Oregon Dunes
Tahkenitch Dunes / Three Mile Lake Loop
Distance - 7 miles
Date - January 2007
Location - 10 miles south of Florence, OR
Tahkenitch Dunes / Three Mile Lake Loop
Distance - 7 miles
Date - January 2007
Location - 10 miles south of Florence, OR
The Tahkenitch Dunes and Three Mile Lake Trail make a nice seven
mile loop through the sand dunes south of Florence, Oregon. The path
starts out winding through a low and scrubby coniferous forest before
emerging at the first large dune. Wooden posts set in the sand mark the
path as it descends across the dunes to a deflation plain. This low and
flat area sits behind a wall of sand immediately behind the beach and
contains thick stands of scrubby pines that are the home to many deer
and other animals.
The beach itself is flat and sandy here, littered with a great deal of drift
wood that has come down the Siuslaw River, which enters the Pacific
Ocean just to the north. The beach provided excellent walking and the
turn off for the Three Mile Lake Trail was fairly obvious. On the beach
we found lots of Kelp, Sand Dollars, and clam shells.
The walk back to the truck lead across some big dunes before passing
Three Mile Lake and winding up into the hills. One last dune surprisingly
far from the beach was passed before arriving back at my truck and
heading home.
mile loop through the sand dunes south of Florence, Oregon. The path
starts out winding through a low and scrubby coniferous forest before
emerging at the first large dune. Wooden posts set in the sand mark the
path as it descends across the dunes to a deflation plain. This low and
flat area sits behind a wall of sand immediately behind the beach and
contains thick stands of scrubby pines that are the home to many deer
and other animals.
The beach itself is flat and sandy here, littered with a great deal of drift
wood that has come down the Siuslaw River, which enters the Pacific
Ocean just to the north. The beach provided excellent walking and the
turn off for the Three Mile Lake Trail was fairly obvious. On the beach
we found lots of Kelp, Sand Dollars, and clam shells.
The walk back to the truck lead across some big dunes before passing
Three Mile Lake and winding up into the hills. One last dune surprisingly
far from the beach was passed before arriving back at my truck and
heading home.
Michelle standing on a high dune overlooking this tame stretch of the Oregon Coast.
Michelle climbing a dune while heading away from the Ocean on the Three Mile
Lake Trail.
Lake Trail.
Michelle standing on the stump of a Spruce tree most likely cut in the
Coast Range by loggers.
Coast Range by loggers.
A fishing boat plying the waters off of the Oregon Dunes while a six foot swell rolls in.