Deschutes County, Ore. – Parking at heavily used recreation sites along the Cascade Lakes Highway will now be managed and heavily enforced.
The Deschutes National Forest said concerns for safety and resources have led officials to identify Sparks Lake, Broken Top, Todd Lake, Green Lakes, Devils Lake, and Tumalo Falls as areas that require greater enforcement of designated parking areas.
“The parking is so compact, and everyone is packed in so tightly that we couldn’t get in with a fire engine if we needed to put out a fire, and an ambulance couldn’t get through there,” said Bend-Fort Rock District Ranger Kevin Larkin Thursday.
Parking lot capacity is regularly exceeded on weekends at these heavily used sites, which creates safety issues for the public as well as emergency vehicles that may need to access the areas.
Parking outside of designated areas also damages fragile soils, causing increased erosion and compaction as well as the deposition of sediment in waterways adjacent to parking areas and roads.
“A lot of times, when folks are really anxious to get to a really popular area, they’ll sort of invent their own parking areas, and what they do in the process of creating those areas, (is) damage soils, they trample vegetation,” Larkin said.
The Forest Service will also be increasing patrols in the recreation areas as the new parking regulations are implemented and visitors parking outside of designated areas may be fined up to $5,000, according to officials.
Larkin said such a hefty fine is not likely for a first-time offender who parks in an area by mistake, for example. That could be $50 or $100.
