State Parks Damage and Closures, Including Oregon Coast - Landslide and Ice

Published 1/17/24 at 6:25 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast) – Various state parks on the Oregon coast are impacted by recent weather, which includes some closures. Other parks around the state have issues as well, and some road problems still persist on the coastline. (Above: Nehalem Bay State Park today, courtesy OPRD)

Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) said at least nine state parks in the region have either closed or partially closed after ice downed trees, but a handful others on the central and south coast have also had services cut off or experienced damage in the last week.

As northwest Oregon and southwest Washington struggle to recover and thaw out from the major ice storm this weekend, some roads on the coast are still having issues. Among them: Astoria has not rid itself of all of its ice just yet, with some vehicles getting stranded even today (Wednesday). Astoria Police Department said the worst icy spots are on the sidewalks.

Near Florence, a landslide has blocked off some traffic just north of town – at milepost 179. That is right about some of the turnout overlooks (Heceta Atmospheric Viewpoints ) that provide views of Heceta Head Lighthouse. Keep an eye on Tripcheck.com for updates there.

On the Oregon coast and Coast Range, Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, Ecola State Park, LL Stub Stewart State Park and Nehalem Bay State Park are experiencing difficulties and closures.

Nehalem Bay State Park, OPRD

Nehalem Bay State Park's day-use area is shut down as personnel work to keep the campground open. Crews are focusing on clearing downed trees and limbs.

“Dozens” of them and hundreds of broken tree limbs are littering the park, said manager Ben Cox.

“ In addition, we have broken water lines and standpipes and many busted hose bibbs,” he said. “Several of our yurts were impacted by downed trees and branches, but initial inspections indicate no serious damage.”

Landslide just north of Florence, ODOT

Numerous downed trees and ice are problematic at Cannon Beach's Ecola State Park, but it could be reopening today (Wednesday), OPRD said.

Saddle Mountain has been closed since Friday because of the snow and ice, a situation that will likely last through at least Friday.

“The road is unsafe for driving, starting just below the Lewis & Clark Mainline timber road,” Cox said,. “The main gate at the bottom of the road, near US 26, remains locked.”

L.L. Stub Stewart State Park is closed through Friday to incoming reservations that have not already checked in. The day-use area at the park remains open, but the Buxton Trailhead along the Banks to Vernonia State trail is closed. The park is recommending chains or traction tires for all travel.

On the central coast, OPRD's Stephanie Knowles told Oregon Coast Beach Connection there are many damaged areas as well, but no closures.

“All parks in Lincoln County sustained significant tree damage, but minimal structural damage,” she said. “Rangers have been able to clear accesses impeded by debris and downed trees as of yesterday. They started a full assessment of the clean-up operations today.”

Parks near Newport, Depoe Bay, Waldport and around the Florence area have downed trees all over. Several have lost power, internet or phone lines or some combination of the three. Among them: Yachats State Park, Yaquina Bay State Park, Washburne State Park and several others, she said.

Down at Brookings, Harris Beach State Park lost phone and internet temporarily.

“Most services should be back up and running depending on the park,” Knowles said. “Check individual park pages for updates on any closures or partial closures.”

Ecola State Park, OPRD

Around the state, Elijah Bristow State Park and Jasper State Recreation Site in the Eugene area are closed due to icy roads and a deluge of tree issues, along with Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site (Albany).

Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint near Hillsboro is closed because of ice and snow.

In the Gorge, the Vista House is shuttered because of no power, although Crown Point remains open.

In addition, three Willamette River Greenway access points have closed including Pengra, Cloverdale and Lynx Hollow

For updates about these parks and other Oregon State Parks, check https://stateparks.oregon.gov/ or call the park information line at (800) 551-6949.

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Nehalem Bay State Park, OPRD

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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