"If people visit a state park more than six times a year, we really recommend that they get an annual parking permit." Jo Niehaus, a senior policy advisor with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, gave that advice to the Banks Post in February. At the time, the agency was adding the Banks-Vernonia State Trail to a list of 22 state parks that would start charging for day-use parking on March 30, 2026.
The fee only applies at one of the trail's five trailhead lots. Niehaus said the Banks Trailhead is the only one that requires a permit. The other four, at Manning, Buxton, Tophill and Beaver Creek, did not need one when the change was announced. So on a 21-mile rail trail that runs through the foothills of the northern Coast Range, the one trailhead in town is the one with a price on it. That trailhead is also where a forestry trap caught an invasive beetle this summer, and its gate closes earlier as fall goes on.
Every Way Onto the Trail, and What Each One Costs
The new rules depend on where you leave your car, or whether you bring one at all. Oregon State Parks says access stays free for anyone who walks, bikes or takes public transportation.
| Starting point | Parking rule as of 2026 |
|---|---|
| Banks Trailhead | State day-use permit: $10 in-state, $12 out-of-state, or a $60 annual pass for Oregon residents |
| Manning, Buxton, Tophill, Beaver Creek trailheads | No permit required when the fee was announced |
| Five Star Builders, 13981 NW Main St., Banks | After-hours parking listed by Oregon State Parks: weekdays 5 p.m. to dusk; weekends and state holidays 7 a.m. to dusk |
| Vernonia Lake Park, at the far end | City of Vernonia lot: $5 a day, or a $50 annual pass from Vernonia City Hall |
| On foot, by bike or by public transit | Free |
The Vernonia row matters if you plan a full end-to-end trip. The state permit does not cover Vernonia Lake Park, which is a city park and a popular access point at the north end, and the City of Vernonia charges its own parking fee.
The Five Star Builders row matters most for anyone in town. Oregon State Parks lists that Main Street lot as after-hours parking for the trail, and on weekends and state holidays its listed hours start at 7 a.m., the same time the trailhead opens.
Doing the Math on a $60 Pass
Niehaus's six-visit rule follows from the prices. A day permit costs $10 for Oregon residents, and the 12-month pass costs $60. By the sixth day you park at the Banks Trailhead, you've spent what the annual pass costs. Every trip after that would have been free with the pass.
The pass also reaches beyond this trail. A day permit is good for the whole day of purchase at any Oregon state park. L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park, which sits along the trail between Banks and Vernonia, already charged for day-use parking before this spring. So one $10 permit can cover a morning at the Banks Trailhead and an afternoon at Stub Stewart on the same day. If either place is part of your regular routine, the annual permit is sold online and ends up covering both.
The agency said the 22 new fee parks were picked because they have amenities that need upkeep, such as restrooms, trails and paving, and that parking fees pay for maintenance and operations. Oregon State Parks gets no general fund tax dollars. Roughly 35% of its funding comes from park fees, and it is dealing with a projected budget shortfall.
The fee came after a quieter year. The trail logged an estimated 109,050 day-use visits in 2025, down about 14% from 127,313 in 2024 and below its 2021 peak of 136,205. Stub Stewart's day-use visits fell from 250,612 in 2024 to 153,248 in 2025, while its overnight stays held close to steady at 70,947 camper nights. The Banks Post reported that the statewide park system also dipped from a record 2024, and it did not name a single cause for the local drop.
The Clock Moves Twice Before Spring
The trailhead's hours change on a set schedule, and the cutover dates are easy to forget:
- May 1 to Sept. 1: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Sept. 2 to Nov. 2: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Nov. 3 to March 8: 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- March 9 to April 30: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
As of today, Sept. 30, the 7 p.m. close has been in place for four weeks, and the switch to 5 p.m. comes on Tuesday, Nov. 3. After that, anyone heading out after work has a much shorter window at the trailhead.
The Five Star Builders lot fills part of that gap. Its weekday hours, as listed by Oregon State Parks, run from 5 p.m. to dusk, starting at the same hour the trailhead closes from November through early March. The lot sits on Main Street in town, so it's an option for a weekday evening start even after the trailhead gate closes.
A Beetle Turned Up at the Same Trailhead
In mid-July, the Oregon Department of Forestry checked a trap at the Banks-Vernonia trailhead on NW Sellers Road, at the north edge of Banks, and found emerald ash borer inside. The department's August Oregon Tree Health Threats bulletin called it the farthest north the invasive beetle has been found in Oregon and the first detection in an Oregon state park.
So far, this is a trap detection, not a confirmed infestation in the trees. Matt Mills, an emerald ash borer support specialist with the department, told the Banks Post that no infested trees have been identified as far as he knows. He also said the traps' lures do not pull beetles in from far away:
"So if we are finding them in traps we know there are infested trees nearby."
The trailhead find wasn't the first one near town. A trap at Killin Wetlands Nature Park, west of Banks along NW Cedar Canyon Road, caught the beetle in July 2025. The same mid-July round of trap checks this year also turned it up in Salem and inside Beaverton's city limits for the first time. All of those finds were inside the five-county quarantine zone, which includes Washington County. Kat Bethea, the department's emerald ash borer support specialist, said other states have seen the beetle spread quickly like this four or five years after it was first spotted. According to the bulletin, OregonEAB.com is where to report new sightings.
What Sits Around an Afternoon on the Trail
The town end of the trail has gotten more complicated, but it's still the end closest to everything else in Banks. That includes a few fall stops with dates attached.
Before an early start. Local Joy Coffee+Wine at 13731 NW Main St. lists hours of 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It opens before the trailhead does on weekdays and at the same time on Saturdays. Since it closes at 4, plan coffee for the morning.
After a late finish. Main Street Pizza Co. is at 12350 NW Main St. Its website offers online ordering. It's also hosting the City of Banks and Banks Chamber of Commerce business appreciation event on Oct. 22.
Through Halloween. The Banks Post fall guide lists Jim Dandy Farm Market's pumpkin patch and sunflower-field trails, open daily through Halloween, along with pumpkins and squash at 26 West Farms.
Oct. 21 to 24. The Friends of Banks Public Library hold their fall book sale in the library's Jane Moore Community Room, with hours that vary by day.
On the drive in from the east. ODOT is building a roundabout at OR 6 and NW Aerts Road, east of Banks. Traffic in both directions is on a temporary bypass, with possible lane and shoulder closures and access limits at NW Aerts Road and NW Washington Avenue. ODOT's project page, last updated Aug. 3, 2026, lists construction for 2026 and 2027 and does not list any closure of the trailhead.
For anyone in town, the free ways onto the trail are on foot or by bike from Main Street, or by driving one lot up the line to Manning. The paid lot is still there for days when it's the most convenient start, and with the annual pass, every visit after the sixth is free.
Little changes like a new parking fee, a gate that closes earlier, or an evening lot on Main Street add up to what a place is like day to day, and they're the kind of detail I pay attention to across western Washington County. If you have questions about Banks or the towns along this trail, I'm always happy to talk through what I'm seeing. Robyn Schamberger Let's Connect.
