Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
Cascadia State Park has been closed completely for the winter instead of the usual partial closure,
The park remains open to visitors on foot, and a small area near the entrance to the park allows some parking, but the main parking lots have been closed. In the past, the front parking area has remained open.
Cascadia State Park is a part of the Detroit Lake state parks system, District Manager Steve Janiszewski said. It’s 20 or 30 air miles, but it’s 75 miles by road from the Detroit headquarters.
Years ago, Cascadia State Park had a resident ranger and a host on site, he said. In recent years, the park has had a host through the winter but last year’s host did not return this year, Janiszewski said, and the Parks and Recreation Department was unable to find a replacement.
Because the park is seasonal use, it has no regular staffing, he said. During the summer, someone would drive down from Detroit once or twice a week.
It’s a long distance for parks employees to drive to maintain it, and that led to the decision, one Janiszewski supported, he said. “To save some budget dollars and thinking about other places along that Highway (Highway 20) that people can stop, they just didn’t feel it was viable to keep that site open.”
The park has enough room that visitors can park at the gate and walk into the park, Janiszewski said. The park remains open to anyone who wants to do that.
Trips to Cascadia Cave, which is on land managed by Cascade Timber Consulting and accessible through the park, also will be able to continue, Janiszewski said.
The land is privately owned, and visitors need permission to visit the cave, but tours to the cave are frequently led by archaeologist Tony Farque of the Sweet Home Ranger District, for school children during the school year and adults during the summer.
The state is in the process of trying to acquire the property, Janiszewski said, but county and state park officials have also talked about moving Cascadia State Park into the county parks system.
At this point, they have just had discussions, Janiszewski said.
“I know they did very well with some of their campground revenue,” and they might be willing to branch out. The state is “certainly willing to talk about it,” but the state probably will not just give it to the county.