This botanical garden has become a traditional stop while traveling along highway 101. It's a…read moreperfect place to get out and stretch your legs or use the facilities. The walk to the Cobra Lilies, aka Pitcher Plants isn't long at all, maybe a quarter mile round trip. It's a beautiful walk through trees to a boardwalk through the Darlingtonia garden. We've never been when they're in bloom, but they are definitely something interesting to see any time of year. I would highly recommend!

If you are headed to Honeyman or Heceta, this reserve is just one minute off the side of Highway…read more101 between those two parks. Darlingtonia is the only Oregon State Park dedicated to protecting one single species: the Darlingtonia. The only plant in this species is the Cobra Lily, which is the only pitcher plant native to Oregon. (In other words, this state park exists to protect the cobra lilies that grow here.) The reserve is small, but definitely worth checking out. A short accessible boardwalk crosses a bog filled with several hundred, if not a few thousand, cobra lilies. The 'pitcher' part of the plant, which is the part that resembles a cobra, is visible year round. In spring, it puts up yellow and purple flowers. Many of these flowers dry in place, and are still somewhat visible in winter. Even without the flowers in bloom, the pitchers themselves are neat and pretty to look at. There is no fee to visit Darlingtonia. The small parking area only has room for about ten cars or so, but it takes less than fifteen minutes to walk through.

Beautiful park and reasonable prices. Quiet location, exceptionally maintained. What s gem!read more

What a great little village to stroll around. So many charming shops and lots to see…read more Even a character lowrider.

This park is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it space on Bay Street located between Kitchen Klutter and…read moreMilk & Cookies. I was walking and almost didn't see it, because it's tiny and there are some bushes that shield the gazebo and benches from view. It's a great place to take a moment to rest whilst wandering Bay Street, and in some instances it can allow for a nice bit of solitude. When I was there in December, there was almost no one else around, but it wasn't raining nor was it too cold that I skipped taking a few minutes at this secluded park for myself. If you walk past the gazebo, there's a deck overlooking the Siuslaw river, where at times you might see some of the various animals (birds, otters, etc.) that call the river home. Though I tried, I did not see any otters playing in the water (I'm not sure what their season is). This park is located on what was once the ferry landing, prior to the construction of the Siuslaw River Bridge. I think it's cool that they preserved this area as a park. There is a cool water fountain just outside the park that has three levels for drinking, which is clever and makes it easy for the little ones to have a sip! There's a plaque right by the fountain pointing out that the Oregon Dune Mushers' Mail Run went through here. (As an aside, this is a quirky race that once took place, in part to commemorate a time when the beaches were used as highways--in fact, the beach area between low- and high-tide marks is part of the Oregon highway system.) You can rent the place for various gatherings; special use permits are free, but a permit is required, and the deadline for submission varies based upon the number of attendees so plan accordingly.

This is a beautiful short walk that goes from the beach parking lot to the lighthouse. I've gone…read morehere several times and it's always gorgeous, even when it's foggy and raining. There are wild blackberries that grow along the path that you can snack on or take home with you if you go at the right time of the year, which is an added plus! The bathrooms by the beach parking lot are rough. They are not for the faint of heart or faint of nose. You're better off holding it until you can get to downtown Florence and use the public bathrooms there.

The Hobbit Trail would make JRR Tolkien proud. The trailhead is a subtle affair and easily found…read moremainly due to the other cars parked at the trailhead. Parking is available on both sides of the highway, but remember, it's hwy 101 and traffic can be heavy. Because there is so much vehicle traffic as well as hikers coming and going, there are enough eyes there to make you feel okay about leaving your car there locked up. The trail itself starts out fairly smooth with gentle ups and downs, but get a bit more aggressive as you continue. A walking stick of some sort really comes in handy on a few of the steps and turns. As you progress towards the coast the forest starts to get thicker and darker like Mirkwood. The rays of diffuse sunlight scattered by drifting mists definitely lends a mystical element to the surroundings. Some of the trees are so twisted and gnarled that you might almost expect Treebeard or another Ent to come pacing past you. We did come across a gnome that was cleverly hidden by someone. After about a mile the trail reaches the end where the last section gets a bit steeper with plenty of roots to avoid. This is a very well used trail and there are a lot of very friendly hikers going both directions. The trail then opens onto a very large beautiful flat sandy beach with a cliff wall to your immediate south and a long flat sandy beach to the north. We found our first sandfall! A waterfall but it was sand, not water. Sand from the hillside above the cliffs was just pouring and cascading over the rocky edge. I posted a brief video of one with this review. All in all it was a good hike for a guy with a bum knee, anything worse than that should probably not try the whole trail. Mainly because a couple places had steps in and around roots that were probably around 1 to 2 foot steps. If you do push on to the bottom, the beach is worth it. Lots of very friendly smiling people and an awful lot of very well behaved dogs. I think the magic in this is that it was all so clean. The hike back out was easier than I had anticipated but there is no ADA assistance.

