As the 2020 summer of COVID-19 winds down, Shane Bertsch has seen something he would not have anticipated six months ago: Packed campgrounds and crowded hiking trails. 🏕️
Packed campgrounds and crowded hiking trails.
Bertsch cites an unusual source for the flurry of camping and other outdoor pursuits: “I think it stems from COVID. People have just been anxious to get out.” And like most public outdoor use areas across the country, the staff at Lewis and Clark Recreation Area have focused on keeping their facilities as clean as possible. Visitors, Bertsch noted, have seemingly appreciated the extra effort.
All park staff also don masks when within 6 feet of visitors. Welcome center and gate staff are also masked when aiding visitors. Since March the state department of game, fish and parks has seen an increase in visitation and camping in the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area district and in state parks and recreation areas statewide. From Jan. 1 through Aug. 31, the Lewis and Clark Recreation Area recorded a record 883,144 visitors, an increase of 59% from the same period in 2019.
Park shower buildings were closed due to COVID-19 through mid-May, but vault, nonflush toilets were kept open. “As soon as the weather started warming up in late March and early April, we started to see the increase in camping over last year.”
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