Wanderlust World Wanderlust World Head up the highway, 14 miles north of Florence, where you'll come to Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park. To get to the 5-mile sandy beach, take the trail from the park and go under the highway. Plan on a picnic or walking in the sand here but also schedule time to head up the Heceta Head trail that leads to the historic Heceta Head Lighthouse. The 56-foot tall lighthouse, built in 1894, still shines a beam that can be seen 21 miles out to sea.
Look for whales off the coast and sand dollars on the ground at Heceta Beach, (eugenecascadescoast.org), 12 miles north of Florence. A resort sits in front of the beach, but there is a free parking lot to the south of it. If you choose, camp at Harbor Vista Park (lanecounty.org), just to the south of Heceta Beach. The park is one of the few in the state that offers an ocean view. It includes 15 acres of year-round tent and RV camping.
You'll find two freshwater lakes, one for swimming and one with a boat ramp, at Honeyman State Park, 3 miles south of Florence. The sand dunes here are 2 miles long and lie between the park and ocean. Riding off-highway vehicles is popular at this park, where visitors access the sand and beach from H Loop. In the autumn, visitors take a break from the beach to pick huckleberries and blackberries in the park.
Ride an off-highway vehicle or horse at Siltcoos Beach (fs.usda.gov), 7 miles south of Florence. The parking lot is a staging area for recreational vehicles, where the off-highway vehicle Coast Guard trail leads to the beach to the north and open dune riding. Walk over the dunes to the beach for sand play. Siltcoos Beach has some access restrictions from March 15 through Sept. 15 to protect the western snowy plover, a threatened shore bird.