Tourists flooded Central Oregon for the holiday weekend despite fewer events and a Deschutes County fireworks ban.

The influx of people is no surprise, though. A recent AAA report revealed Central Oregon is the No. 1 road trip destination for Oregonians this year.

Hotels reached near capacity. Cars lined the roads near Bend parks and sites along the Cascade Lakes Highway. Floaters, kayakers and paddleboarders filled lakes and rivers. Walkers, cyclists and Onewheel electric skateboards in stars and stripes garb paraded through Bend’s streets. Music could be heard in all directions.

Even without the Bend Pet Parade or the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Festival, which were canceled in May due to health concerns, revelry was in the air.

“I think this year is unique,” said Brian Chatard, a Portland resident. “Everyone has been so closed into their houses, unable to recreate in an open way. And not only that, but the restrictions for masks being lifted and whatnot, and the state hitting 70% vaccinations — it all coincided with this weekend.

“That’s a lot of stuff lined up to make this a pretty lively weekend in Bend and in Oregon,” he said. “Everybody’s out doing something.”

Chatard and his friend, Katie Morgan, also from Portland, have been visiting Bend for years for recreation and community.

“Every time we stay with the same Airbnb host,” Morgan said. “We have a relationship with them, and now we have a community when we come out. We love the live music scene.”

Chatard and Morgan were hoping to float the Deschutes River on Sunday afternoon, but the large crowd of floaters at Riverbend Park changed their minds. They decided to try and float Monday instead.

“If we had come earlier, it might have been less busy,” Morgan said. At one point Sunday afternoon in Drake Park, a man was asking floaters if he could buy their river tubes because the stores were sold out. Eventually, he found a man who was willing to loan him three of his.

“I think that speaks to the Central Oregon community,” Morgan said. “Everybody is so nice.”

Most Bend sporting goods stores, including REI and Dick’s Sporting Goods, sold out of river tubes by Sunday.

Tumalo Creek Kayak & Canoe, however, had plenty of river tubes for rent.

“We have a pretty big supply and systems in place so we don’t run out of river tubes,” said Tumalo Creek employee Sue Sox.

According to Sox, the business wasn’t remotely as busy as in previous years.

“Usually, it’s our busiest weekend,” she said. “But it was slow compared to what we were expecting.”

AAA report highlights

According to the AAA report, 597,000 Oregonians planned to take a trip over the Fourth of July weekend, making Fourth of July 2021 the second most traveled Fourth of July on record, behind only 2019. In 2020, Fourth of July travel fell 40% due to the pandemic.

While 2019 saw slightly more Fourth of July travelers overall, 2021 experienced the most road trips for the holiday on record. Some 512,000 Oregonians drove to their Fourth of July destinations, according to AAA.

“People are eager to travel this summer after staying close to home for the last year-and-a-half,” said Doreen Loofburrow, senior vice president of travel at AAA Oregon/Idaho, in a press release. “With pandemic restrictions easing and more people getting vaccinated, we saw a strong kick-off to the summer travel season over Memorial Day and that trend continues for Independence Day.”

Other top Fourth of July road trip destinations for Oregonians after Central Oregon included Utah national parks, Yellowstone National Park and Seattle.