NEWS RELEASES
Oregon State Parks See Record Camping Visits For 2018
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved through TDN.com Daily News' website.
PORTLAND, Ore. - TDN News reports on an Associated Press article that says Oregon set a record for the number of campers staying at state parks last year, and the number of day-use visitors was the second-highest ever. A report by the state’s Parks and Recreation Department shows that 2.9 million people camped at a state park in 2018 and 54 million people in total visited a park, the second-highest number ever after a blockbuster summer season in 2016 that attracted 54.5 million visitors.
According to the AP press, the camping season is also spreading beyond the traditional busy summer months. Crowds have begun to come to camp in the spring and well into the fall. Coastal parks with camping saw the biggest gain. Fort Stevens, South Beach and Bullards Beach state parks — all along the Pacific Ocean — together accounted for more than half of the growth in overnight visits. They collectively attracted 59,300 campers last year, the newspaper said. Smaller state park campgrounds also saw big growth, from Viento in the Columbia River Gorge to Lake Owyhee in eastern Oregon.
For a complete list of camping opportunities in Oregon state parks, visit the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department website.