900 Acres of Oregon State Park Land Have Burned, but There Is Good News

Maybe the most positive development: Silver Falls State Park appears to have made it through the worst of the Beachie Creek Fire relatively unscathed.

Silver Falls State Park in October 2019. (Ian Sane / Flickr)

State park officials are beginning to assess the damage from the Oregon wildfires, and while the devastation is widespread, there is some good news.

Overall, 900 acres of state park land have burned so far, according to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department—a better outcome than expected, "given the scope and severity of the fires," the agency wrote in a press release.

Maybe the most positive development: Silver Falls State Park appears to have made it through the worst of the Beachie Creek Fire relatively unscathed.

About 125 acres of the Marion County tourist destination burned, most of it limited to the southeast portion of the park. The park's most popular attraction, the Trail of Ten Falls—a 7-mile hike featuring multiple waterfalls—appears unharmed.

Collier Memorial State Park in Chiloquin was hit hardest, losing 400 acres of trees along with a historic cabin and other facilities, but "the careful fuel reduction and stand improvement slowed the fire spread enough to be contained before major damage occurred," said forester Craig Leech.

For coastal parks such as Devils Lake near Lincoln City, downed trees from strong winds caused more destruction than the fires.

While weekend rains have allowed firefighters to gain the upper hand on the blazes, many parks remain closed as officials continue to assess the damage and plan for repairs. A full list of closures can be found here.

Related: Fires Have Destroyed Much of Breitenbush Hot Springs.

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