Day-use visits nearly set record at state parks in 2023
Published 11:00 am Friday, March 8, 2024
- Camping at Hat Rock Park in Umatilla County, as well as other state parks, is a little more expensive for out-of-state visitors.
SALEM — Oregon state parks attracted a near-record number of day visitors in 2023, and the number of campers was the fourth-highest on record.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced this week that it counted 52.2 million day-use visits to state parks last year.
That ranked second behind the 53 million visits in 2021.
State park campgrounds recorded 2.9 million camper nights, the most ever. The record year was 2021, with 3 million camper nights.
Parks with the largest increases in day-use visits include Beachside State Recreation Site, Ecola State Park, Harris Beach State Recreation Area (most visited in the state), Oswald West State Park, Maud Williamson State Recreation Site, Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site, Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site and Farewell Bend State Recreation Site.
Farewell Bend, along the upper end of Brownlee Reservoir near Huntington in Baker County, recorded 163,000 day-use visits in 2023, an increase of 38% from the previous year. Day-use visits at the park, which can be affected by the water level in the reservoir, were much higher in 2019 (275,000) and 2018 (254,000).
At Clyde Holliday, along the John Day River near Mount Vernon, day-use visits rose by 55% in 2023, to almost 341,000.
The Parks and Recreation Department estimates day-use visits by counting the number of cars that enter parks (by automated counters) and then multiplying the number of cars by four.
“This accounts for varying occupancy of vehicles, RVs, buses and others,” said Stefanie Knowlton, a communications specialist for the agency.
Camping was slightly down overall from 2022 due in part to closures at two popular coastal campgrounds, Beverly Beach State Park and Bullards Beach State Park, which were closed starting in the fall for construction projects. The valley and mountain region saw a slight increase in camping, however, with some of the largest increases at Detroit Lake State Park, Milo McIver State Park, Prineville Reservoir State Park and Lake Owyhee State Park.
The camper night total is calculated in similar fashion to the day-use visits and is based on the number of occupied campsites multiplied by 3.3.
“We understand that some numbers might be higher or lower for camping given group sites, RV sites, and cabins, but the multiplier helps us get closer to an overall total that can be tracked over time,” Knowlton said.
With more day-use visitors, the Parks and Recreation Department is seeking to hire 250 seasonal rangers and ranger assistants this year.
By far the most popular state park campground in Northeast Oregon is Wallowa Lake. The park at the south end of the lake recorded almost 92,000 camper nights in 2023, an increase of almost 10% from 2022, but slightly lower than the 94,500 camper nights in 2021.
Rangers and support staff work to keep the parks clean and safe while providing educational and recreational opportunities. Visitors can also help at their favorite parks by following park rules, leaving no trace and thanking a ranger when they can. They might also consider visiting some of the hidden gems in the park system to find a new favorite place to explore.
Parks with some of the lowest visitation include Catherine Creek State Park, Bates State Park, Jackson F Kimball State Recreation Site, Unity Lake State Park, Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Clay Myers State Natural Area at Whalen Island and Golden and Silver Falls State Natural Area.
“We are incredibly grateful to our visitors, volunteers, partners and to all those who cherish and support Oregon State Parks,” agency director Lisa Sumption said. “We could not steward these outstanding natural, scenic, cultural, historic and recreational sites without your support.”
Oregon state park overnight camper numbers: 2018-23
Bates State Park
2023: 1,225
2022: 2,504
2021: 2,839
2020: 2,207
2019: 2,417
2018: 2,793
Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site
2023:17,094
2022: 12,750
2021: 14,940
2020: 11,444
2019: 17,341
2018: 17,252
Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area
2023: 21,756
2022: 22,275
2021: 23,156
2020: 17,054
2019: 21,503
2018: 21,357
Farewell Bend State Recreation Area
2023: 28,060
2022: 25,133
2021: 35,439
2020: 22,805
2019: 33,279
2018: 32,722
Hilgard Junction State Recreation Area
2023: 2,102
2022: 2,742
2021: 3,221
2020: 2,759
2019: 2,270
2018: 2,072
Lake Owyhee State Park
2023: 18,041
2022: 8,861
2021: 10,095
2020: 10,633
2019: 10,145
2018: 10,434
Minam State Recreation Area
2023: 9,781
2022: 4,445
2021: 19,460
2020: 5,498
2019: 4,303
2018: 3,485
Red Bridge State Wayside
2023: 1,772
2022: 2,297
2021: 2,323
2020: 1,934
2019: 1,515
2018: 1,548
Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor
2023: 2,346
2022: 2,053
2021: 2,237
2020: N/A
2019: 2,841
2018: 3,465
Unity Lake State Recreation Site
2023: 9,358
2022: 6,323
2021: 7,107
2020: N/A
2019: 6,369
2018: 5,591
Wallowa Lake State Recreation Area
2023: 91,777
2022: 84,266
2021: 94,554
2020: 79,548
2019: 95,995
2018: 88,524
Oregon state park day-use visits: 2018-23
Catherine Creek State Park
2023: 17,376
2022: 32,042
2021: 47,846
2020: 52,978
2019: 25,544
2018: 6,564
Clyde Holliday State Recreation Site
2023: 340,516
2022: 219,212
2021: 203,404
2020: 157,964
2019: 190,752
2018: 179,472
Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area
2023: 138,834
2022: 128,246
2021: 121,732
2020: 99,504
2019: 113,700
2018: 117,880
Farewell Bend State Recreation Area
2023: 163,302
2022: 118,444
2021: 172,624
2020: 154,810
2019: 275,340
2018: 254,280
Hat Rock State Park
2023: 141,308
2022: 202,974
2021: 232,680
2020: 130,596
2019: 173,352
2018: 305,746
Lake Owyhee State Park
2023: 130,690
2022: 110,560
2021: 123,332
2020: 120,038
2019: 171,286
2018: 190,672
Minam State Recreation Area
2023: 80,622
2022: 67,886
2021: 61,910
2020: 70,584
2019: 75,396
2018: 50,302
Ontario State Recreation Area
2023: 90,428
2022: 84,254
2021: 116,884
2020: 99,658
2019: 81,168
2018: 77,866
Sumpter Valley Dredge State Heritage Area
2023: 20,404
2022: 41,944
2021: N/A
2020: 20,500
2019: 105,656
2018: 121,294
Ukiah-Dale Forest State Scenic Corridor
2023: 14,370
2022: 14,624
2021: 15,828
2020: N/A
2019: 18,420
2018: 20,502
Unity Lake State Recreation Site
2023: 20,710
2022: 33,462
2021: 32,882
2020: 29,958
2019: 22,120
2018: 25,508
Wallowa Lake State Recreation Area
2023: 385,450
2022: 349,694
2021: 369,408
2020: 381,726
2019: 408,708
2018: 320,552