We bought two adult sand sleds from Venomous Sandboards for a trip to the Pismo Beach Dunes a…read morecouple of years ago. Lon provided excellent advice about the sand at our destination, how to apply wax to the sled and what to expect. He is extremely knowledgeable and eager to share his expertise. Our sleds and wax arrived on time, and following his directions, we had an absolute blast! Now, a couple of years later, we are heading to the dunes near Morro Bay. We couldn't find the wax we originally purchased, so we needed to quickly reorder before our trip. Once again, Lon came through. He personally followed up to ensure timely delivery and gave me a refresher on the wax instructions and what to expect. Venomous Sandboards is an outstanding company and it is evident that the owner and employees care about their customers' experiences. If you're planning a trip to the dunes, I highly recommend Venomous Sandboards and Sand Master Park Sandboarding & Store in Florence, Oregon!

Important Note: This is a cash-only business -- and unfortunately, that's not listed on their…read morewebsite. When we first visited to rent a sandboard or sled, the woman at the counter was surprisingly unfriendly, which made the experience a bit uncomfortable. We went through all the rental questions and paperwork, only to find out at the end that they only accept cash , no Venmo, Zelle options...and there's no ATM on site. It was very inconvenient, especially since this important detail wasn't mentioned online. Thankfully, my son was still able to get a board in the end, but the process could have been much smoother with clearer communication and a more welcoming attitude.

This park is named after the November 1970 incident of an exploding whale (although not the site of…read morethe original event). This is a calm park with a sandy beach and a small trail. Dogs are allowed.

Nice park for kids playground or a short walk. Unfortunately I was looking for a dog park.read more

Such a stunner this one! Oregon has a great coastline but this one comes with a side of light…read morehouse. Devils elbow state park isn't just a fun name it's a beautiful location to have picnic and enjoy the sandy shoreline.

On our way to Newport, we decided to take the scenic route to Oregon coast via 101. We were…read moreenjoying the nice coastal view but didn't have the chance to stop because it was getting late for us to reach our destination. Until we saw a lighthouse from a distance and decided to check it out. We took a turn and saw lots of cars parked near the bridge where we were at. From the parking lot, we were greeted by an amazing view of the beach and a lovely structure perched on top of a hill. We found out that this structure used to be the lighthouse keeper's house which is now into converted into a bed and breakfast. Unfortunately, the lighthouse is nowhere to be seen. We were told that we needed to hike up a half mile to reach it. As I have mentioned earlier, it was starting to get dark so we ditched the idea. I hope someday, I'll be able to go back to stay in this B&B and hike up to the lighthouse.

We stayed at this campground a couple weeks ago for the first time and had an excellent experience!…read moreI wasn't sure what to expect with this being the second largest campground in Oregon- would it be overwhelming with so many people, too much noise, etc? I was actually surprised how quiet it was (okay camping in a public campground is never silent but it was pretty moderate noise). The advantage of it being such a large campground too is that they had nice, well-equipped, clean facilities equally spaced out. Showers are free to use, though I didn't while we were there. A cute welcome center in the middle has info, games/books, and ice and firewood to buy and is located right next to a pretty good sized playground for kids. It's also a super dog-friendly place (we brought our 75# boy with us) and everyone there seemed to be mindful of their own dogs with leashes/cleaning up. Honeyman is located close to the heart of Florence and close to lots of recreation activities - dunes, beach, two lakes, etc. We enjoyed a quick walk over to Cleawox Lake each day to play, and rented a paddle boat too! The only downside is that like most Oregon State Park campgrounds you do need to plan quite a bit ahead to reserve your spot online. It's very difficult to get a spot last minute or day of in the busy times (late spring - summer - fall).

Overall it's fine. It's a bit overpriced for what you get. Weekends are loud and there didn't seem…read moreto be anything being done about it. There are bright lights randomly throughout the campground which make for an interesting "camping" vibe. There's probably better, quieter and more secluded places nearby.

An amazing park for members. Their hospitality and facilities are both rustic and modern. They have…read moreaccess to the sand, full hookups, clean restrooms, and a great indoor rec room to hang out it. I love this Park!

We Love Odd Fellows. We consider it our home away from home. The staff is always friendly and…read morehelpful and the location couldn't be more perfect for the dunes enthusiast.

On our recent visit to the Oregon coast we had the opportunity to cross several of the historic…read moreConde McCullough designed bridges. This one crossing the Suislaw River was particularly photogenic.