Dunes, Bandon, Crater Lake, Roseberg
 

My family and I are trying to plan a trip this summer up to Oregon. Mainly to let our teens ride their quads on the dunes and allow my husband visit (and golf) the golf course in Bandon. We also want to visit a friend in Roseburg and see Crater Lake. Are there any places to stay that come to mind that might be somewhat convenient to all these areas? We will probably bring our pop-up trailer and Quad trailer if a timeshare or hotel locale doesn’t work out (then our weiner dog could vacation also!).<BR><BR>Thank you!!<BR>Babs

Being as I'm an Oregonian with 4 dachshunds (wiener dogs) of our own I thought I had to respond to this one!<BR>Your wiener dog will love the Oregon trails and beaches! Lots of dogs on the long beaches and very few leashes anywhere...dogs can be free as they naturally should be without any worries about cars. All beaches are public property so there are 365+ miles to enjoy. Bandon has some nice smaller beaches too and our wiener dogs love the dunes area trails near Reedsport.<BR>Shore Acres is a nice park (but one of the few places you can't have a dog). Crater Lake is a long drive to/from Bandon on mostly very curvy 2 lane roads full of slow RV's, log trucks etc.<BR>Roseburg would be right on the way. Not an attractive town but as you have friends there, that would be a good reason to stop there. BTW many motels in Oregon take small dogs if you wish to stay inside and not camp.

No offense intended, but does the state of Oregan allow &quot;quads&quot; in such sensative areas such as there dunes? I would think that with them being a natural barrier, this activity would be prohibited.

Yes, the area in question is a National RECREATON Area where dune buggy riding is the major activity. At least two companies rent buggys/give tours in the dunes. Lots of fun.<BR><BR>There is a very nice campground area just south of Florence along the dunes area. (Sorry, I can't remember the name)<BR><BR>Crater Lake is pretty much a full day's drive from Florence. Very scenic along two lane roads. There is a campground near the Mazama Village area about 2 miles off the rim of the crater.

If memory serves, the Oregon Dunes were where the first &quot;dune buggies&quot; were invented, around 40 years ago, based on the VW Beetle's chassis. My recollection is (based on being in the vicinity a lot in those days) that most of the Dunes were not even in State Park status, let alone federal control.

The campground south of Florence is Honeyman State Park; it's very popular so reservations are advised.<BR><BR>Your husband will want to play both of the Bandon courses. They're both highly rated on almost anyone's list of best public courses in the country.

The state park in Bandon is lovely. Spent a long weekend there in a yurt last year and had a great time. I think it would be best to move from place to place rather than trying to stay in a central location because these places are too far apart. <BR><BR>The Crater Lake Lodge is wonderful and the only place on the rim where you can wake up and see the lake. There are several campgrounds in the area, sorry I can't recommend one. My impression of the campgrounds here were they were well used. Not ugly, dirty or even abused, just lots of people do stay there. <BR><BR>Honeyman is also a state park very near the dunes in Florence. Florence may have some things for you to see too. <BR><BR>Do try to reserve the state parks - they fill up quickly. All are equally pretty but they do offer different services. The evening activities can be great fun. <BR><BR>I disagree about the leashes. I get very annoyed when other dogs come up to mine - it can be intimidating. That said if no one is on the beach I will let her off the leash to run.<BR><BR>Enjoy Oregon!