Oregon’s state parks are just as busy as ever.

That’s the conclusion from the latest batch of data from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, which released its 2023 visitor counts Tuesday, showing 52,231,692 daytime visitors and 2,909,175 overnight campers statewide last year.

Those are “near-record breaking” numbers, state park officials said, both falling just below records set in 2021, when more than 53 million daytime visitors and more than 3 million campers flooded Oregon’s parks.

Coastal parks once again topped the list, accounting for seven of the top 10 day-use parks and eight of the top 10 campgrounds last year. And while famous natural wonders such as Silver Falls and Smith Rock were plenty busy, the busiest parks were places that offered more space and amenities, such as Fort Stevens and Harris Beach.

A pair of the most popular parks, Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site and Valley of the Rogue State Recreation Area, saw significant declines in visitor numbers last year, though both remained in the top 10. There’s no immediate explanation for the 27% decline in visitors at Newport’s Yaquina Bay, but the 27% decline at Valley of the Rogue in southern Oregon is largely due to the recent closure of its highway rest area, park officials said.

The campground at Beverly Beach State Park also saw a significant decline in 2023, with camper nights falling 26% from the previous year. The campground’s temporary closure in September likely had an impact, and should continue to. The campground is expected to reopen in July.

The park with the biggest year-over-year change was Humbug Mountain State Park on the southern Oregon coast, which saw a 168% increase in visitors in 2023. The sharpest decrease was seen at Fort Yamhill State Heritage site in Grand Ronde, where the visitor count fell by 49% last year.

Day-use numbers at Oregon state parks are calculated using vehicle counters in day-use parking lots and an estimated average of the number of people in each car. Overnight numbers are calculated as “camper nights,” or the number of campers per night at a state park campground.

The parks department said the sustained highs have meant “an increasing need for rangers and support staff at a time when hiring frontline staff continues to be difficult.” Officials said they are currently hiring to fill 250 seasonal rangers and ranger assistants, with the goal of filling all those positions this year.

“Oregon State Parks, like many employers, has struggled to recruit seasonal staff since the pandemic,” parks spokesperson Stefanie Knowlton said. “At least a few parks go through the busy season with one to two seasonal staff positions unfilled. We’re working to spread the word more broadly to help fill those gaps.”

Amid those difficulties, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department expressed gratitude to park visitors after another busy year.

“We are incredibly grateful to our visitors, volunteers, partners and to all those who cherish and support Oregon State Parks,” state park director Lisa Sumption said in a news release. “We could not steward these outstanding natural, scenic, cultural, historic and recreational sites without your support.”

Here are the most visited parks and campgrounds in 2023.

BUSIEST CAMPGROUNDS

1. Fort Stevens State Park

Camper nights: 305,846

Percent Change: -4%

Location: Oregon Coast

2. South Beach State Park

Camper nights: 217,447

Percent Change: +1%

Location: Oregon Coast

3. Nehalem Bay State Park

Camper nights: 189,843

Percent Change: -3%

Location: Oregon Coast

4. Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park

Camper nights: 179,352

Percent Change: 0%

Location: Oregon Coast

5. Cape Lookout State Park

Camper nights: 139,826

Percent Change: +2%

Location: Oregon Coast

BUSIEST DAY-USE PARKS

1. Harris Beach State Park

Visitors: 1,784,420

Percent Change: +12%

Location: Oregon Coast

2. Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site

Visitors: 1,734,802

Percent Change: -27%

Location: Oregon Coast

3. Valley of the Rogue State Recreation Area

Visitors: 1,568,160

Percent Change: -27%

Location: Southern Oregon

4. Oswald West State Park

Visitors: 1,481,968

Percent Change: +53%

Location: Oregon Coast

5. Tolovana State Park

Visitors: 1,246,814

Percent Change: +23%

Location: Oregon Coast