The Dyrt found that 18% of campers reported that wildfires or natural disasters disrupted their camping plans in 2023. That’s three times more than the 6% who said their plans were disrupted in 2019 and indicates a steady rise over the past five years.
The percentage of campers who reported wildfire- or disaster-related disruptions in 2020, and again in 2021, was 11%. That has now increased to 18% in both 2022 and 2023. As part of The Dyrt’s 2024 Camping Report presented by The All-New Toyota Tacoma, West Coast states California, Oregon and Washington were found to be the most affected by fires and disasters.
“The Dyrt has been headquartered here in Oregon since the very beginning, so we’ve seen firsthand the toll wildfires have taken on the Pacific Northwest,” said The Dyrt CEO Kevin Long. “It’s scary and tragic for so many reasons. These unpredictable occurrences also make it extremely challenging to plan ahead for camping. And because it can be so difficult to get a reservation at popular campsites, making a last-minute change of plans is exceedingly difficult.”
One-third of West Coast campers (33.1%) had plans interrupted by wildfires and natural disasters in 2023. That’s two-and-a-half times more than the average camper nationwide, which is 13.1% when excluding the West Coast. Zooming in specifically on the PNW, 42% of campers in Oregon and Washington reported disruptions in their camping plans.
“30 miles and millions of acres of burnt trees,” is how The Dyrt camper Robert D. of Oregon described a road trip with his wife from Yamhill to Redmond in 2023. “At mile marker #23 the devastation started. Because of the amount of trucks and equipment working to remove all the burnt trees, the speed limit was reduced to 40 mph.
“I looked up both sides of the canyon wall some thousand feet above me. All I could see was burnt trees clear to the top on each side. Hundreds of thousands of trees burnt just enough to blacken the trunk at the bottom, but not enough to get to the branches up high. Our favorite camping spot, Blue Pool Campground, was closed for over a year’s time.”
In a press release from the U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Northwest assistant fire director for operations, Ed Hiatt, said: “This is shaping up to be another monster fire year in the Pacific Northwest and it’s just mid-July. We’re at Preparedness Level 5, the highest level of wildfire response possible in the region and nation.” The largest active blaze in the U.S. at this time is in eastern Oregon and Idaho.
Documentary filmmaker Trip Jennings used The Dyrt to find camping while researching and shooting “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire.” The film highlights more effective fire mitigation tactics.
“We’re proud that a member of The Dyrt camping community is at the forefront of this issue and was able to rely on the millions of reviews from The Dyrt camping during the filmmaking process,” said Long. “Wildfires were one of the factors we had in mind while designing features for The Dyrt that enable flexibility for campers.”
The Dyrt Alerts allow campers to book sold-out campgrounds, often at the last minute. The Dyrt’s Free Camping Collection includes a curated map to 5,000 free camping locations, many of which campers can visit spontaneously if wildfires or other factors disrupt their plans.
