February 10, 2023 10:00 a.m.

Oregon State Parks experienced its second busiest camping and day-use year in history during its centennial in 2022.

A release from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said visitors logged 2.97 million camper nights, which is 1.8 percent less than the record-breaking year in 2021. Parks tracked more than 52 million day-use visits, which is down about 2.7 percent from the record.

Camping on the coast remained steady, while in the valley it had a 7.8 percent increase. Mountain areas declined by 11.9 percent.

Day-use visitors increased by 4 percent in the valley, with declines at the coast and mountain areas of 5 percent and 3 percent respectively.

OPRD said an increasing number of campers stayed closed to the state’s largest population centers as gas continued to climb last summer.

Sustained higher visitation puts pressure on rangers at a time when hiring frontline staff has been very difficult. OPRD revenue has recovered from the pandemic, but hiring has been hard, due partially to shortages of housing in rural areas. OPRD is funded by a share of recreational vehicle fees, the state lottery and revenue earned by serving visitors, which declined sharply in 2020. This month, OPRD started its 2023 recruitment for frontline staff with the goal of filling all those roles.

The release said OPRD begins its next 100 years with $50 million in construction projects to improve aging infrastructure and protect Oregon’s resources at 11 parks. Work will also add visitor facilities and expand camping at several parks. The improvements were funded by general obligation bonds approved by the Oregon State Legislature in 2021