backlog in our national parks. Washington received $181.6 million from the fund over five years, with almost $154 million dedicated across three projects in Mount Rainier National Park and two projects in Olympic National Park.
Unfortunately, the Legacy Restoration Fund expired in September 2025. While Washington’s five LRF projects remain underway, additional funding is needed to keep up this momentum of repairs and maintenance as well as address other persistent infrastructure needs in our parks and public lands.
The good news is that bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives to reauthorize the fund. We urge Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and the Washington House delegation to support the America the Beautiful Act to ensure our parks receive the vital funding they need.
Do not wait to pass this critical legislation that will better enable us to preserve and enhance the natural beauty, cultural heritage and recreational opportunities of Mount Rainier, North Cascades and Olympic national parks, so that they remain vibrant, thriving ecosystems and cherished destinations for future generations.
