Saturday, July 20, 2013

Central Oregon Coast 'n Dunes

My fella and I did another road-trip along the Oregon Coast, more specifically a camping/scouting trip along the Central Oregon Coast between Waldport and Bandon. 

Trails and beach access in this section of the Oregon coastline are within the endangered Western Snowy Plover nesting area. There are several areas closed to dogs from March 15 - September 15. However, there were still plenty of trails and beaches open to Gauge doggy. 

Since my mobility was limited I spent most of my time on short paved and/or smooth trails, with a few short sessions walking in the sand each day. 

My fella did a few dog beach play times with Gauge doggy and a short out-n-back section of the Oregon Coast Trail between Sunset Bay State Park and Cape Arago while I wandered the Shore Acres State Park formal gardens and viewpoint trails.

Here are a few pictures we took on our trip. 

Oregon Dunes Day Use Area Overlook

Heceta Head Lighthouse

Umpqua River Lighthouse

Gauge 'n my fella found some interesting coastline.

The rock formations along this section of shoreline below Shore Acres State Park are part of the Coaledo Formation created from the collision of the Juan de Fuca and North American tectonic plates more than 45 million years ago. 

The 40-45 degree angles make for some dramatic wave breaking shows, especially during the winter. 

There was no shortage of beautiful cove beaches.

And, no shortage of good seafood. Our favorite place was Miller's on the Cove in Charleston, just south of Reedsport. These tasty baja crab tacos and a beer were $10 before tip! 

Suislaw National Forest has an amazing website with free downloadable topo maps for what appears to be ALL the trails and trailheads within it's boundary. 

If you go during Western Snowy Plover nesting season with a dog, you may find these links helpful. 

Here is the page that lists which trails are restricted during nesting season: 
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/siuslaw/learning/safety-ethics/?cid=stelprdb5411699

Oregon State Parks has a nice brochure of dog-friendly beaches:
http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/NATRES/docs/plover/DogFriendlyBeaches_web2013.pdf

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