The Yurt campground at Fort Stevens State Park. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation.
With the summer camping season just a few months away, it’s hard to imagine worse timing.
But Oregon State Parks says starting Thursday, you won’t be able to make camping and day-use reservations for two weeks. Not online, not over the phone.
If you’re a frequent visitor to Oregon State Parks, this may be the best time ever to buy an annual state park pass.
Oregon Parks and Recreation is dropping the price of a 12-month day use pass to $20 during December for the department’s yearly Holiday Sale. Come January 1, prices go up to $30.
You can order them over the telephone by calling 800-551-6949. They’re also available at Oregon Parks and Recreation offices and several private vendors.
For a full list, go here.
Finally, a reminder that all fees for camping and day-use will rise starting next year. Here’s a look at what to expect.
Except for the Day Use fees, the prices listed above show the amount of increase, not how much you’ll pay.
It’s that time of year. Many Oregon State Park campgrounds will be closing soon for the winter season.
Some of the first to close are popular camp sites in the Columbia River Gorge. Here’s a list.
Closing October 26
Closing October 31
Closing November 2
Closing December 1
Oregon Parks and Recreation says year-round camping is available at 29 state parks at reduced winter rates. (They call this “Discovery Season.) For more information see the Parks and Rec website.
And here’s an important reminder, parking and camping fees are going up next year.
Except for the Day Use fees, the prices listed above show the amount of increase, not how much you’ll pay. For a complete list of campgrounds and the new prices for next year see this website: 2010 Prime Season Rates.
With summer over, now’s the time federal and state officials are taking a hard look at some controversial issues that affect a lot of people in the state.
On Tuesday, the Mt. Hood National Forest holds a public hearing on a plan that will dramatically cut back where off roading is allowed in the forest. The off roading community has a lot to lose here, but its members are motivated to speak out and they could dominate the discussion. Environmental groups are trying to get “quiet” users of the forest, such as hikers, backpackers and mountain bikers, to show up as well.
A concern enviros have about the plan is that one of the places set aside for off roading will be next to two wilderness areas. Mt. Hood officials also want to build 40 brand new miles of off road tracks on the north side of the mountain.
(For more information click on the Quiet Forest category for all our stories on this issue.)
Tuesday’s hearing starts at 6pm in Portland at the University Place Hotel & Conference Center, 310 SW Lincoln.
A second hearing takes place in Hood River on Wednesday at the Hood River Inn, 1108 East Marine Way. This also starts at 6pm.
The yurts at Beverly Beach State Park near Newport. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation
Then on Thursday, Oregon Parks and Recreation begins a series of meetings around the state on a fee increase for state parks. They want to raise day use fees from $3 to $5, and annual passes from $25 to $30. Fees for camp sites would go up $4 per day, and fees for yurts and some cabins will rise $10 per night.
Parks and Rec says the increases will raise more than $4 million from January 2010 through June 2011.
Here’s a full schedule of the meetings. All start at 6pm and should conclude by 8:30pm.
Sept. 17: LaGrande
City Library, 2006 4th St, Colleen F. Johnson Community Room
Sept 18: Bend
Parks and Recreation District Meeting Room, 799 SW Columbia Street
Sept. 21: Champoeg State Heritage Area Visitor Center
8239 Champoeg Road NE, St. Paul
Sept. 22: Newport
Central Lincoln Public Utility, 2129 N Coast Hwy
After taking in hundreds of comments from the public, Oregon Parks and Recreation says it’s closing the campground at Oswald West State Park. But the park will remain open as a day-use area.
Oswald West State Park. Courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation.
The reason? It’s the trees. The park is located in an old growth forest, and some of the trees near the campground are so old, they’re in danger of falling over and killing campers. The seriousness of the situation was made clear last June when an old spruce, about 11-feet in diameter, fell over and landed across several campsites. Luckily no one was hurt.
Parks and Rec officials followed up with a study of other trees near the campground and realized that dozens more are also in danger of toppling. So they gave the public a choice. We can cut down the trees and keep the campground open, or keep the trees and close the campground.
With about 640 responses submitted, the Parks Department says the almost all of them supported keeping the trees. “A naturally-aging old forest, this is one of the reasons people come to this park,” says John Potter, Assistant Director for Operations. “We want to preserve not just the look and feel of the park, but its biological complexity. Letting the forest age naturally in this case is the best way to do that.”
The result is not a surprise. Oswald West State Park is hugely popular, getting about a million visitors a year. But only 15,000 of them used the 30-site campground.
Meanwhile Parks and Rec says it will look for a new camping site at Oswald West. But until then, the nearest camping is five miles south at Nehalem Bay State Park.
Oregon State Park annual day-use passes are on sale during the month of April. Normally they cost $25, but for this month only, they cost $20. The Parks Department calls it their “annual springtime stimulus” deal.
You can’t buy them online, but you can buy them over the phone by calling (800) 551-6949 (credit card orders only). They’re also available at state parks or through private vendors. Oregon has hundreds of state parks and about two dozen of them require an entrance fee.
If you’re camping at a state park, the charge for camping already includes the entrance fee.
Here are some links to more information:
