After a week on the Oregon coast, I am still looking for the beach. I have glimpsed some of the coastline while driving but have not plopped down for the day on a blanket, in the sand, with a good book. I have not even walked onto a beach.

The highway and campgrounds are on the left side of the rugged dunes!

Geography is the biggest problem. The tall Oregon dunes rest against the coastal mountains. It is tough to tell where the lower mountains end and the heavily wooded dunes begin. Hwy 101 cuts through the dunes, but, at least where I am,  it is a mile or so from the actual shoreline so you cannot just park along the road and hit the beach. The campgrounds and day use parking lots are also a mile or so from the beach. I don’t mind hiking in, but the campground host at my first stop, Sutton Campground area, told me that the trail from there was heavily overgrown towards the end and that getting up and over the dunes was a problem for most people.

Tough hiking situation!

I checked the map and decided that Oregon Dunes Recreation Area sounded more user-friendly in terms of beach access. The map showed more trails heading towards the beach and they seemed shorter. I packed up and pulled into a campground in the recreation area with great expectations. First thing, on the first morning, Tango and I found a trailhead. Oh no!!! A sign there told me that, in this area, at this time of year, dogs are not allowed on the beach. The endangered Snowy Plover nests here, and I certainly do not want to disrupt them. I am also not willing to leave Tango tied up all alone, so we walked the long campground loops instead of finding the beach.

Now, if I had an OHV, like a dune buggy, or was willing to rent one, I could access the beach from the campgrounds at Oregon Dunes Recreation Area. The dunes are laced with trails for them, and I often hear the engine noise as they roar through. They are not supposed to approach the Plover nests either, but I imagine their noise is quite disturbing.

Later, on Hwy 101, I passed several businesses that offer dune tours. The vehicles looked like long caterpillars and held at least 12 people each. I noticed the parking lot was full of people willing to pay up for beach access, but I was not.  Even if I was, I always have the issue of traveling with my dog, who I won’t leave in the car while I recreate.

I refused to believe that I could not find an easy access to the beach. After more research and a Sunday drive, I found an entrance on the edge of Florence, a small town between Sutton and Oregon Dunes. The problem this time? The tiny parking lot was full and I wasn’t willing to pay $4 even if someone pulled out. There was nowhere else to park within at least 2 miles.

On Tuesday I move one more time, back up the coast, about 30 miles to the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area to camp for a few nights with my friend Gennie. The map shows that this campground is also set back from the beach, but when I drove south through the area last week, the beaches seemed more accessible. Maybe I will dip my toes into the Pacific and get sand behind my ears. Maybe not.

In the meantime, on day 7 along the Oregon Coast, Tango and I remain beachless in Oregon. In some ways, I am okay with that. The intense offshore winds pick up in the afternoon and blow until bedtime. The blowing sand would turn a picnic on the beach into a gritty nightmare. Besides, I found other things to do! The area is also full of lagoons, lakes, rivers, and creeks!  The watershed for those coastal mountains flows right into the giant dunes, and in the mile or so between Hwy 101 and the elusive beaches, I have found other trails, some elevated on boardwalks, through the scrubby wetlands. It is an enticing combination: towering dunes with dozens of lakes and lagoons flowing in between. I would love to return here someday with my kayak and spend time on the fresh water.

Bah to the beach!