Oregon’s state parks are some of our greatest treasures – wild, beautiful, and (at least for now) free from the kind of tacky commercialization you see elsewhere. But if state officials get their way, those days might be numbered.
As first reported by OPB, Oregon State Parks is facing a 14% budget shortfall and has decided the best way to plug the hole isn’t by fighting for public funding or cutting waste—it’s by inviting more businesses into our parks. That could mean everything from new zip-lining courses and tree-climbing tours to cafes, restaurants, and even turning historic buildings into hotels.
At Fort Stevens, for example, officials are mulling over a plan to convert the old guard house and jail cells into “unique” Airbnb-style hotel rooms. Yes, you read that right. A place once used to hold prisoners would become a novelty overnight stay for Instagram.
This isn’t just about one quirky idea at one park. It’s part of a broader push to fill parks with private concessions: coffee shops, themed restaurants, lodging, and tour companies. And while these operations might bring in a trickle of revenue—one current tree climbing business sends the state about $3,000 per quarter—they come at a steep cost to the character and purpose of our public lands.
Do we really want to see South Falls at Silver Falls State Park framed by a neon-lit cafe selling $9 lattes? Or hear the buzz of zip-lines overhead as we hike through old-growth forests?
Do you love Oregon?
Sign up for monthly emails full of local travel inspiration and fun trip ideas. In each newsletter we'll share upcoming events, new things to do, hot dining spots and great travel ideas.
Make no mistake: once you cross the line from “a few helpful amenities” to full-blown commercialization, you can’t walk it back. What’s next—a drive-thru burger joint at Smith Rock? A water park at Crater Lake?
State parks director Lisa Sumption told OPB she’s open to “all kinds of ideas” to boost revenue, noting that businesses in historic park buildings would help maintain them. But this mindset treats our parks as cash cows rather than places of quiet refuge. It assumes that the only way to save a historic structure is to slap a price tag on it and let private businesses move in.
Chris Gilland, who manages Silver Falls State Park, summed it up perfectly in his comment to OPB: “Visitors should be coming to parks for the natural attractions, not the concessions. All of the companies. All of the food. That’s bonus. That’s extra. And once that line gets crossed, where it’s the reason people want to come, I think that’s the line we don’t want to cross.”
Oregon has about 250 state parks. Each one holds a piece of our history and natural beauty. They don’t need to be theme parks or shopping malls. They need protection, maintenance, and funding.
Instead of selling out our parks, let’s demand that the state do its job: restore lottery allocations, consider a modest increase in voluntary park fees, and explore creative public-private partnerships that don’t turn our forests into playgrounds for the wealthy.
If we’re not careful, the next time you visit Fort Stevens, you might find a trendy bar in the barracks and wedding parties partying in the old jail cells. And the wild, unspoiled Oregon we all love? That will just be another commodity sold off to the highest bidder.
