Sand Lake Recreation Area 4th of July Tickets

Planning to visit Sand Lake Recreation Area during Fourth of July weekend? From July 3 through July 5, a timed ticket is required for all highway legal vehicles accessing Sand Lake except those with a reservation at Sand Beach, East Dunes, or West Winds campgrounds. Tickets are available by reservation only beginning on May 5, 2026. A separate ticket is needed for each vehicle and each day of the holiday weekend.

Towed or trailered ATVs, UTVs, quads, and dirt bikes do not need a timed ticket. Towed OHV trailers and camping trailers do not need a timed ticket unless they are detached and parked separately from their towing vehicle.

This timed ticket system helps the Forest Service provide safe and positive visitor experiences during the busiest weekend of the year.

Several types of tickets are available:
• West Winds Day Use: Paved parking to stage OHVs. Day use only (6 AM – 10 PM). Located adjacent to the sand dunes.
• Fisherman Day Use: Paved parking for non-motorized recreation at the beach and estuary. Day use only (6 AM – 10 PM). OHV staging is not allowed in this parking lot.
• Derrick Road Camping Area: Overnight camping at the edge of the sand dunes. No designated campsites. A vault toilet and fire rings are provided. Tickets provide camping access from 10 AM on the printed date to 9:59 AM the following day.
• Sand Access: Motorized travel on the sand dunes. Sand access tickets allow for day use and overnight camping in all sand areas that are open to motorized travel. There are no designated sand campsites. Vehicles with sand access tickets will not be allowed to park in any paved parking areas.

Reservations for Sand Beach, East Dunes, and West Winds campgrounds are available at each facility’s respective recreation.gov webpage. Each campsite can accommodate one towed or self propelled RV and two additional passenger vehicles. Visitors with camping reservations do not need to purchase a timed ticket as long as they stay within this vehicle limit.

About the Sand Lake Recreation Area
Sand Lake is located along the northern Oregon coast, 15 miles from Tillamook and 10 miles from Pacific City. It contains 1,076 acres of sand dunes surrounded by forests and adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. The Sand Lake Recreation Area is very popular with OHV visitors and also offers a wide variety of non-motorized recreation opportunities.