Camping Season is Here, but so is Fire Season !

We love the Gorge, and no one wants to see it destroyed. We just saw a scary wildfire this week near Troutdale, and there’s still plenty of evidence of 2017’s huge fire in the Eagle Creek area. There are things to know if you head out camping now that the weather has warmed up.

This week’s  fire near Troutdale was human caused. It burned 100 acres and luckily no one was hurt.

The Eagle Creek fire was also human caused—a teenager setting off fireworks ignited it. It burned for three months and destroyed over 48 thousand acres.  Take a hike through the Gorge and you’ll see lots of evidence of fire.  Most of the charred trees near trails have been cut down so they don’t fall and hurt anyone.

If you want to camp, make sure you know the rules about campfires before you go. Also have the proper equipment to extinguish a campfire. Anyone hauling campers or trailers should make sure they’re property attached, so they don’t create sparks that could start a fire.

In 2020 we saw record numbers of people hitting the trails, visiting parks and camping because of the pandemic, and the U.S Forest Service doesn’t expect it to slow down much this summer either.