Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Map showing the location of Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area
Location Oregon, United States
Nearest city North Bend, Oregon
Coordinates 43°43′27″N 124°10′39″W / 43.72417°N 124.17750°W / 43.72417; -124.17750Coordinates: 43°43′27″N 124°10′39″W / 43.72417°N 124.17750°W / 43.72417; -124.17750
Area 31,566 acres (127.74 km2)[1]
Established March 23, 1972
Visitors roughly 1,500,000 (in 2005)
Governing body United States Forest Service
Website Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (or NRA) is located on the Oregon Coast, stretching approximately 40 miles (60 km) north from the Coos River in North Bend, to the Siuslaw River, in Florence. The NRA is part of Siuslaw National Forest and is administered by the United States Forest Service. The dunes adjoin Honeyman State Park.

The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand that is the result of millions of years of wind and rain erosion on the Oregon Coast. These are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. Some dunes tower up to 500 feet (150 m) above sea level, providing numerous recreational opportunities including off-road vehicle use, hiking, photography, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, and camping. The Carter Dunes Trail and Oregon Dunes Day Use provide disabled access for forest visitors.

In 1963, Congressman Robert B. Duncan introduced a bill to establish a National Park at the Oregon Dunes. It passed the Senate Interior Committee unanimously. Senator Wayne Morse opposed provisions of the bill that would have increased environmental protections by restricting property uses.[2]

Author Frank Herbert was inspired (in part) to write the famous science fiction novel Dune based on his research about the dunes of this area.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Land Areas of the National Forest System" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-04-22.
  2. ↑ "Solons pass Dunes bill". The Oregonian. November 22, 1963.
  3. ↑ The Road to Dune (2005), p. 264, letter by Frank Herbert to his agent Lurton Blassingame outlining "They Stopped the Moving Sands."


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