Page 68 - Southern Oregon Magazine Summer 2022

the good life | adventure
neck of the woods | theatre

ADVENTURE

JUST MINUTES

FROM DOWNTOWN KLAMATH FALLS

Steen Sports Park

lee juillerat

t’s known as “a big park for a small city.” Steen Sports
Park spans 140 acres and is just miles from downtown
Klamath Falls. Along with open spaces, the park pro-
Ivides facilities for a wide variety of activities, includ-
ing seven baseball/softball diamonds, five soccer fields,
two playgrounds, a multipurpose fieldhouse, skate park, six
pickleball courts, three-mile walking/running path, fitness
trail, indoor batting cages, bathrooms, and concession areas.

Earlier this year, Klamath County Commissioners allocated
$70,000 in federal coronavirus relief to help fund three new
basketball and multi-sport courts inside the 60,000-square
foot Mike’s Field House for basketball, volleyball, pickle-
ball, and possible wrestling tournaments.

Since it was created in 2000, the park has added to, upgraded
its facilities, and found new users. This year the Oregon
Institute of Technology baseball team moved its home
field to Steen. The park hosts non-sports related activities,
including the Klamath Freedom Celebration and Basin Brew
& Q. Estimates indicate the park sees about 100,000 visitors
annually.

Because the park receives no government funding, it relies
on donations and, even more, generated income. In 2020,
the complex earned $4 million from hosting softball and
baseball tournaments. Although smoke from regional forest
fires seriously trimmed 2021’s expected revenue, projec-
tions for this summer’s tournaments are $5-6 million.

What’s the allure of Steen? “Our park is at the edge of town.
It has a different atmosphere,” says Mike Reeder, president
of the park’s board of directors. Noting other sports com-
plexes are often alongside highways or in busy urban set-
tings, Steen says it feels outdoorsy. “People comment about
it being pleasant here.”

66 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | summer 2022