Hoodoo to run Deschutes forest campgrounds

Published 5:00 am Thursday, July 24, 2008

Campgrounds in the Deschutes National Forest will all be operated by Hoodoo Recreation Services starting next year, after the company that also operates the Hoodoo ski area beat out four campground operators for the permit.

“All of the proposals we received were really very good proposals,” said Mark Christiansen, recreation program manager with the Deschutes National Forest. But Hoodoo presented a very strong business plan and offered to pay a lump sum of more than $500,000 up front to cover some of the maintenance work that needs to be done on the campgrounds.

“It seemed to me they had a very well thought-out business plan and financial operating plan,” he said. Hoodoo will pay the Forest Service an average of 13 percent of the gross revenue to operate the campgrounds, he said, and the permit is for five years with an option to renew it for an additional five years.

Tackling some of the maintenance projects was one of the reasons the Forest Service decided to consolidate the campground concessions in the first place, Christiansen said.

Previously, there were three businesses that operated the Forest Service campgrounds on the three ranger districts that make up the Deschutes, he said. And because the fees each business paid could only be used to fix up the facilities in their districts, there wasn’t enough money for the bigger projects.

But combining the three campground operating permits into one that covers all 82 sites will mean there’s a bigger pot of money to make a dent in the $6.5 million of maintenance that needs to be done, Christiansen said.

Having Hoodoo run all the campgrounds also means that there will be more consistent experiences, services and fees throughout the forest, he said.

“We’re really committed to providing a similar recreation experience for similar fees and services across the forest,” he said.