The following Q&A is taken from stateparks.oregon.com. Read on for the full update on changes to park fees for the 2025/2026 season.

Oregon State Parks is increasing fees to help keep pace with rising costs, continue to provide exceptional outdoor experiences and build a more financially resilient future for Oregon State Parks.

Without these changes, the system faces a projected 14% budget shortfall due to increasing costs, the impact of higher visitation and a decrease in Oregon Lottery funds for operations. Visitor fees do not cover the cost of operations, and Oregon State Parks do not receive general fund tax revenue for operations.

The fee changes, along with internal efforts to streamline costs and increase revenue, will help protect the future of the park system.
 

Fee changes for 2025/2026 Season

Q: What are the updates to visitor fees?

  • 21 additional parks will require a day-use parking permit starting Oct. 1, 2025. The fee does not apply to visitors who walk, bike, take public transportation, have a valid hangtag from a current Oregon State Park camping reservation or a 12 or 24-month parking permit
  • Overnight rates at our 29 busiest parks (see below) will increase to the top of the current rate range from May 1 through September 30. This increase will apply year round on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (Top rate is $29 for tents and $52 for full hook-up RV)
  • Cabin and yurt prices will increase to the top of the rate range year round at all parks. (Top rates vary from $72 for rustic yurts to $129 for deluxe cabins/yurts)
  • Boat moorage fees will increase from $15 to $20.
  • Overnight parking, overflow camping and primitive camping fees will increase from about $10 to at least $15 per night.

Q: How did you pick which parks will have a parking fee?

A: We considered park visitation, use trends, amenities, location and access to recreation in the surrounding area and historic context. We also evaluated operational costs, congestion management, existing fee structures and seasonal trends. We identified several parks in each region based on the criteria above. The list includes some of our busiest parks including Harris Beach State Park, Sunset Bay State Park, Oswald West State Park and Valley of the Rogue State Recreation Area.

Q: What does the parking permit fee go toward?

A: Fees go toward the operations and maintenance of our park system including staff, trail maintenance, paving projects and restrooms.

Q: How will visitors pay for a parking permit?

A: There are several ways to pay for parking:

We recommend you purchase a 12 or 24-month parking permit online or at some park offices or visitor’s centers. The 12-month permit costs $30 and the 24-month permit costs $50. (We’re exploring options for purchasing daily parking permits online as well.)

Purchase a daily parking permit at a fee machine or posted QR code at the park. Watch for signs at impacted parks with more information.

Purchase a daily parking permit with cash at a park office or visitor’s center.

Q: Will there be information about QR codes and how they work?

A: Yes, we will share information on our website and at the impacted parks about how to use a QR code before any parks use them to make the process clear for visitors to securely pay electronically. 

Q: Which additional parks will require a parking fee starting Oct. 1, 2025?

A: The following parks will require a parking fee starting Oct. 1, 2025:

  • Beverly Beach State Park
  • Bullards Beach State Park
  • Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint
  • Crown Point State Scenic Corridor
  • Dexter State Recreation Site
  • Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint
  • Farewell Bend State Recreation Area
  • Fort Stevens State Park
  • Harris Beach State Recreation Site
  • Hat Rock State Park
  • LaPine State Park
  • Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site
  • Lowell State Recreation Site
  • Oswald West State Park
  • Prineville Reservoir State Park
  • South Beach State Park
  • Starvation Creek State Park
  • Sunset Bay State Park
  • Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site
  • Tryon Creek State Natural Area
  • Valley of the Rogue State Recreation Area

Q: Which campgrounds are included in the seasonal rate updates?

A: The following campgrounds are included in the new seasonal rates for stays starting May 1, 2026:

  • Alfred A. Loeb State Park
  • Ainsworth State Park
  • Beachside State Recreation Site
  • Beverly Beach State Park
  • Bullards Beach State Park
  • Cape Blanco State Park
  • Cape Lookout State Park
  • Carl. G. Washburne Memorial State Park
  • Champoeg State Heritage Area
  • Cove Palisades State Park
  • Deschutes River State Recreation Area
  • Detroit Lake State Recreation Area
  • Devils Lake State Recreation Area
  • Fort Stevens State Park
  • Harris Beach State Park
  • Humbug Mountain State Park
  • Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
  • L.L. Stub Stewart Memorial State Park
  • LaPine State Park
  • Milo McIver State Park
  • Nehalem Bay State Park
  • Silver Falls State Park
  • South Beach State Park
  • Sunset Bay State Park
  • Tumalo State Park
  • Umpqua Lighthouse State Park
  • Valley of the Rogue State Park
  • Wallowa Lake State Park
  • William M. Tugman State Park

Q: Are you concerned that these increases might create a barrier to access for some?

A: Yes. We try to keep our rates as low as possible particularly for tent sites to reduce cost as a barrier. We also waive the parking fee at most parks. It’s important to reduce barriers where we can and stay aligned with our goals to create a welcoming and accessible park system. We have a few options to help reduce barriers now, and we’re exploring additional strategies.

Existing resources for visitors: 

  • 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.

Q: Is there a way to provide feedback about the changes?

A: Yes. We welcome comments or suggestions online at https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=v.contact. We are also conducting a survey about the future of Oregon State Parks and ways to create a more sustainable financial future to preserve the park system that we all enjoy. You can find the survey at Reimagine Oregon State Parks – Oregon State Parks.  

Fee increases from 2024/2025 Season

  • 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 to all site types for out-of-state campers for overnight stays as well as for day-use parking permits for visits starting July 1, 2025. The new day-use parking fee for out-of-state visitors will with $12 a day; the 12-month and 24-month permit will increase beginning January 1, 2026.
  • 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.

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. 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.

How can visitors help?

We often get this question at Oregon State Parks, and we appreciate the desire to help! One thing that everyone can do is to follow a leave no trace ethic, which means leaving the parks as good or better than you found them. Dispose of trash responsibly, stay on designated trails and follow all park rules and safety signs and barriers. This helps rangers in the field. 

If visitors are in a position to give financially, we do have a donation page. All proceeds go directly to park operations.