Oregon Hikers

U.S. Forest Service officials announced the first step toward addressing overcrowding and drunken behavior at some of Oregon’s most iconic outdoor places.

Officials laid out a series of new rules and regulations for Three Pools Recreation Site, Opal Creek Trail, Elk Lake and Breitenbush River east of Salem.

What are the rules, in a nutshell?

Three Pools: Alcohol would be banned and only people parking in the site’s 94-space lot would be allowed into the popular swimming holes northeast of Mehama.


Opal Creek Trail: Campfires would be banned at most backpacking campsites along Opal Creek Trail, near Jawbone Flats and up Kopetski Trail. Parking would be limited to a quarter mile down Forest Service Road 2209 from the Opal Creek Gate Trailhead.

Elk Lake, Breitenbush River, French Creek, Blowout Creek: Dispersed camping — user-created sites not part of an official campground — would be illegal for larger area along roads that access these waterbodies.