General
Winchester Bay is the name of the deep sea fishing harbor near this
middle section of the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
(ODNRA).
It is about three miles west of Reedsport on Highway 101. These
are
the some of the best dunes for sandrails or others interested in open
sand
running. The dunes here are also the highest in the ODNRA.
The sand starts about a mile south-west of the Winchester Bay
Marina.
The road continues south along the beach, behind the foredune.
There
are three parking lots: Ziolkouski Beach, Umpqua Beach, and Umpqua
Beach
Day-Use. The last (#3) one has the machine for day use permits,
rest
rooms, a covered picnic area and a caretaker's trailer.
It's
designed especially for off-highway vehicles, with long parking slips
that
can accommodate the longest motor home trailer combinations.
Access
to the last lot is closed with a gate at 10:00 PM and opened again at
7:00
AM. The dunes are open for riding 24 hours, but there is no
overnight camping in any of the parking lots, so be sure to
stay
awake. They will ticket you or chase you out if it looks like you
are not up and about. The second parking lot is best for extended
hours use. Here is a map. |
Beach
The beach along this section is closed to vehicles. There is
usually plenty of driftwood available for campfires. There is an
interesting area near the Umpqua river where an area is enclosed on
both
sides by the jetty. Inside this triangular area is an oyster
farm.
Fresh oysters are available daily at the Umpqua Aquaculture market
(541)-271-5684
in the Salmon Harbor Marina.
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Getting there
If you are southbound on Interstate 5, take the highway 38 exit.
Travel west through the towns of Drain, Elkton and Scottsburg to
Reedsport where highways 38 and U.S. 101 meet. The Oregon Dunes
National
Recreation Area offices are right across the intersection if you need
maps,
permits or a RV dump station.. From Reedsport, it is about three
miles south to Winchester Bay, where you can access the north end of
the
Umpqua dunes.
If you are northbound on Interstate 5,take the Sutherlin
exit and go
west on Highway 138 until you meet Highway 38 at Elkton. Turn left
(west) and follow the same directions as in the paragraph above.
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Campgrounds and access - Forest Service
The bad news is that there are no developed Forest Service campgrounds
with dune access in the area, although that will soon change.
Dispersed camping is the term used for camping
right out in the
sand. Regulations require you to be at least 200' from the
roadway.
You can't park cars along the roadway (nor can your visitors).
Sand
camping permits are required. They also cover the day-use
fees.
Check with the ODNRA offices for special rules on major holiday
weekends.
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