Oregon Dunes

FOG

FOG

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Want to go around the end of July or first part of August.

Where to go, where to camp? Anything else I need to know?

I know there was some good info on the Oregon Dunes, but I have CRS and so does the old GD.com, so what say you guys in the know now.

 
We go every year to Oregon dunes we stay at horsfall campground you will need to reserve ASAP have you ever been to Oregon coast ? There are several spots to camp near dune access at horsfall you camp on asphalt so that is nice and it has probably the best dune  access that I have seen. A lot of the other camp sites you need to take a short trail ride to get to the sand. There are partial hook ups at horsfall you can dump you’re gray and fill with fresh water when needed. They have a community bathroom w pay showers that are cleaned Dailey. Town is near buy to get supplies and airport as well 

it’s a great spot in my opinion have fun .

 
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Boxcar/Horsfall is nice and you can get full hook-ups.  Good access, even with a DP.  Dunes are small, scenery is amazing and you can ride on the beach.  Winchester Bay is about 15 mins north of Boxcar and has some taller dunes but the overall area is small.  Amazing for a SxS/quad IMO since there are lots of trails in the trees and around the sea grass.  You cannot ride on the beach and sand camping is tough.  We used to go every year during Dunefest (until Covid) and they allowed you to sand camp.  Winchester is very small if you're in a rail.  The wind blows all the time at Winchester Bay.

 
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Been going to Oregon dunes for many years. We usually stay at the Windy Cove Campground in Winchester Bay. County run campground with full hook ups, showers, playground, etc...It's about a half mile ride to the dunes that you can ride on the shoulder of the road. From there, we take day trips to the other spots. You can also do charter fishing trips and crabbing from the dock in Winchester Bay. The last two times we've been, the weather has been terrible but those trips were in late June/early July. I think later on in the summer would be ideal. Book now if you can. A lot of places might already be full.

 
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I prefer Florence area. It’s a good size dune area with some larger hills then smaller rolling dunes. You can drive along the beach too if you want. Keep in mind, none of the Oregon dunes areas are even close to the size of Glamis nor have hills like Olds. However, they are still quite fun and have trees, the ocean, and a nice experience. 
We like Florence as we have a membership to a members only campground there that has full hook-ups, nice clean bathrooms and showers, easy direct dunes access, and a pretty mellow family atmosphere. There are other campgrounds at Florence too, or you can camp on the sand or do day trips from several parking lot/access points. Florence also has convenience of being close to town with restaurants, hotels, fuel and several power sports dealers and auto parts stores if you need them. 
I’m sure GBR will chime in here shortly as he’s another Oregon local. He usually does Coos Bay I believe. 

 
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Thanks for all the info. 

 
My personal favorite Oregon dunes is Winchester. There is no beach access for OHV but an easy walk to the beach. I know these dunes like the back of my hand and think it is best for "duning". A lot of hidden trails  and tree shots that are a blast on quads.

Coos is broken up and has tons of trails and beach access but is usually whooped out bad pretty much everywhere. The north end, Spinreel and Riley Ranch is my favorite area at these dunes. Coos is the largest area of all the Oregon dunes.

I am not overly familiar with Florence, but found it hard to put together a long flowing ride there, tons of razor backs but great beach access.

As for camping, it might be hard to find camping in an improved campground due to demand in the summer. You might luck out and find a cancellation you can jump on. All the areas have sand camping sites, but those require a reservation too. Winchester has good overflow camping that is first come first serve. The area where Dunefest is set up is what the county uses as overflow camping and is a large area so getting a spot shouldn't be a problem.

Weather is unpredictable all summer. If it's warm inland the coast is usually cold and windy. We camped at Winchester on the sand the beginning of last August and it was cool and windy the whole week. We never had a camp fire the whole week due to the wind.

