At last…something you all may be interested in – or not. But it’s what we saw. At Winchester Bay is a neat little campground that is set back against a hill, with the sites across the street from the Salmon Harbor. Windy Cove is operated by Douglas County. It has both FHU and primitive sites. Most are first come, first served and it looked like a lot of folks were enjoying the park right now.
Most of the spaces seemed pretty close together so better like the people you’re camping with! Many are fishermen or ATVers. The park is fairly well kept with the Caretaker's residence surrounded by flowers and well- kept grass.
A FHU site will run you $23, which includes cable TV and Wi-Fi, with a primitive site going for $15. That’s a pretty good deal but it can sure be busy during the summer and during prime fishing season.
If you want something a
little more upscale, right across the road and on the harbor you will find the Winchester Bay RV Resort. Definitely the place where the big rigs go. Very nice place, green grass, very clean, and direct water views. The bay road bisects the park but it’s a little used road and doesn’t seem to create any problems. This park is NOT $23 per night!Past Windy Cove park is a road leading to several ATV areas. Again, although we have been to Winchester Bay many times, we had never taken this road. Something new to us!
We have visited the portion of the Oregon dunes near Florence so we were prepared to be unimpressed by the scenery. WRONG!! These are not sand hills, these are sand mountains. I could not believe the size of some of the dunes. There is no way to capture the their majesty in 2D but I did take a few shots.
It looked more like a ski area than somewhere you could go roaring across miles of sand in an ATV. The contrast between the dun colored sand and green of the pine trees and sea grasses was something to behold.
It’s hard to visualize just how tall these dunes are but believe me, you wouldn’t want to try walking to the top.
There are rules and precautions in place to protect some of the areas and there are seasonal closures to provide sanctuary for breeding shore birds. These dunes go on for over 40 miles and any marks left in the sand by the ATVs are blown away with the next day’s wind. I am not a big fan of these sand rails, but I saw a lot of people having a grand time with their families and if they enjoy it and follow the rules, more power to them.
To give you a sense of perspective, the red arrow is pointing to a full sized ATV. Click on photo to enlarge.
At the end of the road is the Umpqua Beach Staging area. This a a day use only area and usage fees apply. It’s a great place for ATVers as it is at the end of the road, has a huge paved parking area, restroom facilities and a WHOLE lotta sand!!
If you want to see the immensity of these dunes, go to Google Earth. Some folks may think the dunes should be left alone and no one should be riding loud obnoxious gasoline machines through them. Although a little of the noise goes a long way with me, I feel the dunes are there to enjoy and …why not? It’s not like you can grow crops on them! Oregon is very aware and careful with her natural resources and I believe the dunes are managed in a thoughtful and sustainable manner. This area provides a lot of high energy fun for families and a lot of picturesque viewing for the rest of us. It’s a win/win. Definitely worth going to see even if you hate ATVs!!
