Commentary by, Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept Director Lisa Sumpton

We’re honored to serve you and provide special places for you to enjoy, and we need them now more than ever. An essential part of operating a park relates to the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, and visitors like you. While the COVID-19 situation is still very fluid, your parks are currently open for day-use, and we are continuing to put our best foot forward by reviewing and updating our approach to management. Here are some of the things that we are doing:

Temporarily suspending all overnight camping from April 3 up to and including May 8.
Refining our facility cleaning procedures to focus on high traffic areas and touch points.
Staying in touch with state emergency managers so we’re current on available information and guidance, and following Governor Brown’s strategic measures to reduce risk of COVID-19 spreading further.
Working with our staff and volunteers to best serve visitors in this uncertain time. This may mean reduced service levels or closures in areas where we have fewer staff or volunteers available.

Visiting a park is a good way to improve mental health, relieve stress and exercise, things we especially need now, so follow the guidelines for protecting your personal health and enjoy your next visit.

Which parks are closed or have seen changes to service?
For a full list of temporary park closures or reductions to services and facilities, please visit our Park Status Page. You can also check to see each park's page to see if there is an alert posted. Search for your park here.

How might my park experience be different now?
We've made some changes now and will continue to adapt as the situation evolves. Some events have been changed or canceled (see below). We may also set some day-use parking machines so they only accept credit cards (reducing how much cash our staff handle limits their exposure). You can help out by using a credit or debit card whenever possible. It is also possible you may see reduced service in some areas where fewer staff and volunteers are available. Our restaurants and lodges have reduced food services to take-out or have temporarily shut down. We’ve suspended overnight camping beginning April 3 through May 8. The decision affects all individual and group overnight facilities: campsites, yurts, cabins, tepees, and services operated by concessionaires. The suspended service also affects reservations for group day-use areas. We may make more tweaks as we receive new information from health authorities.

Why are you suspending overnight camping?
Oregon Governor Kate Brown has cancelled group gatherings of more than 25 people, and discouraged gatherings of 10 or more, to provide social distancing.

The need for social distancing is one the greatest challenges for a public park to meet. To preserve the park landscape, state park camping facilities—even the small campgrounds—tend to be tightly-packed. No matter how they are managed, and even though they are in an outdoor setting, closing campgrounds temporarily is the best way to do our part to control the risk of spreading infection among travelers. An ill long-distance traveler is at a special disadvantage, and poses an extra burden on rural local community resources, especially gas, groceries and health systems. We’re also experiencing a drop in labor necessary clean facilities to our standards.

Can I visit for the day?
Absolutely. Getting out for a hike or to fish, soak in the scenery from a viewpoint, walk on the beach …please do! It’s good for your body and soul. Try to find these places close to home, whether at a state park or any other natural area, and remember to maintain social distance. If a place looks crowded, find a different park.

Cancellation policy
We understand that the current situation may force last-minute changes. We have changed our policy for March 13, 2020 – April 2, 2020 to now include a refund for all site rental fees, even if you cancel the same day as you were due to arrive. We are not able to refund the $8 online reservation fee at this time.

Reservations for all state park stays from April 3 to and including May 8 will be canceled and site fees refunded.

How do you clean restrooms, showers, yurts and cabins?
Restrooms and showers are cleaned daily or more often, and we are keeping a careful eye on the level of park use in case we need to ramp this up. We have always cleaned yurts and cabins between each guest stay. Remember that public places are only as clean as the last person who touched them. Not every facility ina park is part of the cleaning routine - playgrounds, for instance - so use your best judgement and follow suggestions for personal hygiene recommended by the Oregon Health Authority.

What type of cleaning supplies do you use?
We use strong, green chemicals that are safe for people and pets. Our cleaning supplies include Sustainable Earth #65 Heavy Duty Cleaner, Diversey #67 Alpha-HP Peroxide, Waxie 143 Cleaner/Degreaser and Waxie 730 HP Disinfectant.

Are you providing disinfectant to visitors?
No. A good portion of your safety relies on you, since any public facility is only as clean as the last person who touched it. The Oregon Health Authority has a web page devoted to COVID-19 updates and resources, including videos on good hygiene measures to protect yourself.

Wash your hands regularly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds at a time.
Avoid touching your face.
If you’re sick with any ailment, stay home. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
When in public, maintain a social distance of at least six feet.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, use your elbow.
Clean surfaces you touch regularly.

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