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Oregon Dunes Overlook

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Tavia
Tavia
First Reviewer
2 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
1
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2
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Oregon Dunes Overlook

  • January 30, 2001
  • Rated 2 of 5 by Tavia from New York, New York
Oregon Dunes Overlook

If you have an aversion to sand, do not come here! (Heck, what are you doing on the Oregon Coast in the first place?) This overlook is more than a nice place to park your car and stretch your legs -- it gives you access via very Jersey Shore-type boardwalks and staircases to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area.

Do not so easily dismiss the allure of the dunes: there is some serious sand here, and it is as rolling and as gentle as the ocean on a clear and calm day, albeit much less visibly in motion. The dunes extend for miles up and down the coast, and inland as well, and the recreation area includes lakes and streams (for those of you tired of the ocean, bays and coves). It is also easy to underestimate the size of the dunes. Even when standing right in front of them, we didn't grasp how expansive they were until we spied what we thought was a bird or a rabbit moving across the dunes only to realize it was a person (see photo).

Another beautiful thing about all this sand is that if you look deep into the western horizon, you can see the ocean shimmering off in the distance. I'm much more of a walk-through-and-observe type of gal myself, but there were plenty of people taking advantage of the sunnny weather to ride their buggies over the dunes. (In fact, I passed quite a few of them up on trailers while driving on the highways and routes of Oregon. Must be a big summertime thing there).

From journal Route 101 from Astoria to Sunset Bay

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