This loop hike takes you across rolling sand dunes, through lush tree islands, and onto a secluded beach, showcasing the diverse and untamed beauty of the Oregon coastline.

I spend a lot of time at the Oregon Coast, but I’ve seen very little of the Oregon Dunes so I planned a two night camping trip to explore the area and do a few hikes. We stayed at the Sutton campground north of Florence, which gave us great access to trails in the dunes.

distance: 4.8 miles
elevation gain:  195 ft.
difficulty: easy
drive time from Portland: 3 hours 15 minutes
parking pass: NW Forest Pass
hike description: OregonHikers.org – Oregon Dunes Loop Hike
note: From March 15 to September 15, this area is closed to all hiking on dry sand (and dogs are not allowed) to protect nesting snowy plover habitat.

The hike

At the trailhead, we checked out the views from an elevated viewing platform, excited to be able to see the ocean and the area we’d be hiking through.

From the trailhead, the path descended to a wide, relatively flat expanse of dunes. Since the dunes are ever changing, the trail isn’t always obvious. To navigate, we followed a mix of previous footsteps, trail signs, and marker posts.

Most of the first section of trail passed through tree islands, where we encountered several areas with standing water. There had been a lot of rain in the previous weeks, and I’d heard that access to the beach can be cut off due to flooding in the winter. Navigating around these waterlogged areas was a bit tricky at times, but we managed.

We saw very few people on the trail – just one person heading up as we made our way toward the beach, and one coming up from the beach.

Reaching the beach, we found that the tide was high, leaving little walking space. Nonetheless, we stepped onto the sand and began heading south. Not long into our beach walk, a sneaker wave suddenly rushed up, forcing us to scramble up the nearest dune. The sand was loose, making it difficult to gain footing. After that, we decided to stay up from the beach, walking through the dunes above it.

The beach had a wild, untouched feel, with abundant driftwood scattered along the shore.

We passed through areas littered with oyster shells, their white and subtly colored surfaces standing out against the sand.

Tiny animal tracks crisscrossed the sand – evidence of birds and insects moving about.

There was also a fair amount of trash on the beach, especially plastic water bottles. During Oregon’s Spring Cleanup, volunteers spend a day picking up trash and this made me want to participate.

This buoy was lying in the sand, cut off from whatever it had been attached to.

We watched from a high spot on a dune as a larger sneaker wave came in, then created a riptide as it receded and were glad we decided not to risk walking on the beach.

The dunes evened out into the beach and we stopped for lunch while sitting on a large driftwood log. As we sat there, a Jeep and a park ranger truck drove by and stopped nearby. When we chatted with the ranger, he explained that they were working on a controlled burn project to protect snowy plover nesting habitats.

Nearing the end of the beach walk, we noticed the marker for the trail directing us back inland.

This section of trail climbed uphill through a more expansive dune field, running alongside Tahkenitch Creek, which was deep and wide – looking much more like a river than a creek. Although some trail descriptions mentioned the possibility of fording it to reach trails on the other side, that was certainly not an option today.

As we continued, the trail wove through tree islands and rolling dunes, offering views of much larger sand formations in the distance. The route was marked by spaced-out posts, making it essential to track each one carefully. Fortunately, footprints from other hikers helped confirm we were on the right path.

In the forested sections of trail, there were quite a few more areas that were flooded. One in particular was challenging to cross without sinking in over your shoes.

When we returned to the starting area, we opted for a more adventurous finish by ascending a steep dune instead of retracing the easier original route. The climb was challenging but rewarding, capping off an excellent day exploring the dunes.