Oregonian file photo
It was yet another busy year at campgrounds in Oregon.
A record 2,953,537 people camped at Oregon state park campgrounds in 2019, according to data provided by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department – the fifth straight year of record crowds.
It’s in large part thanks to a peak season that is lasting longer and longer, as people begin to camp in early spring, fall and even winter.
The main camping season from May through September has been reliably busy for the last two decades, drawing roughly 2 million people each year. It’s the off-season where state parks have seen the biggest gains.
Between October 2018 and April 2019, a record 724,630 people stayed at state park campgrounds, according to the parks department. That’s nearly 37,000 more people than the same time frame the previous year, and a whopping 228,220 more people than a decade earlier.
READ MORE: How yurts helped save Oregon state parks
While the majority of the most popular state park campgrounds saw only modest increases or decreases over the last year, a few saw greater influxes of campers.
Goose Lake in southern Oregon saw the biggest percentage change, increasing from 4,178 campers in 2018 to 6,508 campers in 2019. Cottonwood Canyon in central Oregon also saw a big change, jumping from 11,473 campers to 17,161 last year – an increase that can at least in part be attributed to the park's four new cabins.
Despite the changes, this year's list of most popular campgrounds has largely remained the same as last year's, proving once again how reliably busy and beloved our most popular state parks are.
After another busy year, here are the 20 most popular state park campgrounds in Oregon:
Oregon State Parks
20. William M. Tugman State Park
Campers: 50,144
Number of sites: 109
One-year change: 0%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
19. Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area
Campers: 54,446
Number of sites: 97
One-year change: +10%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
18. LaPine State Park
Campers: 66,076
Number of sites: 139
One-year change: +45%
Location: Central Oregon
Doug Beghtel/The Oregonian
17. L.L. “Stub” Stewart State Park
Campers: 69,472
Number of sites: 128
One-year change: +1%
Location: Willamette Valley
Oregon State Parks
16. Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area
Campers: 77,772
Number of sites: 201
One-year change: +17%
Location: Southern Oregon
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
15. Silver Falls State Park
Campers: 78,142
Number of sites: 103
One-year change: -1%
Location: Willamette Valley
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
14. Sunset Bay State Park
Campers: 78,365
Number of sites: 138
One-year change: 0%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
13. The Cove Palisades State Park
Campers: 88,725
Number of sites: 267
One-year change: +7%
Location: Central Oregon
Torsten Kjellstrand/The Oregonian
12. Champoeg State Heritage Area
Campers: 90,235
Number of sites: 93
One-year change: +2%
Location: Willamette Valley
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
11. Wallowa Lake State Park
Campers: 95,995
Number of sites: 211
One-year change: +8%
Location: Northeast Oregon
Jamie Francis/The Oregonian
10. Detroit Lake State Park
Campers: 96,466
Number of sites: 271
One-year change: +6%
Location: Cascades
Oregon State Parks
9. Valley of the Rogue State Park
Campers: 103,166
Number of sites: 172
One-year change: -4%
Location: Southern Oregon
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
8. Harris Beach State Recreation Area
Campers: 115,526
Number of sites: 155
One-year change: +9%
Location: Oregon coast
John M. Vincent/The Oregonian
7. Bullards Beach State Park
Campers: 117,374
Number of sites: 198
One-year change: +1%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
6. Cape Lookout State Park
Campers: 131,539
Number of sites: 229
One-year change: 0%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
5. Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
Campers: 166,905
Number of sites: 365
One-year change: -4%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
4. Beverly Beach State Park
Campers: 167,916
Number of sites: 278
One-year change: +7%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
3. Nehalem Bay State Park
Campers: 173,585
Number of sites: 283
One-year change: -4%
Location: Oregon coast
Oregon State Parks
2. South Beach State Park
Campers: 193,839
Number of sites: 314
One-year change: -4%
Location: Oregon coast
Jamie Hale/The Oregonian
1. Fort Stevens State Park
Campers: 285,426
Number of sites: 514
One-year change: +2%
Location: Oregon coast
--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB
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