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Sand Dunes Frontier
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Sand Dunes Frontier
I'm reviewing the Sand Rail tours. If you want to read a review about the rentals or the limo Sand Rails and big blue, this review is not for you.
We had a simple guy named Bob as our Tour Guide driver. The dunes were a blast. There were crests that were at least 60' tall that we sped down at 40-50 MPH on a tight turn (which feels really fast on a rail) We started having problems with a cable on the rail, so we stopped on top of a dune. Despite the technical difficulty, he got it fixed after he had someone give him pliers. Fortunately, we stopped at a crest of a dune with a nice view of the ocean. To make up for the lost time, he really gave us a special ride. The last 10 minutes were epic. He almost rolled, but it really gave us a good adrenalin run. He was obviously skilled; he claims he's been ATVing on the dunes since he was 9.
On the tour, some sand does get kicked into your face. They provide goggles, but even some sand seeps into them. Two days and showers later as I'm typing this, I still have sand in my ear and hair.
Despite the technical fluke and the sand all over me, I think it's definitely worth the experience and was extremely fun! :)
This review is also for sand rail rides, not for rentals. Rentals are a separate company even though they are co-located.
The last time we were in Florence we camped at Honeyman and climbed partway up the dunes. We saw people zipping around in sand rails and decided that this would be a much easier way to get to the top.
So this time my wife and I took a ride on a 4-person rail. It was a blast, worth every penny plus tip. We zoomed up, we headed straight down, we sideslipped, we raced around the rim of the bowl surrounding one of the tree islands. Our excellent driver, Frank, stopped the rail a few times to let us take in the impressive scenery. This also let us spit out the sand and get our heart rates down.
Don't worry about safety. They run a pretty standard course a dozen times a day so they know the dunes. Frank was always in control and aware of other vehicles. He also kept an eye on his passengers.
Some advice:
First, arrange your schedule so that you can shower afterwards. You will not only be covered with sand, including in your ears and up your nose, you will find that sand has worked under your clothes into places that seem impossible (I'm not kidding). We were driving up the coast and did this ride at the end of the day so we checked into the hotel in Florence and showered immediately afterward. If we had done this on our way out of town then it would have been a long and uncomfortable day.
Second, know your limits and communicate them to the driver. Near the end we'd had enough excitement and asked Frank to focus on scenery and minimize the thrills (you have to go fast enough to climb the dunes, so it still wasn't exactly boring). After the ride he told us what the grand finale would have been and I'm just as glad we skipped it (I'm a wuss and my wife has an inner-ear condition). Most people will love it though.
Third, believe the lady at the desk who tells you not to take anything loose and to keep keys etc in a zippered pocket. I wore a knit cap and would have lost my baseball cap.
Fourth, if you wear glasses, wear something substantial enough that the goggles (standard Scott skiing goggles) don't shove them back against your face. My sunglasses are strong enough, my wife's aren't. It may be just as well that she didn't see everything we were doing though.
Fifth, go late in the month. They're allowed to lose a certain number of clients per month so at the beginning of the month the drivers take more chances.
(For the humor-impaired: item five is a joke. They take safety seriously).
***NOTE***: the original review I wrote back in September for this horrible, unethical outfit was recently pulled. Why and by whom, I can only speculate. I have my suspicions, and by the time you're done reading my second post, I think YOU will have a pretty good idea as well.
Here's review #2:
My wife and I each rented 1-person dune buggy ATVs from Sand Dunes Frontier on August 14, 2008 while on vacation. The equipment provided was substandard, as was the quality of customer service.
For starters, the helmets provided were dripping with sweat and disgusting. Despite arriving early, I had my choice of two in my size (L) --both dripping with sweat from the previous user and reeking. You would think a reputable outfit would at least try to dry and clean the helmet before handing it to the next guy, but not this place. My wife's helmet was almost as bad as mine.
Secondly, within 10 minutes of reaching the sand dunes, my wife's ATV started malfunctioning --engine would go a bit, then cut out. I switched ATVs with my wife, and... I had exactly the same problem, while she was able to drive mine with no issues. It kept dying, and within another 15 minutes, the engine died completely and would not restart. Then I noticed a loose wire next to the ignition.
AT that point, I headed back to the shop on the one good working ATV to get help. When I got there, I explained the situation and one of the teenaged "mechanics". He (reluctantly) went out to the sand dunes to retrieve the broken ATV --and my wife-- and later confirmed it was an ignition malfunction.
So, despite paying for the full hour, my wife and I both got a total of 10 minutes of fun, the rest of the time spent trying to start the bad ATV or seeking help. Naturally, I asked for a partial refund (I should have demanded a full one), which they initially balked at. Finally, after speaking with the "manager" (teenager #2), he grudgingly agreed to refund me... $10 whole dollars out of $90, mostly spent dealing with their broken equipment.
To add insult to injury, even this tiny refund never showed up on my credit card statement. So, in addition to providing faulty and unsanitary equipment, this outfit also "lost" the refund paperwork. How convenient.
To say that the Sand Dunes Frontier is lacking in the customer service and ethics department would be an understatement.
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9/2/2008
I'm astonished anyone could give this place 5 stars. If my wife and I could have given it zero… Read more »
Kinda expensive but really fun. This was my first time on an ATV and it takes some getting used to. The Oregon sand dunes were totally incredible - you have to see it for yourself. The sand was constantly shifting so you have to be careful and remember your landmarks. Otherwise, I highly recommend the experience.
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