Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park, Florence, Oregon

Oregon Dunes · Recreation · Oregon Coast

Nestled in the beautiful Oregon Dunes, Honeyman State Park has been a family tradition for generations of Oregonians. With over 400 campsites, sandboarding, boating, swimming, hiking and just a short drive to Florence, Honeyman State Park is one of my family’s favorite places to play. Just don’t ask me to stand-up paddle board. Nope. Uh uh. Not going to happen. . .

The grandfatherly Oregon State Parks volunteer squinted his eyes at me with concern.  “Are you sure you want to try stand-up paddleboards?” he asked, glancing over at my 9 and 10 year-old boys.  “It can get kind of windy on the lake.” 

My oldest son gave me a reassuring nod.  “We can do it, Mom.  I did it before and it was easy.”

I slowly nodded and turned back to the park volunteer.  “He tried it at summer camp and can’t stop talking about how great it is.  We’ll give it a try.” 

The man smiled – while probably thinking me a giant fool – and began to set us up with our gear.  In no time at all, the three of us were on SUP’s and headed out toward the depths of Cleawox Lake.  My 10 year-old looked like a pro, standing up on his board and paddling circles around me and his younger brother.  “See?” he said.  “It’s easy!”  I looked up at him from the board wobbling beneath my knees and tried to smile.  My 9 year-old – making up with confidence what he clearly lacked in skill – started toward the lily pads at the eerie end of the lake. 

“Come back here!” I called to him.  “We’ve got to stick together!”  He looked back at me, nodded in understanding, tried to turn his board around then threw me a look of terror.  Like a dry leaf blowing across the water he flew away from me.  In horror - and still desperately trying to stay on my board - I looked back to my 10 year-old for help.  But out of earshot, he had happily taken off for the swimming dock in the middle of the lake.  This was a disaster!

Determined not to lose my youngest to the swamp monster at the end of the lake, I took off after him.  My SUP teetered precariously as I thrust my paddle into the water.  “Dig in!” I yelled.  “Dig your paddle into the water!”  But my boy just looked back at me, clueless as to what I meant and powerless against the wind.  Ever nearer the tangle of shrubs and downed logs at the end of the lake he drifted.  With every frantic stroke from my wobbly board I grew more desperate.  “You have to do something!”  I shouted.  “Dig that paddle into the water!  Do it now!”  As if suddenly spurred to action by the sound of his hysterical mom, my 9 year-old dug his paddle into the murky depths.  “Yes!” I shouted.  “That’s it!  Do it again!”

Paddling hard into the swampy end, I closed the distance between us.  Finally I reached my youngest, pulling his board close to mine as if our lives depended on it.  He looked up at me, his little terrified eyes only half as terrified as mine.  My gaze fell to the gnarled tree roots along the shore’s edge, dipping beneath the brackish lake like decaying fingers reaching out for us.  Below our boards shadowy vegetation pulsed in the murky water.  And the monster in my overactive imagination lurked just beyond where we could see, ready to gobble up our feet the moment we fell from our wobbling boards.

“Okay,” I said, trying hard to remember that I was a full grown woman with a degree in the sciences.  “I need you to paddle and paddle hard.  We just have to make it back to the boat rental and we’ll get a canoe instead.”  Fully aware of the mission before him, my brave little boy gave me a solemn nod.  With all of my might I pushed his board in the direction of the boat rental.  Determinedly he began to paddle as in the relentless wind I did my best to stay alongside him.  We were half-way into our painstaking journey back to the boat rental when my eyes suddenly bulged wide.  Where on earth was my 10 year-old? 

My panicked gaze quickly found him, still looking like a pro in the middle of the lake.  I motioned him madly toward the boat rental as I urged my youngest son on.  Finally after what seemed like an hours long ordeal, my youngest and I made it safely back to shore.  Stumbling off our SUP’s like a pair of shipwrecked sailors, I saw that the grandfatherly park volunteer had come out to meet us.  “It’s a little windy,” I muttered.

He nodded.  “Would you like a canoe instead?”

“Yes, please,” I answered, barely able to meet his kind eyes.  Surely he saw the whole ridiculous spectacle. 

From the middle of the lake, my 10 year-old cruised in behind us and hopped off his SUP.  “That was fun,” he grinned.  “Can we do it again?”

Getting there

Honeyman State Park is located just outside of Florence, Oregon about 3 hours from Portland and 1.5 hours from Eugene. You’ll know you’re close when the scenery changes from Harry and the Hendersons to Lawrence of Arabia. The Fred Meyer’s in Florence along Hwy 101 looks like it is about to be swallowed by a giant sand dune! For those of us who grew up in the forest, the Oregon Dunes are simply a spectacular and unexpected sight.

Honeyman itself is an Oregon icon. It is the second largest state park campground after Silver Falls State Park and has been a top destination for Oregonians for nearly 100 years. Honeyman is home to two freshwater lakes, dunes adjacent the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, a plethora of recreational opportunities and several Civilian Conservation Corps projects from the 1930’s. Here you can try sandboarding, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, hiking through the giant dunes and ATVing. The Pacific Ocean is just two miles west and historic Florence at the mouth of the Siuslaw River is 3.5 miles north. Seriously, this place has all the makings for an awesome adventure playground!

Campsites, yurts, cabins and RV spots at this popular campground can be reserved up to six months in advance through Reserve America. There is also a large day use area with access to all of Honeyman’s recreational opportunities.

