Is Oregon State Parks raising fees?

Is Oregon State Parks raising its fees?

Yes, Oregon State Parks is increasing fees to help keep pace with rising costs and to continue to provide exceptional outdoor experiences. Visitors will see increases ranging from $2 to $5 depending on the fee for visits in 2025 for the following: camping, reservation, boat moorage, extra vehicle and day-use parking.

How much are the increases and when will they take effect?

• Day-Use Parking Fees increased from $5 to $10 at the 25 parks that charge for parking on Jan. 2, 2025. The last time the fees were increased was 2009.

• Reservation Fees increased from $8 to $10 on Jan. 1, 2025. The last time these fees were increased was 2010. 

• Base camping fees for all dates in 2025 include the following increases by site type (last increase was 2017):
  • $2 increase for misc. sites (includes teepees, meeting halls and other facilities)
  • $3 increase for tent sites (includes horse tent sites, horse group sites, group tent) and primitive sites (includes overflow, fly-in and walk-to-sites)
  • $4 increase for RV sites (includes full hookup, electrical, horse RV and group RV sites)
  • $5 increase for cabins and yurts (includes rustic, mini, totem, and deluxe sites)
  • (Seasonal rate adjustments will be added to the new base rates. As in previous years, summer rates are $2 more for tent sites, $3 more for RV sites and $5 more for cabins/yurts.) 
• Expansion of the 25% out-of-state surcharge for RV campsites to all site types for out-of-state campers for overnight stays on July 1, 2025 and beyond.

• Extra vehicle fee will increase from $7 to $10 starting July 1, 2025.

• Boat moorage fee will increase from $10 to $15 per day or $70 to $105 per week starting July 1, 2025.

• New camping rate ranges replace the existing ones in July 1, 2025. These new ranges set the lowest and highest fees that Oregon State Parks can charge over time to keep pace with costs. The director uses this range to set fees in the future. 

Why are increases needed?

The park system has experienced record visitation as well as the impacts of rising costs and inflation. The annual utility costs for example have increased by 28% over the last 4 years, but the base park fees have remained the same. Depending on the fee, the last update was anywhere from seven to 15 years ago for base fees.

We have three main sources of funding. A little less than half comes from constitutionally dedicated lottery funds, about 15% comes from our share of recreational vehicle license plate fees, and roughly 35% comes from park fees from visitors. The state park system is not funded by taxes.

Each source of revenue is needed to keep parks open, staffed and well-supplied, and to do repairs.
More revenue needs to be earned to cope with increased costs of labor, historic inflation and a constitutionally required increase in the share of lottery we put into the local government grants program. The share went from 12% of our lottery funds to 25%. Community recreation grants are a core part of our mission.

We don't have control over how much we receive from the RV license plate fees or the constitutionally dedicated lottery funds, but we can control our fees to earn the revenue needed. We still have an ongoing obligation to operate as leanly as possible without compromising service or endangering park resources.

Are you worried higher fees will make it harder to serve people who can’t afford it?

Yes. It’s especially important to keep fees for tent sites as low as possible, and to ensure quality daytime park experiences are available at little to no additional cost. Most state parks don’t charge for parking, even if they have major natural or historic features, and we don’t charge people who don’t drive to a park. Day-use parking permits will be available for checkout at many local libraries so ask your local library about participating in the program. We also have special access passes for free camping and day-use parking permits for the following residents:

• Oregon foster parents, guardians and parents who have adopted Oregon foster children. Learn more on our website.
• U.S. veterans with a service-connected disability. Learn more on our website.
• Active duty U.S. military on official leave. Learn more at our website.

We are continuing to consider options that reduce cost as a barrier while earning needed revenue to maintain our parks and managing congestion.