Salem, Oregon – With a record-breaking 53,853,609 day-trippers in 2024—above the previous peak in 2021 by a tiny 0.4%— Oregon’s state parks saw an unprecedented surge of visitors. Although these figures usually point to success, state park officials have raising major concerns on the viability of this expansion.
The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department claims that the 3% increase in visits from 2023 is not entirely a cause for celebration.
“It isn’t sustainable financially,” state parks director Lisa Sumption said to Oregon Live. “We need help.” She highlighted the dire need for additional resources as the influx of visitors has accelerated the deterioration of park facilities and infrastructure, thus escalating the costs associated with their upkeep.
The department described particular difficulties in a recent news release. One well-known park now, for example, needs more than a semi-truck load of toilet paper annually. Aging infrastructure exacerbates these problems; over half of the park’s restrooms are more than 50 years old and replacements run around $1 million apiece. As a result, the costs of operating and maintaining state parks have now exceeded revenues by 30%, leading to a daunting $350 million maintenance backlog…