Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

After we departed Crater Lake, we headed west to spend the rest of our time along the coast.  During dinner on our last night at Union Creek, the proprietor of the local restaurant told us about the Oregon Dunes and that we should really stop and check it out while on the coast.  So we did.

Oregon Dunes from the Viewpoint -- this is what we hiked
through in order to access the beach

Oregon has a varied coastline. Miles of sandy beaches in places.  Rocky shorelines and cliffs in other places.  In the southern half of the coast centered around the town of Reedsport are miles of huge dunes that form the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.  There are portions where they allow you to bring your ATVs and go four wheeling of which we saw lots of folks taking advantage. Large sections of the dunes are a protected area for half the year because the western snowy plover nests here when reproducing.

We drove north from Reedsport and stopped at the Oregon Dunes day use area.  From here you had great views of the dunes as well as forested areas between the dunes and the beach.  We decided to hike out to the beach which allowed us to hike over the dunes and through the forest.  In looking at the trail map, I saw that there were multiple boardwalk areas as part of the trail, presumably over areas of water.  You could see a few tidal pools amongst the dunes so that made sense.  Once we crossed the dunes and got into the forest, we were stopped by several, at times knee-deep, pools of water in order to continue on the trail.  I didn't bring my water shoes and the water was too deep for my hiking boots, so off they came.  Now I'm hiking through the forest barefoot in search of the beach.  I happen upon the first "boardwalk" which its maybe 5 feet in length and traverses some type of water. Ironically, there was multiple pools on the other side that you still had to cross.  The other boardwalk had the same characteristics.  I'm still not sure what the purpose was.

Who hikes through the forest barefoot?

We make it to the beach and what a sight. Miles of pristine sand and not a single person in sight.  We were literally the only two people on the beach.  I've never been to any beach where I had it all to myself.  It was quite the treat.  Just us listening to the waves and sounds of nature.

We probably stayed 30 minutes and didn't encounter another soul.  As we hiked back to the car, we did see another couple making the trek out.  We left just in time so they could enjoy the same experience we had.

The payoff