Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Short Sand Beach at Oswald West State Park on the Oregon coast.

We already know Oregon state parks are popular, but which of the nearly 200 park sites are the most popular?



On Monday, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department sent over visitation data from 2018, revealing the popularity of every park site around the state. This list only uses the day-use numbers and doesn’t take into account overnight visitation at state park campgrounds.

There are certainly some surprises in the results, but one trend that shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has spent time traveling around the state is the fact that the coast absolutely dominates. Of the 20 most popular park sites, 14 are found on the Oregon coast, leaving three in the Willamette Valley, two in the high desert and one in the southern Oregon.

And while some of the state’s biggest full-fledged parks make an appearance, the list is filled out by smaller viewpoints and recreation sites, many of which can draw bigger crowds due to their accessibility on the sides of highways and scenic routes.

From the coast to the Cascades and beyond, here are the 20 most popular state park sites in Oregon from 2018.

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20. Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint

Visitors: 652,124

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +14%

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19. Yachats State Recreation Site

Visitors: 676,822

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +6%

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18. Crown Point State Scenic Corridor

Visitors: 701,896

Location: Columbia Gorge

One-year change: +17%

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17. Nehalem Bay State Park

Visitors: 702,271

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -9%

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16. Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint

Visitors: 714,008

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +9%

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15. South Beach State Park

Visitors: 747,664

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -10%

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14. Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor

Visitors: 758,920

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -8%

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13. Smith Rock State Park

Visitors: 817,660

Location: Central Oregon

One-year change: +5%

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12. Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site

Visitors: 854,992

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -29%

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11. Heceta Head Lighthouse Scenic Viewpoint

Visitors: 924,984

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -14%

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10. Rooster Rock State Park

Visitors: 945,656

Location: Columbia Gorge

One-year change: +41%

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9. Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint

Visitors: 949,968

Location: Central Oregon

One-year change: +8%

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8. Silver Falls State Park

Visitors: 1,142,264

Location: Willamette Valley

One-year change: -1%

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7. Fort Stevens State Park

Visitors: 1,182,510

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +7%

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6. D River State Recreation Site

Visitors: 1,219,588

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +1%

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5. Oswald West State Park

Visitors: 1,227,129

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +2%

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4. Sunset Bay State Park

Visitors: 1,234,260

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -12%

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3. Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site

Visitors: 1,649,094

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: -3%

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2. Harris Beach State Recreation Area

Visitors: 1,700,116

Location: Oregon coast

One-year change: +4%

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Courtesy of Oregon State Parks

1. Valley of the Rogue State Recreation Area

Visitors: 2,032,876

Location: Southern Oregon

One-year change: +12%

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--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB



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