Oregon’s state parks break camping record again as outdoor recreation reaches ‘new normal’ (2024)

The number of people camping in Oregon’s state parks reached new heights in 2019.

Oregon welcomed more visitors than ever before to its 56 campgrounds, while total state park attendance continued to flatten out after years of exponential growth.

Overall, the total number of people visiting Oregon's outdoors appears to have reached a plateau that's farhigher than historic levels but is no longer skyrocketing upward as it did during the mid-2010s.

“While still historically high, thepark system is finally taking a break from a series ofrecord-setting years,” Oregon Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Chris Havel said. “The wear-and-tear that builds up is a constant task."

The situation was similar on federal lands — not exploding visitation but a steady challenge of more cars andboots.

“It’s anecdotal but a number of forests are reporting challenges with parking — crowded parking lots and more cars than parking lots can handle,” said Stephen Baker, spokesman for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Forest Service. “While there are some programs and pilots to encourage carpooling and mass transit, the trend seems to be more vehicle traffic.”

More: Oregon outdoors more expensive in 2020: 6 new permits, fee increases to hike, fish

In some cases, such as the Columbia Gorge Express, public transportation is making the outdoors less car dependent. And at state parks, the agency has slowly been looking to expand capacity and spread visitors out, but it remains a work in progress.

“Expanding capacity and adding more places to camp, especially on the coast, is one of our top priorities,” Havel said previously.

The new normal has also meant increased permits, costs and passes to get outside, as land managers attempt to limit damage or improve overwhelmed facilities to accommodate higher numbers. Six new permit systems or fee increases arrived in 2020, most prominently with a system that will require a permit to camp and hike in 450,000 acres of the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington wilderness areas.

Camping numbers hit all-time high at state parks, day visits flatten out

The number of people camping at Oregon’s state parks has risenalmost every year for the past decade, but in 2019 it reached 2.93 million camper nights, up from 2.89 million the previous year and 2.41 in 2013.

Meanwhile, total visits to Oregon’s state parks, recreation sites and viewpoints was an estimated 49.9 million, down from 51.2 million the previous year and the record 51.7 million in 2016.

Havel said the difference between the past handful of years was slight and issues like weather, wildfires, construction projects and changes in management move the total estimate around from year to year.

But in general, he said, all of the recent years have been high compared to the 38 to 40 million visits that were the norm before 2013.

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A few items that jumped out

• After years of skyrocketing growth, the Oregon Coast saw its fewest visitors since 2015 — a total of 28.5 million compared to 29.3 million in 2018.
• Salem’s favorite state park, Silver Falls, reached its highest number of day visits at 1.2 million while it dropped slightly in camping nights to 78,000, down from 80,000 in 2017.

• The number of people camping in eastern Oregon and “mountain region” state parks grew to a record-breaking 735,594 camping nights, even as the region saw fewer day visits.
• Cottonwood Canyon, Oregon’s newest “destination” state park that opened in 2013, finally started seeing higher numbers of campers as it reached 17,000 camping nights, up from an average well below 10,000 in previous years.
• In a number that always surprises, the most frequently day visited Oregon state park remained Valley of the Rogue — a spot right off Interstate-5 in Southern Oregon — with 1.9 million visits. Harris Beach and Yaquina Bay came in second and third, respectively, with 1.58 and 1.4 million visits.
• All of the most popular state park campgrounds are on the Oregon Coast, led by Fort Stevens near Astoria with 285,425 camping nights, followed by South Beach and Nehalem Bay.

Raw numbers -Oregon state parks visitation

Day-use

2019: 49,907,706 visits

2018: 51,288,043

2017: 50,772,895

2016: 51,716,729

2015: 48,471,330

2014: 45,510,297

2013: 43,733,985

2012: 41,917,175

2011: 39,762,608

2010: 41,498,739

2009: 41,952,843

2008: 38,880,032

2007: 41,499,240

2006: 40,295,626

2005: 40,077,029

2004: 41,778,009

2003: 39,514,980

2002: 38,551,864

Oregon state parks camping nights

2019: 2,953,537

2018: 2,891,665

2017: 2,788,358

2016: 2,741,578

2015: 2,590,942

2014: 2,491,805

2013: 2,411,954

2012: 2,319,078

2011: 2,307,741

2010: 2,410,817

2009: 2,515,652

2008: 2,327,464

2007: 2,362,409

2006: 2,305,651

2005: 2,318,074

2004: 2,381,379

2003: 2,383,534

2002: 2,380,911

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 12 years. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.