The Oregon Department of Parks & Recreation announced today a special pilot program that will offer discounted rates for electrical and full-hookup RV campsites is now available at selected state parks during September and October. Two parks in Eastern Oregon are included, Starting today, campers will be able to apply a special online code to receive a $7 discount off the nightly RV campsite rate, bringing the current rate from $24-33 down to $17-26.

From Sept. 4-30, the discount can apply to reservations made for Sunday through and including Thursday nights. From Oct. 1–31, the discount is valid all days of the week.

Only reservations made online on or after Aug. 22 are eligible for the discounted rate. Campers must use a special code at checkout—FallFun7—to receive the discount. For more information and to start the reservation process, campers can go online to http://bit.ly/fall4fun.

The discount is available at these parks:

September
—Farewell Bend State Recreation Area between Ontario and Baker City
—Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park near Florence
—Joseph H. Stewart State Recreation Area near Crater Lake
—L.L. Stub Stewart State Park west of Portland
—Viento State Park east of Cascade Locks
—William M. Tugman State Park south of Reedsport

October
—Champoeg State Heritage Area near Newberg
—Emigrant Springs State Heritage Area east of Pendleton
—Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
—L.L. Stub Stewart State Park
—Milo McIver State Park near Estacada
—Prineville Reservoir State Park south of Prineville
—South Beach State Park near Newport
—Viento State Park

Chris Havel, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) associate director, says the discount is a test meant to see if price can encourage campers to explore different parks and to keep the outdoors affordable.

“Americans left 700 million days of vacation on the table in 2017, and more than 80% wish they took the time to discover new places. Oregonians can think beyond the typical summer vacation and show the rest of the country how it’s done,” said Havel. “Price is just one of the ways to encourage new travel, and this is only a limited trial program, but if things go well we’ll expand the discount.”

Additional details:
—The discount is only for new reservations made on or after Aug. 22, 2018.
—Reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
—The discount is for recreational vehicle campsites; current tent site rates vary from $10-22 with lodging tax and remain unchanged.
—ADA-accessible campsites are eligible for the discount. To reserve an ADA-accessible site and apply the discount, call the state parks information center at 800-551-6949.

More information about the parks included in the discount program is on oregonstateparks.org.

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The businesses and communities along the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway welcome participants in the Hells Canyon Motorcycle Rally this weekend. Thousands of motorcyclists are expected to gather in Baker City and spend the next few days exploring byway country and beyond. There are lots of events and opportunities to view the amazing bikes at Baker City. Go to www.hellscanyonrally.com for more information.

Via this byway website, we are often asked for byway travel tips. Below is my response to a recent request for RV parks along the byway:

As you may have seen on maps, the Hells Canyon Scenic Byway is a loop that intersects Interstate 84 at Baker City and La Grande. From those two communities, it circles around the magnificent Wallowa Mountains. There are two nice RV Parks in Baker City. Mountain View RV, www.mtviewrv.com, is set back about 1/2 mile from the freeway, and Oregon Trails West RV Park is located at Exit 302. At and near La Grande, there is Eagles Hot Lake RV, with a nice country setting, www.eagleshotlakerv.com, and La Grande Rendezvous RV, right off the freeway in La Grande, www.lagranderendezvousrvresort.com. In Elgin, 20 miles north of La Grande on OR Hwy. 82 (the byway itself and also called Wallowa Lake Highway), HuNaHa RV is owned by the city and has a nice setting right on the Grande Ronde River, http://www.cityofelginor.org/Hu-Na-HaRVPark.php. There is an RV park in the town of Wallowa, and in Enterprise, Joseph, Halfway and at Wallowa Lake. My favorites would be Wallowa Lake State Park, http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=20, and Park at the River, www.parkattheriver.com, both at the South end of Wallowa Lake and just beautiful. You can find more about most of these and others in the area on www.goodsamcamping.com, then search under the zip codes 97814, 97850 and 97828. I recommend reservations for any of the RV parks during the summer season.

The byway covers over 200 miles and the landscape is very diverse with quite a variation in elevation, going from sage covered hills east of Baker City to high valleys surrounded by mountain peaks at Halfway, Joseph and Enterprise, to the forested mountain pass that links Halfway with Joseph, and the Minam Grade that connects the Wallowa Valley with Elgin. It then drops into the lush farm land of the Grande Ronde Valley at La Grande.

I hope all of my links work for you. There are also lots of Wallowa Whitman National Forest campgrounds,  and other, smaller RV parks throughout the byway. If you haven’t been to the websites below for further information on our area, including other types of lodging facilities, you might want to check them out. The byway goes through three counties, each with their own chamber of commerce, and the regional tourism website is a great resource. Enjoy your visit. I don’t know how much time you have to explore the area, but you are likely to want to come back for a longer stay, and we hope you can. Please let me know if you have further questions.

www.visitbaker.com

www.wallowacountychamber.com

www.unioncountychamber.org

http://www.basecampbaker.com/baker-county-oregon-rv-parks.html

www.visiteasternoregon.com and then select Northeast Oregon

Janet, Hells Canyon Scenic Byway

Photos by Timothy Bishop