2 more Snohomish parks get $5 parking fee this summer

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. -- Starting this summer, it will cost you to park at two more popular parks in Snohomish County.

The county will charge a $5 day-use parking fee at Gissberg Twin Lakes Park in Marysville and Twin Rivers Park near Arlington through Labor Day.

The county has seen a big increase in park visitors over the last decade, particularly in areas with water access, said Tom Teigen, Director of Snohomish County Parks, Recreation, & Tourism.

During the summer, the parking lots at Gissberg Twin Lakes and Twin Rivers Parks can fill up quickly.

"I like to fish right along this side usually, and most of it is pretty full on the weekends," said frequent visitor William Schreib.

"Parking lot’s full. There’s some days where they have people with radio-controlled boats out here. Not my thing, but that’s okay," added visitor Ron Bradley.

Snohomish County already charges day-use fees at four of its 110 parks, Teigen said.

The goal of the new $5 day-use parking fees at Gissberg Twin Lakes and Twin Rivers Parks is to keep the spaces clean, safe and open, he added.

"We know that many of our parks are seeing huge increases in visitor counts," Teigen told KOMO News on Monday. "So, we think this is a way where actually can encourage carpooling, create some cost recovery that gives us additional staff – eyes and ears out there, and that we can keep them clean and in great shape."

The new day-use parking fees at Gissberg Twin Lakes and Twin Rivers Parks were scheduled to begin June 15, but Teigen says the county learned from its vendor Monday that the machines won’t be delivered until early July.

Once the machines are installed, they will only accept debit or credit cards.

"I don’t know if I’ll still come here when the fees in place," Bradley told KOMO News.

Bradley says he usually prefers to fish at local rivers by the time summer begins.

But he keeps coming back to Gissberg Twin Lakes Park because it’s so close to home and open year-round.

"It’s an opportunity for me to work on my casting ‘cause I fly fish," he said. "And just catch a little fish, have a little action just have some fun."

Snohomish County already has annual passes at a cost of $75 that can be used at all Snohomish County parks that have parking fees. The passes are different from Discovery Passes, which cover state parks.