Rainbow Falls State Park is open today, almost six months after early December flooding decimated many of its facilities, washed out the two access bridges and forced it to close.
The park, located on the Chehalis River, is still without a $1 million footbridge and road that led from state Route 6 to the park, according to park officials. The bridge was washed away during the flooding, meaning campers will have to access the park using one of two alternate routes.
Phil Medford, manager of the park, said RV campers should take Stevens Road off of SR 6 to Elk Creek Road. From Elk Creek, take a left at Chandler Road and onto Leudinghaus Road.
We have some temporary signs up to kind of show the way, Medford said. I would hate for an RV to try and go over the Bailey bridge.
The Bailey bridge is a temporary span from River Road directly to Leudinghaus. The bridge would be suitable for most other vehicles, he said.
Medford said that the park, though not at full strength, will be open Saturday for the annual Midnight Cruisers Car Show. Some of the campsites are still closed, but 45 of the 53 sites will be open, Medford said.
There will still be some stuff that theyll see, remnants of the flood, Medford said. There is still some debris behind some of the camp sites.
The campsites are first-come, first-serve, Medford said. The parks restrooms and showers have also been repaired, while the childrens play area has not. Medford said that the state didnt expect the park to open so soon, but that a crew of three park workers and three temporary workers have worked hard to reopen.
At the peak of the flood, Rainbow Falls State Park was covered by 44 inches of water from the Chehalis River, Medford said.
Rainbow Falls State Park is a 139-acre camping park with 3,400 feet of shoreline on the Chehalis River. The park is situated in old-growth forest, and features a waterfall and a small fuchsia garden.
The park is open from 6:30 a.m. to dusk in the summer. Camping check-in time is 2:30 p.m.
