hikespeak

What is Whalen Island? It's not quite an island. It's not quite on Oregon's ocean shore. What it is... is a place that is unique, soothing, and beautiful. Wrapped be beaches and shaded by shore pines, Whalen Island sits at the heart of Sand Lake Estuary. Whalen Island – which only becomes an island during seasonal high tides - is just inland from the ocean (close enough to see the waves) on the Tillamook Coast between Cape Lookout and Pacific City. ...Read more.

Oso Flaco Lake Trail in Oceano Dunes SVRA offers a hike with easy-going appeal. The nearly level trail takes a boardwalk over a 75-acre birdlife-boasting lake and across sand dunes to a tucked-away beach and a viewpoint overlooking the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. These are the largest dunes on the coast of Southern California, but Oso Flaco Lake Trail is a short hike at just 2-miles round trip. ...Read more.

The community of Los Osos on the San Luis Obispo County coast is buffered on the south side by an ecological reserve. A 2.6-mile hike through Morro Dunes Ecological Reserve (also called Bayview Ecological Reserve) ascends 800 feet, briefly entering Montaña de Oro State Park at the trail's highest point. The loop travels over ancient sand dunes that became grown over by grasses and brush. ...Read more.

Dune Succession Trail in the West Beach area of Indiana Dunes National Park offers a mile-long look at the stages of dune development, starting with a beach on the shore of Lake Michigan and ending with a boardwalk through a forest that has risen from the sand. The loop has 100 feet of elevation change, covered by 250 boardwalk steps. In addition to the ecology lesson, the self-guided nature trail delivers great lake views. ...Read more.

The Kelso Dunes cover 45 square miles and rise 650 feet above the desert floor. What do you do with such a big pile of sand? Climb it! Even if you have hiked other dunes before, Kelso will be an interesting experience. The 3-mile round trip hike to the top features fantastic views of the surrounding dunes and peaks in Mojave National Preserve. The start of Kelso Dunes Trail A concentrated trail leaves from the parking area, but dissolves away the farther you go. ...Read more.

The most visible (but not the largest) sand dunes in Death Valley National Park are the Mesquite Flat Dunes. A small parking lot located off Highway 190, two miles south of Stove Pipe Wells offers a great starting point for a trek out to the dunes. There is no formal trail to follow, just strike out for the high sands, which are reachable within a half mile. ...Read more.