The Experience

Honeyman State Park is the place to go if you are looking for a fun filled getaway with just you and a couple thousand of your favorite friends. This place feels like a city on its own, complete with a playground and busy interpretive center. The campground is beautiful with plenty of trees and shrubbery between sites. But there are a lot of people. So if you’re a light sleeper, bring a pair of earplugs or consider booking at a smaller campground then come into Honeyman for the day. I’m not a huge fan of crowds but I make an exception for Honeyman. It is just so fun! We keep coming back to this park because the experience is hard to beat.

Probably the favorite activity for my kids is sandboarding. There are two options here - sledding style and snowboarding style. I’m over twenty, have no idea how to snowboard - and honestly I failed at trying to figure it out - so I stick with the sled. My youngest son - with no prior experience - picked up the snowboarding style like a pro. The trick is to put lots of wax on your board and don’t think too hard about crashing. The sand is pretty forgiving even if you do fall. Oregon State Parks rents out both types of boards in the day use area.

It is also thrilling just to hike to the top of the sand dune then run like a maniac to the bottom. The sand slows your feet just enough to make you think you will fall flat on your face at any second. It is inexplicably joy inducing. I remember running down this sand dune with my sister when we were kids. And now my boys love doing it just as much as we did.

On a summer day, the lake is great for wading and swimming. You can do this on the dune side of Cleawox Lake but there’s a nice little swimming area at the historic boat house on the other side. Boats and SUP’s are also available for rental at the boat house. Life jackets are provided for boating but be sure to bring them for swimming - especially on the dune side where there is a drop off.

Nearby Attractions

Honeyman State Park has plenty of recreational opportunities to happily occupy your time. But just in case you want to adventure beyond its borders, here are a few of my favorite local spots:

Florence, Oregon. The city of Florence is 3.5 miles north and a great spot to eat delicious local foods and do a little shopping. Historic Old Town Florence is your best bet. A large public parking lot is available at the east end. There are plenty of restaurants, shops (including some pretty cool toy stores), a fish market and on Tuesdays (May - October) a farmer’s market.

Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is located 25 miles north of Honeyman and offers some of the best views on the entire Oregon Coast. St. Perpetua Trail to West Shelter Viewpoint is one of my favorite hikes. There is a great visitor center with amazing views, beautiful forest hikes, tidepools, Thor’s Well, Cook’s Chasm and Devil’s Churn. See why we love this place!

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint. Heceta Head Lighthouse is located 15 miles north of Honeyman and definitely worth a visit. One look and you’ll understand why this lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Oregon. Here you can take a tour of the lighthouse, play on the beach, hike and even stay the night at the historic Heceta Lighthouse Bed and Breakfast in the historic Keeper’s Home.

Sea Lion Caves. The Sea Lion Caves is located 14 miles north of Honeyman and according to the Guinness Book of World Records is America’s largest sea cave. The best time to see the Steller sea lions is in fall and winter but the attraction and elevator going down into the caves operates year long.

Darlingtonia State Natural Site. Darlingtonia State Natural Site is located 8 miles north of Honeyman and is the only Oregon state park dedicated to the protection of a single plant species. As you might have guessed, it’s a pretty special plant species - a carnivorous one in fact! Found only in Oregon and Northern California, the Darlingtonia californica or cobra lily eats unsuspecting insects that get trapped in its hollow stalk. I mean, the Oregon Grape is cool I guess but wouldn’t the cobra lily have been a way more awesome choice for Oregon's state plant?

Umpqua Discovery Center. Umpqua Discovery Center is located 18 miles south of Honeyman and is a great place to introduce your kids to the history, ecology and culture of the area. With lots of interactive exhibits and an indoor slide that my kids could not get enough of, this museum is a lot of fun! An employee in the gift shop when we visited was especially amazing, showing my kids how to look through the 35 foot periscope to see a pair of nesting ospreys on a nearby bridge.

Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area. Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area is located 21 miles south of Honeyman and is a beautiful place in and of itself. A herd of 60 - 120 Roosevelt elk make their full-time residence here and are easily observed from the viewpoints (though I recommend bringing binoculars if you have them) . Also calling this area home are several species of waterfowl, beaver, river otter, coyote, cougar and bear.

The disappearing dunes

The Oregon Dunes are truly one of a kind, not just in Oregon but on planet Earth. Stretching 54 miles between Heceta Beach and Cape Arago with a width of one to three miles, these dunes are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America. And they are one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes in the world. Reaching heights of 500 feet, these dunes are thought to be over 100,000 years old. However, in an effort to stabilize sand blowing over Hwy 101 in the 1930’s, European beachgrass and other nonnative plants were planted in the dunes. The result has been catastrophic for the Oregon Dunes. In the last 80 years, the landscape of the dunes has drastically changed from beautiful towering sand dunes to emerging forests. Without action, the Oregon Dunes could be lost in a couple of generations.

That’s why groups like Saving the Oregon Dunes are working with the Siuslaw National Forest to remove invasive plant species and help restore the natural ecology and life cycle of the Oregon Dunes. You can help too! By educating others, supporting the cause financially, volunteering your time on local projects or just taking the time to watch this short video, we can all do our part to save this precious Oregon wonder.

And there you have it - an amazing adventure to the Oregon Dunes and Honeyman State Park. As always, be sure to check local resources for weather, road conditions and COVID-19 related closures when planning your trip. And don’t forget to post your photos to #lifelivedoregonstyle on Instagram. We’ll see you out there!