Camp Long Rebuilding After Fire, Seeks Community Support

Park remains open with programming, rentals, and volunteer opportunities as lodge restoration plans move forward

Jan. 30, 2026 at 10:39pm

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The Camp Long park in Seattle's West Seattle neighborhood is rebuilding after a fire destroyed its beloved lodge over a year ago. While the lodge will remain closed for years during the restoration process, the rest of the park remains open and operational, offering rentals, challenge courses, rock climbing, and other programming. Park staff are seeking community support through volunteer opportunities, job openings, and participation in the Camp Long Advisory Council as they work to revitalize the park.

Why it matters

Camp Long is a cherished community asset in West Seattle, providing outdoor recreation, educational programming, and gathering space for local residents. The devastating fire that destroyed the historic lodge was a major loss, but the park's continued operations and plans for restoration demonstrate the community's resilience and commitment to preserving this unique natural resource.

The details

In November 2024, a fire gutted the lodge at Camp Long, a beloved outdoor recreation area in Seattle's West Seattle neighborhood. While the lodge will remain closed for years during the restoration process, the rest of the park's facilities and programming remain open and operational. This includes the park's challenge courses, rock climbing area, cabins, shelters, and central fire ring. Park staff are currently working to stabilize the lodge building to prevent further damage, with the goal of eventually restoring it, though the earliest that could happen is sometime in the 2030s due to the building's age and unique construction requirements. In the meantime, the park is seeking to engage the community through volunteer opportunities, job openings, and participation in the Camp Long Advisory Council to help plan and execute events and initiatives.

  • The fire that destroyed the Camp Long lodge occurred in November 2024.
  • Current stabilization work on the lodge is expected to be completed in the next few weeks to months.
  • The earliest the full restoration of the lodge could begin is sometime in the 2030s.

The players

Camp Long

An outdoor recreation area in Seattle's West Seattle neighborhood, offering challenge courses, rock climbing, cabins, shelters, and other amenities.

Camp Long Advisory Council

A council that meets monthly to plan and execute events and initiatives at Camp Long.

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What they’re saying

“Thank you all for your patience and support as we have navigated through the tragic fire that destroyed our beloved lodge a little over a year ago (November 2024).”

— Camp Long Staff (westseattleblog.com)

“We understand that this is a long timeline, but it is a very old and unique building that requires special considerations in construction, which adds to the costs associated with that.”

— Camp Long Staff (westseattleblog.com)

What’s next

The park is currently hiring for part-time temporary positions to lead groups on the challenge course, with training for those roles set to begin soon.

The takeaway

Despite the setback of the lodge fire, Camp Long remains a vital community resource in West Seattle, offering outdoor recreation, educational programming, and opportunities for residents to get involved in supporting and shaping the future of this unique park.