RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
FLOATING AWAY FROM THE CROWDS
CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OREGON, UNITED STATES
When choosing a recreation spot, opting for less crowded areas reduces your impact on popular sites and enhances the whole experience. In Oregon’s Mount Hood territory, visitor education and real-time information are helping to ease congestion and create more enjoyable outings.
What's
changing
Natural recreation spots near growing urban areas are suffering from traffic, loaded parking lots and huge crowds, leading to frustrated visitors and damaged ecosystems.
What's already
possible
Near Mount Hood, the Clackamas River is a hot spot for floats in the summer, attracting locals, Portland residents and other visitors. Oregon’s Mt. Hood Territory, the local destination marketing organization (DMO), is running a campaign to disperse crowds from high-use areas by directing visitors to alternate river launch points.
Seizing
the opportunity
The DMO learned about crowded launch points from park rangers. Their concerns became the focus for a widespread campaign. Signs at crowded areas now give directions to different launch points. Rangers distribute postcards about launch points to people waiting to park. Local convenience stores host A-frame structures with information about less-crowded areas. Online communication and television ads encourage visitors to plan days at different spots along the river.
Standout
tactic
Webcams positioned near the river let visitors check traffic and parking before leaving home, so they can find less crowded launch points or choose to visit another time.
How
it helps
Changes since the campaign have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the rangers at Barton Park, traditionally the most crowded access point. Rangers can provide better customer service and offer alternative solutions that prevent visitors waiting hours for parking spaces. Visitors used QR codes displayed on signs over 1,300 times during the summer of 2024. Wait times to get to the river during the summer were a maximum of ninety minutes; in years past, wait times were up to three hours.
Diving
deeper
How can destinations aiming to disperse crowds ensure they are not shifting the problem to create new hot spots that may not have the infrastructure to handle increased traffic?
Increasing
impact
A campaign that considers a larger area could direct visitors to activities for fun in the water at other locations, not along just one river.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
