All Oregon state parks closing March 23 amid coronavirus pandemic

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In an unprecedented move, Oregon will close all of its state parks and campgrounds beginning Monday due to concerns of the coronavirus pandemic.

The move shuts down roughly 257 parks to both camping and day-use, meaning people will not be allowed to access the waterfalls of Silver Falls nor the cliffs of Smith Rock.

The Oregon Coast beach will not officially be closed but all the parks and access points that provide access will be.

"Where there are gates, they will be closed. Where there aren't, we'll use barricades," Oregon Parks and Recreation Department spokesman Chris Havel said.

Anyone currently camping has until 1 p.m. Monday to leave their site. Day-use areas will be closed starting at 5 p.m.

Previously, officials planned to gradually close camping and shut down campgrounds April 2 while leaving parks open for day-use.

But the flood of visitors that arrived at state parks Friday and Saturday, which brought anger and resolutions to ban tourists from coastal communities, in addition to a breeding ground for virus spread, convinced parks officials they needed to make a more sweeping move.

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“We would have preferred an orderly shutdown of the system and to remain open for daytime visits, but our concern for the effects on rural health care systems requires us to move up and expand our plans,” said Lisa Sumption, director of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. “We know this will cause a disruption, since we’re suspending service to everyone, even people who live near a park.

"Reducing contact between people is more important than recreation at the moment.”

Park rangers will remain on site to enforce the ban, Havel said.

If they find anyone trespassing, they'll first ask them to leave. Beyond that, a citation could run upward of $450 while the police could also be called.

Some city or county parks accessing the Oregon Coast beach may remain open, Havel said, and nobody will get a ticket for walking on the sand.

However, he said, the agency does have the power to close the beach if needed, and if there remain large gatherings of people on the beach, it's something they'll consider, he said.

"I honestly don't know how you'd do it given the number of ways to access it, but if we needed to, we could have that conversation," he said.

In a news release, parks officials said campers with previous reservations would be refunded for all canceled nights.

The news release also said:

- All travelers are advised to follow the guidance to stay home to stay healthy.

- City and county parks and other public land managers are open at their discretion, with the recommendation they do so only if they can adhere to social distancing practices.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 12 years. To support his work, subscribe to the Statesman Journal. ​​​​​​​Urness can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.