There's dune riding and then there's dune riding at the Oregon Dunes.
Believe us, there is a huge difference. And you have to experience it to fully appreciate that difference.
Yes, there are lots of dunes where the four-wheeling is amazing and that definitely includes the Oregon Dunes. But the Oregon Dunes have the added unique advantage of being able to ride next to the Pacific Ocean and in some places on the beach just feet from the ocean.
The smell of the ocean and the awesome scenery are what help set the Oregon Dunes apart from other dune experiences. Then throw in the fact that these are the largest dunes in Oregon and it's not hard to see why the Oregon Dunes are so popular.
The Oregon Dunes are divided into three different riding areas by natural and government-imposed closures but all totaled up, stretch along about 40 miles of Oregon's central coastline. The northern section, South Jetty to Siltcoos, is roughly between Florence and the Siltcoos River. The center section, known as Umpqua, stretches from just south of the Umpqua River and Lighthouse State Park near Winchester Bay south about 5 miles to the Douglas/ Coos County line. And the southern portion stretches from Spinreel to Horsfall Beach Road, north of North Bend.
North To South
The northern dunes offer flat, open riding with some rolling dunes, as well as beach access on designated trails (certain times of the year) while the Umpqua area have the highest dunes on the Oregon coast. The southern section has more trails that wind through the trees as well as some open areas.
All totaled up, the Oregon Dunes, which are part of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, have 5,900 acres for OHV riding. Many portions of the Oregon Dunes are open to riding all year round although there are closures at certain times of the year. Your best source of information for that is www.fs.usda.gov/siuslaw or stop by the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area office in Reedsport at 855 U.S. Highway 101.
All of our riding on this trip to the dunes was in the Umpqua area, the center section of the Oregon Dunes. The Umpqua riding area is where you'll find some of the more famous (and fun) riding spots in all of the Oregon Dunes. That 
includes Banshee Hill, the Coliseum and the Oasis. You can ride to the seawall, which separates the riding area and the ocean but you're within about 150 yards of the water.
It's in the other two Oregon Dunes areas where you can actually ride on the beach during certain times of the year. Just about regardless of where you're riding in the Umpqua, however, you can see the ocean.
Several parking areas provide access to the dunes, however, we were staying at the Discovery Point Resort, which provides direct access to the dunes. When riding from the resort you pass below the Umpqua River Lighthouse (www.umpqualighthouse.org) on the way to the dunes. You can tour the 65-foot lighthouse, which sits about 100 feet above sea level, daily from May 1 through Oct. 20 and other times of the year by appointment. See the website for more details.
Riding The Umpqua Area
Once to the dunes, the first famous feature you come to is Banshee Hill, which got its name years ago. Motorcycles were the first vehicles able to climb the hill and repeated use helped blaze a trail through a narrow gap in the trees. When quads became popular several tried to climb the hill with Yamaha Banshees, the first ones to go over the top. Hence Banshee Hill. While horsepower junkies love to race up the hill, many of today's four-wheelers can make the climb, even without sand tires. For those who don't want to try to climb Banshee, you can go around the 
backside and ride down. The top of Banshee is accessible by one of the five sand fingers that stretch into the trees along the coast. Regardless of which direction you decide to go, you need to be aware of other traffic going up and down Banshee.
Banshee Hill is a popular stop in the Umpqua area as is the Coliseum, the tallest dune between Coos Bay and Florence. It got its name because of its punch bowl design years ago. All that remains today is a ridge-a really big ridge, great for climbing. It's also an impromptu drag racing hill, evidenced by the handful of machines we watched racing up and down.
Just off the Coliseum is the third sand finger, which provides an awesome overlook of Clear Lake, the water source for Reedsport and Winchester Bay. Each of the sand fingers has its own character and riding opportunities, some with decent size ridges, others rolling hills.
Fingers four and five is where the Oasis is. Oasis might be a bit of a misnomer because many of the trees are just snags although there are several live pines there. There are numerous trails in, through and around the trees that are fun to play on.
South of the Oasis is another fun area to ride, where sand trails weave in and out of grass patches, trees and shrubs. When we were there-February-there were plenty of water holes, too. There were also a couple of streams flowing through the sand, which are fun to splash through. Most of the water holes dry up by May with just a couple of the bigger lakes having any water through the summer.
