FLORENCE

When visiting Florence Oregon you’ll see families caravanning through sand like it’s the Oregon Trail, except everyone’s got a GoPro and a questionable roll cage. The kids are covered in dust. Someone forgot sunscreen. Someone else definitely packed fireworks “just in case.”

Meanwhile, the sea lions down at the docks are screaming like they’ve had enough of your exhaust already. The wind is either trying to sandblast your face or shove your lunch into the bay. But it’s all part of the charm.

Florence doesn’t ask questions. It hands you a helmet, looks at your flip-flops, and quietly judges nothing. Come for the dunes. Stay because you lost your side-by-side keys somewhere near a log and now you’re just vibing with the sea lions.

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Torex ATV Rentals

The dunes? Massive. Lawless. A place where you can rent a vehicle, sign one terrifying waiver, and go flying off a sand cliff in the name of vacation. It is somewhere between “yee-haw” and “oh no,”

I was so excited to hit the dunes in Florence. Catching air, spraying sand, living my best chaotic vacation life. I didn’t think about danger, physics, or death. Just pure side-by-side glory. Then we got to the rental place.

That’s when they sat us down for The Safety Video.

And that’s when my anxiety stepped in like, “Hi, I’ll be taking over now.”

Sudden 300-foot drop-offs. Soft sand traps called Witches Eyes—which are apparently just invisible pits designed to ruin your day and possibly your spine. Tips for not barrel rolling into dune oblivion, and quick sand. It was like a horror film for adrenaline junkies.

By the end of the video, I was sweating and already planning my funeral playlist. Did I cry on this trip. Yes. We also spent half of the time trying to find the trail back to the rental office which was like finding a needle in a haystack.

• Rental Duration: Torex offers half-hour and multiple-hour rates, so the length of your rental will significantly impact the price.
• Pricing: Quads range from $60-$80/hr. Side by sides range from $200-$300/hr.
• Access to sand: You’ll leave with  your rental directly through the back of the business onto the trai to the dunes.
• Additional Fees: A 5% equipment use and maintenance fee is added to all bookings.

Siltcoos Beach Day Use OHV Staging

Siltcoos Beach Day Use OHV Staging is perfect if you like options. Cruise the short sandy trail straight onto the beach—no parking, just roll up like it’s your own personal coastline. Chill ride, salty breeze, we’ve found seals and sea pickles. Also helped a couple people who’ve gotten stuck.

If you’re feeling spicy, the dunes are right there too. Just veer off and boom—you’re in full send mode. One minute you’re beach cruising, the next you’re dodging sand bowls and testing your suspension. You’ll need an off-road flag and tag (grab one in town), but after that, it’s whatever pace you’re feeling—mellow or mayhem.

• Sportsman ATV Dealer: 249 US-101, Florence, OR 97439
• Bi Mart: 2470 Highway 101, Florence, OR 97439
• Fred Meyer:  3500 Highway 101, Florence, OR 97439

Heceta Head Light House

Sea Lion Cave

Next stop? Sea Lion Caves. It’s loud, it smells weird, and it’s absolutely worth it. You take an elevator down into a cave full of giant, barking sea sausages flopped all over the rocks. Nature at its most chaotic. It’s like they know you survived the dunes and came to scream their congratulations.

Visiting Sea Lion Caves – What to Know Before You Smell It

• Admission: $12–$18 per person
• Open: daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, excludes holidays.
• Length: 1/4 mile of walking and 100 steps
• Located: 20 minutes north of Florence on Highway 101
• Duration: 30 to 60 minutes depending on how long you can handle the barking and the stench

Hobbit Beach – Hike

You park in a weird little turnout off the highway, question your GPS, then head into the trees hoping you’re not walking straight into a Bigfoot Airbnb. The trail’s short and shady, which is great, because it’s also a little haunted-looking. You will pass through a narrow tunnel in the bushes. It’s dark, kind of magical, and the sandy walls are lined with broken seashells like some kind of coastal offering. It feels like the forest is asking you to pay a toll in clams before letting you through.

