R-Up RV spaces are sold out

By Terry Murry on Thursday, July 29th, 2021 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON – Every year, the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce coordinates RV parking during the Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon. Chamber CEO Cheri Rosenberg said it looks like this year is one for the record books.

“We have people calling every day,” she said. “We have a wait list going right now. We have never been sold out this fast.”

Rosenberg said there are two main reasons for the quick “no vacancy” sign. First, they had many RV owners roll over their reservations from the 2020 Round-Up that was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Secondly, during the pandemic, large numbers of people bought recreational vehicles.

“A lot of those folks who would normally be in hotels and motels are now RV camping,” she said.

The chamber is working on a solution because Rosenberg said whether they have spaces or not, the RV owners are coming. She said having recreational vehicles just park wherever they find the space would place an unfair burden on law enforcement, so the chamber is looking for possible properties they could use.

“We have a couple that are a possibility, however, who is going to man it,” she wondered. “We’re running out of people too.”