Looking Over The Seawall
It's down in the southern part of this riding area past the parking and sand camping areas where you can get closest to the ocean. There is a trail that leads to the seawall, also known as foredunes, where you can park and walk to the beach. The foredunes are actually low sand hills, parallel to the ocean, created years ago after European beachgrass was planted, slowing the wind and causing the sand to drop out and pile up.
While we covered the highlights of the Umpqua area, there is plenty more riding than just in those areas. If you make the trip, however, you should make a point to hit these areas.
By far the Oregon Dunes are busiest in the summer but don't rule out riding there 
other times of the year. As mentioned, we hit the dunes in mid- February and we had a blast, partly because the crowds were minimal. It felt like we had the dunes to ourselves. As for the weather, the high temps were in the lower to mid 50s and it was a bit windy but we managed not to get rained on (this coastal areas gets up to 10 inches in February). It did rain at night but not during the day. A sweatshirt and jacket were all we needed on our ride. Even during the summer it never really gets hot, with highs in July and August barely getting past the 70 degree F mark.
As with many coastal areas, the Oregon Dunes to see their fair share of wind. In fact, the local club's name is the Windy Bay Rippers (www.windybayrippers.com). Club member Tim Mitchell was our guide for our two days of riding. A good wind storm can not only erase your tracks from the day before but change the shape of the dunes you were riding on. The sand is constantly changing. In fact, you might ride the Oregon Dunes in the summer (summer winds create transverse dunes) and then again in the winter to find some dunes have completely changed. That's just one reason it doesn't get old riding the dunes.
While we rode just the Umpqua area, getting to the northern and southern riding areas is as easy as loading up and driving a few miles north or south. And, if for some really odd reason, you got bored riding the dunes, you are on the ocean, 
which means there's beachcombing, swimming, crabbing (Discovery Point rents pots) and fishing. And if you hit the area in August, a good time to go would be during Dune Fest (www.dunefest.com), which is all things four-wheeling and sand. This year's event is Aug. 3-7. So if anyone tells you dune riding is just dune riding, it's obvious they haven't been to the Oregon Dunes.
Oregon Dunes
Elevation Sea level up to 100-plus feet (depending on the wind)
Full Service Town Florence (north end), Reedsport/Winchester Bay (central part), North Bend/Coos Bay (south end)
Nearest Airport (All distances from Reedsport) Southwest Oregon Regional Airport/North Bend (24 miles - 1 airline), Eugene (89 miles - 4 airlines), Portland International (196 miles - 13 airlines)
Getting Started Reedsport/Winchester Bay Chamber of Commerce 800-247- 2155 or www.reedsportcc.org
Getting There The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area is west of U.S. Highway 101 between Florence (on the north) and North Bend/Coos Bay (on the south). There are several parking areas scattered along the recreation area where you can park your rig and access the dunes. These are detailed on a decent map found on the Siuslaw National Forest webpage accessed on www.fs.usda.gov.
Getting Around There are several businesses which rent ATVs. A list is available on the Reedsport chamber website under the Members Business Directory tab. Discovery Point Resort, with direct access to the dunes, rents ATVs.
Bedding Down The Oregon Dunes are a popular destination so there is no shortage of hotels/motels/resorts, RV parks and camping spots. We stayed at the Discovery Point Resort (www.discoverypointresort.com), where the dunes are just about right out the resort's front door- literally-and you have direct access to the dunes. Discovery Point has a variety of lodging options from 1-3 bedroom cabins, park trailers (which are a bit bigger than a travel trailer), condos, tent sites and RV sites. Discovery Point also has a general store and repair shop. The folks at Discovery Point are very friendly, have an extensive knowledge of the Oregon Dunes and are family-oriented. It was a great place to stay.
Eating Out If you love seafood, this is your place. There are several excellent seafood restaurants scattered among the towns that flank the dunes. Three of our favorites are Fishpatrick's Crabby Café (www.crabbycafe.com) and Unger's Bay Fish and Chips (541-271-4955) in Winchester Bay and Mo's (www.moschowder.com) in Florence. The chamber has a complete list of restaurants.
