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Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park
Sand dunes, forest,lakes, a yurt and close to the beach. Honeyman was a nice little stop for Brontë and I. We had a peaceful overnight in a yurt, loop A. (Standard Oregon State Park Yurt)
Honeyman has a lot to offer. There are over 350 camp spots. It's biggest attraction by far is the sand dunes. It is not really my thing to drive a dune buggy (although I am sure I would enjoy it). I have sand boarded before and that was not really my cup of tea. I enjoyed it while I was going down but the work it takes to go up and down outweighed the thrill for me. There are 2 lakes with swimming and a place to rent canoes.
Cleawox lake (left) and Woahink Lake (below) are in the park. They are both beautiful. Cleawox lake is smaller than Waohink, but there was far more activity when we were there in the AM. Many people were out fishing, some even on a kayak. There also were some children using the sand dune leading to the lake to get some boarding in. Woahink has a boat launch and looks more appropriate for motorized boating. Brontë went swimming off the boat launch since no one was using it. Both had great picnicking spots and some grills available.
No direct beach access. Another drawback of this park was the dunes were in the way of the beach. We drove up to the North Jetty in Florence and it was beautiful but a bit of a drive. I was disappointed that unless you are using the dunes there is no real access. The park recommends not walking through the dunes to the ocean. The North Jetty is the first place there is some real oceanfront access. When I drive to the coast, one feature I am looking for is easy access to the beach.
Unfortunately, I did not find this place to be super dog
friendly. I would say it was dog tolerant. There are signs everywhere to have dog on leash (which I appreciate) The staff when I went to pick up wood were semi rude about Brontë when I opened the door to ask if I could get some firewood. I had no choice but to do so, and I am not allowed to leave her unattended, so I had to bring her. I did not go in the yurt where all the firewood for purchase is I merely opened the door. I understand having clear boundaries, but it was awkward all the way around. I rented a yurt that was identified as pet friendly however the signage in the yurt said that no dogs were allowed except in 1 yurt (which wasn't mine). I double checked the other work and my reservation, they indicated it was pet friendly, so I went with that. When we were walking around Cleawox lake there was a sign that said no pets allowed. I just felt unwelcomed at every turn and our space was very limited. For me and my life it is important to have space welcoming to both myself and my furry friend.
Although this was a good trip, I am glad that we went now in the early spring when the park had lower usage. I can see that it will be full in the summer and the place I can go with Brontë even more limited. Unless I come with some buggy enthusiasts I will pass on coming here again. It was a nice park but not dog friendly, will be most likely overcrowded, and does not provided beach access. If you want to fish, sandboard or buggy, even boat this may be a great place for you.