Then bam—huge, wild beach. Cliffs, wind, and zero people. You’ll look around and start wondering where all the people who belong to the cars at the trailhead disappeared to. Did they dissolve into the mist? Join a sea cult? Who knows.

It’s also, for reasons I can’t explain, the only place I’ve ever found whole sand dollars. Five. Perfect. Like some tidepool tax refund. So if you’re into quiet hikes, moody ocean vibes, and weirdly mystical sea loot, this place delivers.

Key Features of the Hobbit Beach Trail:

• Distance: 1.5 mile roundtrip. Just enough to feel outdoorsy without needing a snack break.
• Difficulty: Easy-ish. Watch for roots trying to snatch your ankles.
• Elevation: 203ft
• Location: Off Highway 101 near Heceta Head. Blink and you’ll miss the turn.
• Parking: Tiny pullout near milepost 177. Enough room for you and six other people who beat you there.
• Amenities: Bring your own everything.
• Accessibility: You can hike in from Heceta Head Lighthouse, but only if you enjoy bonus miles for no reason.

Exploding Whale Memorial Park

Welcome to Exploding Whale Memorial Park—because nothing says “coastal charm” like blowing up an 8-ton whale with dynamite.

Back in 1970, a dead whale washed up on the beach near Florence. It was big, it was stinky, and local officials had no idea what to do with it. So naturally, they brought out the explosives. Their plan? Blow it up so seagulls could carry away the bits. What actually happened? A flying blubber apocalypse. One chunk flattened a car. People ran. The seagulls were traumatized.

Now, decades later, you can visit the site of this legendary chaos. No whale guts left, just a peaceful riverside park with benches, trails, and a weirdly large chair. It’s the only park in America named after a public works disaster involving marine mammal shrapnel.

Bring a picnic. Just maybe leave the dynamite at home.

Sweet Creek Falls

Sometimes you pull into a trailhead and immediately know it’s not your moment. When we rolled up to Sweet Creek Falls, there was a car bursting with kids and off-leash dogs blasting squeaky chaos into the woods. We took one look, politely panicked, and kept driving. About a half-mile up the road, we found a sneaky little side trail that skipped the circus and dropped us almost right at the falls. Quiet. Scenic. No shrieking. Perfection.

Only 30mins outside of Florence, Sweet Creek is the kind of hike that keeps showing off. Fern-covered cliffs, little wooden bridges, and waterfalls that keep popping up like they’re trying to outdo each other.

Sweet Creek Falls Trail Info:

• Distance: Up to 2.2 miles round trip (or shorter with alternate access)

• Elevation Gain: ~300 feet

• Difficulty: Easy

• Fee: Free

• Trail Type: Out and back with multiple entry points

• Extras: Multiple small falls, dog-friendly (leashes actually preferred by introverts)

Places to Eat

Jerry’s Place

If you’ve had enough of the tourist-packed seafood spots downtown where you’re elbow-to-elbow with strangers just to order a sad clam chowder, head to Jerry’s Place Bar and Grill. It’s off the beaten path—in that perfect “Am I lost or about to find something amazing?” kind of way.

It’s got locals, strong drinks, zero pretension, and broasted chicken that somehow tastes like it’s been blessed by a crispy angel. No frills, no waitlist, just solid food and the kind of atmosphere where everyone minds their own business unless you’re doing something weird.

1285 Restobar

If you don’t mind crowds, a little wait, and food that costs more than a tank of gas, then 1285 Resto Bar in Florence is absolutely worth it. It’s one of those places where you tell yourself you’ll just get a small plate and a drink, then end up ordering half the menu and regretting nothing, except the bill.

Pasta? Yes. Seafood? Obviously. Pizza? Shockingly good. And then there’s The Pistachio—a neon mystery of a drink they refuse to explain. Seriously, the server will just smile and say, “It’s a secret.” But we cracked it: equal parts amaretto, Irish cream, and blue curaçao. Sounds like a dare. Tastes like magic.

So if you’re in the mood to people-watch, eat well, and sip something vaguely radioactive but delicious, this is your place.