Camping surges, reservations advised.

Byline: SCOTT MABEN The Register-Guard

Campers who haven't thought ahead - way ahead - about where and when they want to get reacquainted with nature this summer may be stuck pitching tents in their own back yards.

That is, unless they're willing to veer off the beaten path.

The sluggish economy and the sucker punch that tourism and travel took Sept. 11, plus the return to full reservoirs this spring, is expected to keep more Oregonians in state for weekend and weeklong getaways.

"They're looking for family time and easy vacations close to home," said Natalie Inouye, vice president of tourism marketing for the Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County.

"It started when the economy softened," Inouye said. "When it was going gangbusters, everyone was doing their dream vacations, going to Europe."

When the state and nation slipped into recession last year, the popularity of camping trips took off, she said.

"I would think that nationwide a lot of people are going to be staying home this year," said Joe Williams, senior recreation planner for the Eugene District of the Bureau of Land Management. "I think we're going to see more interest in camping."

Some folks have been itching to get out early this season, Williams said, recalling an incident during Presidents Day weekend in February.

"We got a cell phone call from some irate citizens who were lined up at the Whittaker Creek Campground wondering why it wasn't opened up," he said.

The campground, about 30 miles west of Eugene off Highway 126, usually opens in mid-May, along with the BLM's two other local camping areas.

Reservations for state campgrounds between Memorial Day and Labor Day are up 27 percent, mainly because people are calling to book sites earlier in the fall and winter, officials said.

"With the economy, people might be taking vacations closer to home, and it might be our own efforts to let people know to reserve early," said Tom Towslee, public services division manager for the state Parks and Recreation Department.

"Everybody kind of wants to point to Sept. 11, too. I can't give you a cause and effect there. Logic would tell you that might have an impact," Towslee said.

Whatever the reasons, "It bodes for an extremely busy summer and probably some frustrations on the part of people making plans to go to those state parks," he said.

The shrewd campground hunter will find bargains not on the coast during weekends, but during the week and at lower-profile sites.

"When most people think of state parks, they think of the coast," Towslee said. "The best-kept secret is that you can get a great camp spot during the summer if you go midweek, and we have some really great parks in Eastern Oregon that get overlooked because of the popularity of the coast."

Two examples, he said, are Collier Memorial State Park north of Klamath Falls and La Pine State Park south of Bend.

Campground occupancy also is up from Oct. 1 to April 30 - what the state calls "discovery season." "We've seen more and more camping during the off-season," Towslee said. "Those numbers have gone up every year during the past four."

The state has 52 campgrounds, half of which require reservations. People can place a hold on state campground sites up to nine months in advance.

Most of the campgrounds are now open, and all are scheduled to be open this year, untouched by the state budget crunch. State parks don't rely on the general fund. Instead, they are supported by camping and day-use fees and state lottery revenues.

More camping options will emerge closer to Memorial Day weekend, May 25-27. That's when most of the 591 campgrounds on U.S. Forest Service land open in Oregon. Those include 56 campgrounds where some of the spots may be reserved.

Nationally, advance reservations for Forest Service campgrounds have been steadily increasing, although the March numbers this year were down slightly from March 2001, said Gail Troop of the Forest Service regional office in Portland.

"What this trend suggests is that there is increasing familiarity with the reservation system," Troop said. "I don't know if you could draw any greater conclusions from that."

Reservations typically are steady January through March, begin to increase in April, peak in June and taper off as the summer winds down, she said.

Forest Service campgrounds can be reserved eight months in advance, and group sites can be booked a year ahead.

Finding a place to camp on federal land isn't as tricky as staking out a spot in a state campground.

"For the rest of the camping season, except for those really popular campgrounds, it's pretty easy to go and get a camp site," said Rex Holloway, media relations officer for the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest region.

And if you can't find a formal site, most public land also is open to offroad or backcountry camping, said Williams of the BLM, noting, "We get a tremendous amount of dispersed camping."

Lane County officials also have seen a jump in the pace of campground reservations, said Loralyn Osborne, marketing and volunteer coordinator for the county parks division. She said recent sunny weather may have inspired residents to start planning their summer escapes.

"The transition has started from winter sports to things you do in the summer," she said. "And yes, because of Sept. 11, more people are traveling locally or in state."

Having Fern Ridge Lake back to normal also helps, Osborne said. Last year's drought cut short the swimming and boating season at the popular reservoir west of Eugene, but this year is a different story. It should be full by midmonth, officials said.

"Compared to last summer, this should be a fun year," Osborne said. "People should be excited about getting back out and camping. We're looking forward to it."

FINDING CAMPSITES

Oregon state parks: 52 campgrounds, half are by reservation. Yurts, cabins, tepees and covered wagons also available at some sites. [phone]; www.prd.state.or.us.

U.S. Forest Service: 591 campgrounds (56 with reservable sites), 27 group sites, 33 horse camps in Oregon. [phone]; www.reserveusa.com.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management: 30 campgrounds in Oregon, three in Lane County, all first-come, first-served: Whittaker Creek, about 30 miles west of Eugene; Clay Creek, about 30 miles southwest of Eugene; Sharps Creek, southeast of Dorena. 683-6600; www.or.blm.gov/recreation.htm

National Park Service: Crater Lake National Park. [phone]; www.nps.gov.

Lane County Parks Division: Baker Bay at Dorena Lake (group site reservations only), 942-7669; Richardson Park at Fern Ridge Lake, 997-5987; Harbor Vista at Florence, 935-2005; general parks information, 682-2000; www.lanecounty.org/parks

CAPTION(S):

Baker Bay campground host Don Henderson attends to last-minute details as the camping season gets under way. Campers are being advised to get reservations early, especially for coastal campgrounds, which fill up first.