2014 Oregon State Parks Guide now available

"The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department has released the 2014 Oregon State Parks Guide, a full-color, magazine-style brochure featuring detailed information about more than 200 of Oregon state campgrounds, day-use areas, trails, bikeways and heritage sites." (Terry Richard, The Oregonian)

“The Parks Guide is a great resource for our visitors,” said Chris Havel, spokesperson for the Department. “It’s one of our most popular publications because it gives them essential information about the location of each park, its unique assets or activities, and the facilities and campsites available there.” 

Heceta Head
State Scenic Viewpoint

The guide has been thoroughly updated for 2014, with revised or expanded listings for each property, up-to-date rules and regulations, and the addition of several parks and scenic bikeways. Special icons denote parks with pet-friendly yurts or cabins, day-use parking fees, scenic views, and other features as well as facilities that are accessible to people with disabilities.

Silver Falls
State Park

Notable enhancements to this edition include an enlarged statewide map, an index that can be used to look up individual parks, and a new “snapshot” design with photos that convey the diversity of each region. Feature stories explore new trails in development, the 20th anniversary of yurts in Oregon State Parks, and the new nature play area at Silver Falls State Park. There are also recommendations for tidepooling and wildlife viewing spots and profiles of Golden State Heritage Site, the historic Wolf Creek Inn, and the newest state park, Cottonwood Canyon, in north-central Oregon.

Smith Rock
State Park

The 2014 Guide is available in print from OPRD’s offices in Salem and Portland as well as online: the electronic version has virtual pages that can be turned as well as clickable links to park webpages.

Detailed information about any park is always available by calling the toll-free State Parks info line at 1-800-551-6949. Camping reservations can be made through Reservations Northwest (1-800-452-5687) or by visiting the website.

For your online 2014 Oregon State Parks Guide, click here.
For the Oregon State Parks website, click here. 

All photos courtesy Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

Cold weather quells visits to newest Oregon state park

Oregon's newest state park, was dedicated only weeks ago. But the party may already over--for the season at least--as the cold weather sweeping through the Blue Mountains is making Bates State Park a little less than desirable.

Bates is the first state park in the system east of the Cascades in three decades. It's not huge, scaling in at only 131 acres, but it is far from the crowds, and near some nice fishing, sitting alongside the middle fork of the John Day River.

Not considered a "destination" park, it's probably one that local RVers will love for just dropping in on the spur of the moment, or for travelers with rigs to "stumble on" when sight seeing. They'll find 34 camp sites, 28 of them suitable for fully self-contained RVs. The other six are set aside for bicyclists or hikers.

There's a bit of history here, too. Bates was once a company town supporting a lumber mill. From 1917 through the end of the 1960s, the mill thrived. In the hey-days, as many as 400 workers and their families lived in company-provided homes. Time and technology overtook the mill in the 1970s and it closed in 1975. The families vanished and the buildings were either moved or torn down.

Come October 31, another vanishing will take place. As the winter chill moves in, park officials will close down until next spring.

New Oregon State Park in works--but no hookups

Oregon State Parks officials are in the process of closing a deal on over 8,000 acres of ranchland 60 miles southeast of The Dalles. The acreage, running alongside the John Day River, will become Oregon's second largest State Park, dubbed Cottonwood Canyon. The new park is slated to open in
September of 2013. Although 8,000 acres is large amount of land, it's possible the state will wrangle a deal with the the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to mix in another 10,000 acres of federal land from their jurisdiction.

What will this new park be like? In the view of Park's officials, "development" of the land itself will be minimal. The major constructs will be the visitor center at State Highway 206 where it crosses the John Day. There, plans call for a "small campground" and a boat launch. Six miles farther downstream in the Hay Creek area, plans call for another campground, although this will be a "walk in" camp.

For RVers, the question is: What kind of amenities will we find? RVers will be welcomed, but don't look to see full hookups. Whether that means electrical will be available for the high temps of summer remains to be seen, but full hookups are out.

State planners are looking at recreational values that center on the river, including the possibility of concessions operated float trips, and hiking trails through the grasslands of the area. Horses and riders are another possible constituency that will look to the new park. From the looks of the park's blog, they'll be plenty of wildlife and bird watching to be done.

We'll keep you posted as more information on the development of this new park becomes available.

photos: oregon parks and recreation