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APPEAL TRIBUNE
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017
Life in the
Valley y
sanews@salem.gannett.com
PHOTOS BY ZACH URNESS/STATESMAN JOURNAL FILE
Smith Rock State Park has gone from a place known mostly for rock climbing to a bonafide tourist destination.
As Smith Rock crowds skyrocket,
a new plan will shape park’s future
ZACH URNESS
STATESMAN JOURNAL
Smith Rock State Park has seen
dramatic changes during the past five
years.
The 652-acre park north of Bend has
gone from a place known mostly for
rock climbing to a bonafide tourist
destination on par with Multnomah
Falls and the Oregon Coast.
A sharp increase in visitors, which
have almost doubled since 2010, has
stretched the park to capacity.
How to deal with those crowds is the
focus of an update to the park’s master
plan, a document that will guide deci-
sions into the future. Last updated in
1991, the process of crafting the master
plan is beginning with a series of public
meetings and online surveys.
“This first round of meetings is all
about listening to the public — finding
out what people like, what they want to
keep the same, and what problems we
need to look at fixing,” park manager
Scott Brown said. “It’s a long and slow
process, but an important one.”
A public meeting is scheduled for 6
p.m. onTuesday, Jan. 24, at REI in Port-
land. The public can also take an online
survey (smithrockparkplan.com/survey
), email comments
(julia.cogger@oregon.gov) or call 503-
986-0663 to make their voice part of the
process.
By Brown’s admission, the biggest
issue by far is crowding.
From 2002 to 2012, the number of
day-use visits to Smith Rock averaged
442,000 people per year. This past year,
that number skyrocketed to 745,000.
The number of people camping at
Smith Rock has also exploded, from
11,036 camper nights in 2010 to 21,900 in
2016.
“Our facilities just haven’t been able
to keep up,” Brown said. “On busy
weekends, we have parking overflow-
ing into our neighbor’s yards, extreme-
ly long lines at restrooms and an over-
flowing septic system, and a lot of is-
sues with our first-come, first-served
campground.”
While the problems are not unique —
Oregon has seen massive growth in the
number of people recreating in the
state’s outdoors — Smith Rock is an
extreme case, Brown said.
A number of possible solutions have
been pitched, Brown said.
Smith Rock could embrace the
crowds by expanding its parking lot —
the current lot has 375 spaces for
what’s often over 1,000 vehicles. Or, it
could go the opposite direction, and
institute a limited entry permit system
The trails at Smith Rock State Park often become crowded on the weekends.
that would cap the number of people
allowed to visit — an unprecedented
move for the state parks system.
“Everything is on the table right
now,” Brown said.
A few pilot projects have already
been attempted or are in the works at
Smith Rock, said Ben Hedstrom, park
planner for OPRD.
“We installed a temporary parking
lot at the end of summer, and we’re
looking at moving some campsites to a
reservation system,” Hedstrom said.
“It’s small things we’re trying now to
improve the situation.”
The reason for the increase in visita-
tion is multifaceted. The growth of
Central Oregon’s population combined
with the “Seven Wonders of Oregon”
marketing campaign raised the profile
of Smith Rock beyond the rock climb-
ing community.
The largest increase in visitors,
Brown said, has been hiking, trail run-
ning and nature viewing.
“It’s been a blessing in that we’ve
seen more diverse groups of people
coming out – more families – and that’s
a very good thing,” Brown said in a 2015
interview. “The downside is that we’ve
just been struggling to keep up.”
The process of updating the master
plan will take about a year and a half,
Hedstrom said. There will be a second
and third round of public meetings in
early summer and likely next Decem-
ber.
Once the plan is finalized, smaller
changes will likely go into effect right
away, while larger changes will be
phased over the long term, Hedstrom
said.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors
writer, photographer and videographer
in Oregon for eight years. He is the
author of the book “Hiking Southern
Oregon” and can be reached at
zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or
(503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at
@ZachsORoutdoors.
Smith Rock State Park visits
2002 to 2012 (average): 442,000
people per year
2013: 545,668
2014: 635,908
2015: 746,384
2016: 744,380
Meeting on Smith Rock
future
What: A meeting to provide input on
the future management of Smith Rock
State Park.
When: 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: REI Portland, Community Room,
1405 NW Johnson, Portland, OR, 97209.
Parking is available in the REI Parking
Garage.