By DANA TIMS/YachatsNews.com
Hot weather in the Willamette Valley combined with pent-up demand has Oregon coast recreation sites, including those in Lincoln County, seeing unprecedented numbers of visitors.
With some campgrounds already reopened for reservations and others set to do so soon, the Covid-related shutdowns that stalled tourism for months are nearly a distant memory.
“Last weekend (Aug. 15-16)was the busiest two-day stretch I’ve seen in my 20 years with the agency,” said Dylan Anderson, central coast parks manager with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “It was just eye-popping.”
In some places, particularly those in Tillamook and Clatsop counties, the tsunami-like surge of tourists has prompted parks officials and other state agencies, to issue warnings that fines and towing could result from parking in areas that could impede traffic.
A dozen electronic reader boards have been deployed between Portland and the coast and up and down U.S. Highway 101 warning visitors to avoid areas that are clearly already full.
“We hope people will see the signs and heed the message,” said state parks spokesman Chris Havel. “We just need to get people to spread out better.”
Among the few central coast hotspots has been the parking area for the Hobbit Trail on the north side of Heceta Head, Havel said.
Drivers cited for illegal parking there and elsewhere face tickets of $115 to $250. They will also be charged the cost of towing if their vehicles are deemed unsafe enough to warrant immediate removal.
Also factoring in the enforcement crackdown are reports of people leaving large piles of trash at some popular parks and depositing garbage inside portable toilets.
Still, the crush of visitors only shows how popular the coast is, particularly when high temperatures in the Willamette Valley precipitate the type of rush to the beaches now underway.
Despite virus-related budget cuts that have slashed parks personnel by up to 50 percent, some popular central coast camping and recreation sites are preparing to reopen.
The small but popular Beachside State Recreation Site north of Yachats will reopen Sept. 9 and campers and RV users can now go online to make reservations.
Beachside has 32 electrical sites and an additional 42 tent sites. Showers, as well as the area’s two yurts, will remain closed. One site – No. 63 – overlooking the beach and sheltered by bushes, is perennially one of the most popular campsites in all of Oregon.
“The online traffic we are getting indicates that September will be extremely busy for us,” Anderson said.
South Beach State Park near Newport has been open to campers and RV users since June 9. It’s been full, on a reservation-only basis, every night since June 15.
As with other areas, its 27 yurts and showers have not opened for public use. Flush toilets, however, are available.
Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park between Yachats and Florence will not open this year, said state parks manager Kevin Beck. Parks officials earlier had hoped to reopen the park’s 55 electrical sites and seven walk-in tent sites in September.
Anderson said staffing remains the primary issue. He noted that deep Covid-related staff reductions have forced parks officials to pull employees from parks such as Washburne and redeploy them to areas identified as likely to get far higher foot and vehicular traffic.
The visitors center building at Cape Perpetua does not have a reopening date, Siuslaw National Forest officials said. But the parking lot near the center and trails throughout the cape are open.
One aspect that apparently hasn’t been hindering visits to coast camping sites is a surcharge being applied to out-of-state visitors during the pandemic.
“The vast majority of folks I’ve talked to are very understanding of the real goals of the surcharge,” Anderson said. “We’re trying to keep people as close to home as possible to recreate.
“It’s being really well received by Oregon residents. It’s so competitive to get camping spots anywhere in the system already. This makes them feel there’s a better opportunity to stay within their own parks system.”
Oregon residents currently are charged $34 a night for RV spots, compared to the $42 those from elsewhere pay. Tent sites for Oregonians cost $21 per night, compared to $24 for out-of-state guests.
“The real point is that so many people are back and enjoying the Oregon coast,” Anderson said. “And it’s a great time of year to be here.”
