Winchester Bay Oregon
Winchester Bay Oregon is another stop we have made a couple of times. In addition to the beautiful bay, fishing & crabbing, and the beautiful sandy beaches, the area is also known for recreation, specifically off-roading in the sand dunes. When in this area, we have stayed at the Winchester Bay RV Park, if we are not staying a little further south at Lakeside. There are several places to stay in this area, from RV park to dry camping – see a listing here.
Winchester Bay RV Park
When I made reservations at Winchester Bay RV Park, they were pretty full for the Friday we needed to get in, but the person I talked to found me a spot, but I was not told our car would not fit. The view was nice, and we had some nice weather.
One thing that was a bit irritating, we arrived a little after noon time (wanted to get down here before the afternoon winds picked up), and even though the site was empty, we were not allowed to park until 1 pm as that was the “rules”. They weren’t cleaning or anything, just wouldn’t let us park. I understand parks have rules but didn’t seem very accomodating. On the shorter travel days, it makes it hard when you have an earlier check-out time in one park, then can’t get into the next park.
Dune Buggying … actually it was a Razor
The goal at this stop at Winchester Bay Oregon was to go out on the Dunes –let me clarify, John’s goal, not mine. I can’t say I’m that adventurous, but I did go with him. He also wanted to go crabbing out of the bay, but we just ran out of time. My dad and John spent one morning at Lakeside on Tenmile Lake catching Yellow Perch, which we enjoyed very much that night for our “fish fry”.
We ended up at Spinwheel Dune Buggy and ATV Rentals for our dunes ride on a Razor 1000. This dune rental company was much more reasonable than the one up at Winchester Bay. He had a good time, and I decided it wasn’t too bad.
Umpqua River Lighthouse Museum, Gift Shop & Visitors Center
The Umpqua River Lighthouse stands at the mouth of the Umpqua River in Winchester Bay, Oregon, and has been guiding mariners since its construction in 1894 to replace an earlier, flood-prone beacon from 1857. Its 61-foot conical tower is topped by a first-order Fresnel lens with a 21-nautical-mile range, and today the site is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard and operated as part of the Coastal History Museum complex.
Visitors can take guided tours up the historic iron staircase to the lantern room year-round (nominal fee), gaining a close-up look at the slowly rotating lens. The museum, gift shop, art gallery, and snack bar are open daily offering exhibits on regional maritime history and a selection of nautical souvenirs. Located at 1020 Lighthouse Road just off Highway 101, the lighthouse is easily accessible by car, with free parking available at Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.
Reedsport
Just above Winchester Bay, Oregon is the little town of Reedsport. And there is a great bakery called the Sugar Shack. We got very lucky, as we were there pretty late in the day, but they still had a Marion Berry pie that had to go home with us.
