Oregon parks open 1,000 more campsite for 2017 solar eclipse

EUGENE – State park officials say they are opening 1,000 more campsites for people coming to watch the summer solar eclipse from Oregon.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department will open up the reservations Wednesday, the Register Guard reported.

The department said it made all their campsites available for reservation nine months ahead of the August solar eclipse and all spots were quickly taken.

Department spokesman Chris Havel says with the help of the U.S. Forest Service, they’ve identified fields and parking lots can double as campsites. Officials intend to have portable toilets at the sites.

A third of the newly available space will be at traditional sites that are normally taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. There will be no first-come, first-serve day-use camping at the parks August 18-20, Havel said.

“We want to make this once-in-a-lifetime event available to as many campers as we can safely accommodate,” he said.

Reservation prices are between $10 a night to $31 a night.

The eclipse will begin on the Oregon coast at 9 a.m. and end at 11:30 a.m. August 21.

People can make their reservations online or over the phone.