Schafer State Park is ready to welcome visitors to its expanded campground, just in time for its centennial anniversary as a state park.

Washington State Parks is wrapping up a two-year renovation of the historic park on the Satsop River near Elma. Schafer’s new campground has 30 sites that add to its 38 existing sites and campground, according to a news release.

Construction improvements also include a new restroom building, welcome center, reservoir for the park’s potable water system, landscaping, entry road and roads through the campgrounds.

Friends of Schafer and Lake Sylvia (FOSLS) have supported this work and other park projects. FOSLS fundraises and aids in outreach about Schafer and Lake Sylvia.

Schafer is included on the National Register of Historic Places. It officially became a state park in 1924 after a logging company donated the land to the state. Its structures were developed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the 1930s. The park’s new features were built in the original National Park Service Rustic style to match the historic WPA-built structures in the park.

“There is a lot of history at this park,” Angela Galli, Schafer park ranger, said. “There are multi-generational families and folks who have been coming to Schafer since they were three years old. It’s a place you can come to with your family, to relax, enjoy the river, camp, float and fish.”

This summer is a great opportunity to check out the expanded camping and renovation at Schafer while neighboring Lake Sylvia State Park is closed for its own construction and renovation project.

Centennial commemoration

To commemorate the park’s centennial anniversary, FOSLS and park staff are hosting a community event with a free food truck, yard games, live music, storytelling, square dancing in period costumes, museum exhibits with historic artifacts and other family-friendly activities. The public is invited to attend this free event.

The Schafer centennial commemoration is July 20, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.