Florence Travel Information
Florence is a small city that has always drawn big crowds because of its proximity to the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. As appreciation for the dunes grows outside of their value for sandy sport, Florence has accordingly dusted off the sand and tidied up. In addition to beautiful beaches out of town, Florence has a little harbor and small downtown area easily explored on an afternoon meander. For more serious walking, head south along the coast where a number of trails, varying in length from a short one mile hike to longer day-hikes cut through the dunes. The Stagecoach trail, seven miles south of Florence, offers wildlife viewing. Rinse off the sand in Cleawox or Woahink Lake in Jessie M Honeyman State Park. Throw down your tent at any number of State or US Forest Service sites in the area and enjoy views of the beach from the comfort of your own sleeping bag. If you're in Florence for some off-road action, there are several places where off-highway vehicles -- dune buggies, ATV's, motorcycles - are up for rent. Drive north for Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint and a tour around the functioning light house and more dramatic coastal views. On the way, stop off at the famous Sea Lion Caves for chance to see nearly 200 sea lions in a cave. Florence is 50 miles south of Newport on Highway 101 and 63 miles west of Eugene on Highway 126. To learn more about the area, please select a topic of interest from the navigation bar on the left.
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