 
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Something I just realized and might impact your plans given the time frame you mentioned, Dunefest at Winchester is July 27th to August 1st. Winchester will be a clusterfock for a few days before the event till the end of the event and the sand will be torn up bad. The good part is it will take pressure off the other riding areas for that week, so might be less crowded at Coos and Florence.

 
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I went to Winchester twice stayed in the campground there it is very Pretty..If and when I go back it will be too Boxcar to try that out

 
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I just looked up Dunefest and it appears that there are some interesting activities. 
Has anyone been to the Oregon Dunefest?

 
We have been to several Dunefest over the years. The event went from a well organized event to very disorganized mess a few years ago and we quit going. But I heard through friends that it was improving in recent years and we decided to go again in 2020, but of course Covid cancelled those plans.

I enjoyed the events when we went. The drags and course racing was two of my favorites along with the freestyle mx shows.

Lots of rookies on the dunes during the event so you need to be cautious when riding. Banshee Hill is the main gathering point, similar to Olds when its crowded. Great time to park and watch the circus. Vendor row used to be pretty decent, not sure how that is now. It went downhill when the event got disorganized, but again, I've heard that has improved.

If it is like it was 10 years ago it was worth going if you like watching the craziness going on. Again, i heard it's back on track but I have not seen it myself so I can't personally verify that.

 
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I think this event has surpassed Dunefest in Oregon. I'm going up this year to check it out. We're also going back in August and stay at Coos Bay KOA. I think you will be disappointed if you bring the rail. Oregon is better suited to Atv's / SxS's

https://www.utvtakeover.com/

 
So everyone has given some good info. 
We mostly dune in the Coos Bay part of the dunes the best access is Box Car Hill campground they are right at the sand and have full hookups and elec and water only or the forest service camp ground Horsefalls as already mentioned. My preference is Riley Ranch a Coos county campground not the best access but a nice area has water and electricity no sewer also the Oregon Dunes KOA full hook ups and both KOA and Riley are building additional sites now just not sure time frame for them. For Winchester Bay like has been said is small but we dune there also Douglas County now has all the campgrounds that I would consider off-road friendly unless you sand camp that is USFS. Reservations are a must everywhere.

I forgot about The Myrtle Wood Factory at Hauser pavement no hookups but is usually easier to get sites on shorter notice we will be there the weekend of the 9 of July for my oldest granddaughter’s boyfriend’s birthday party.

If you need any phone numbers or come up with any questions please feel free to PM me and I will give you my phone number and we can talk about the different areas.

Also we run our sand car here with no problem it just won’t be like Glamis or St Anthony and we have a sxs that helps cause all those damn chatter bumps.

If I can help you out in anyway let me know always enjoy helping out fellow duners

GR

 
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We went four years in a row last one being 2008. It was AWESOME!

We liked and stayed in Florence dunes 3yrs and 1 yr at the Coos KOA

Day tripped one time to Winchester

The trail systems, trees, beach, lakes are so much fun to cruise thru and create an adventure.

 
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Thanks again everyone for all the great info. 
I checked the campsites on the Dunefest website and they are “first come, first serve “. So it looks like if I ago I probably need to get there a week early. 

 
My Friends that Live up there that go to Dunefest every year say the UTV takeover up there is way Bigger now than Dunefest is. I went to Dunefest 14 years ago and it was really cool and a lot of fun but I havent been back. I agree up there is much more fun with the SXS than the buggy. If you wanna go experience Oregon dunes go on an Off weekend and go explore without the crowds

 
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Thanks again for all the good info. I made a camping reservation during Dunefest. I’m thinking the events could be entertaining. If things work out I plan to go up before Dunefest and stay some time afterwards to explore the other areas. I can’t make reservations elsewhere because that part of my trip is tentative. So I’ll just have to wing it. 
The way it looks now I’ll probably only be taking my new Honda Talon and leaving my SU Mid engine home. 

 
You willl have more fun up there in the Talon than with the SU.. Dunefest there is alot to see and watch for sure

 
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