Weekend Wanderlust: ATVing in the Oceano Sand Dunes

I’ve never considered myself to be much of an adrenaline junkie. Sky diving and bungee jumping do not appeal to me in the slightest, and quite frankly, scare me to the core. But ATVing, now that’s another story. There’s just something about the speed, and the scenery that revs me up!

Growing up, I vacationed in Pismo Beach for 13 summers straight. My family and I often took walks along the beach towards the sand dunes. We’d see the RVs and trailers parked on the beach, and hear the dirt bikes and ATVs flying by. Each time we passed the campground, I thought to myself, “That’ll be me someday!” ATVing wasn’t something my family participated in, but I wanted nothing more than to experience that kind of excitement in my life.

This past January, I finally went ATVing at Oceano Dunes SRVA (formerly Pismo Dunes SRVA), for the first time. It was such a rush that I did it again this past weekend! My friend wanted to do something fun for her birthday, so we decided to make a trip up the coast and have some fun. To us, life’s about adventure and we take every chance we can to live it up!

Once we rented our ATVs and arrived at the dunes, we spent hours driving around; going up and down hills, and over big sand bumps. We couldn’t help but scream and smile as we channeled our inner race car driver and navigated the ‘sand highway,’ which, to us, felt more like a racetrack than a path at the edge of the dunes. The atmosphere was nothing short of exciting, and it surely fed our need for speed.

If you too are looking for some fun or just need an adventure, I highly recommend making the trip up to Central California and riding the day away.

Keep reading to learn more about Oceano Dunes and B.J.’s ATV rentals.

Oceano Dunes SRVA

The popular camping and recreation spot located in Oceano, California hosts tons of campers and off-road enthusiasts each year. Campers enjoy the pristine location of the grounds, and the ability to both off-road in the dunes and swim in the ocean all in one day. Families park their RV’s, trailers, trucks, and other 4WD vehicles on the sand, in the middle of the water and the dunes, and listen to the waves crash in and the riders zoom by. Reservations can be made year-round. Those who are looking to experience Oceano Dunes, without camping, can rent OHV’s from local vendors and receive access to the park.

I went to Oceano Dunes in both January and October of this year, and both months appeared to be equally as busy. Families were scattered throughout the beach and the dunes, occupying different areas of the park, but it was not overwhelmingly busy. Each time, the weather on the beach was gloomy and chilly. The dunes, however, were not as cold because they sit at a higher elevation than the water.

B.J.’s ATV Rentals

I’ve rented ATV’s from B.J.’s ATV Rentals in Grover Beach twice now. The shop is just minutes from Oceano Dunes and the business has a rating of 4.3/5 on Google. There are many other rental vendors in the area, but I’ve had a good experience with B.J.’s on both occassions. When I went in January, I did not have a reservation, but this past weekend, my group and I had a reservation to ensure rentals would be available. We paid $82 (and some change) total per person for a two hour 4-stroke Honda 250EX rental. The price included additional fees and gas, but did not include the deposit. We were required to pay a $100 deposit per rider but it was fully refundable so long as the ATV was returned in good condition.

After we signed the release form and paid for our rentals, we drove a couple minutes down the road and parked on the street just outside the Oceano Dunes entrance. We walked into the park and met our driver on the sand. She was waiting in a Suburban that was clearly labeled with the company name which made it easy to spot her. She drove us down the coast for a few minutes until we arrived near all the OHV vendor trailers. We pulled up the B.J.’s trailer and handed over our paperwork (renters must bring this in order to receive their vehicle). We were then given our helmets, a brief rider training and finally, our vehicles. When we finished riding, we returned our ATVs to the trailer, and got our wristbands and paperwork signed off. We waited a couple minutes for our transportation back to the Oceano Dunes SRVA exit. When we exited the park and arrived at our car, we drove back to B.J.’s office and got our $100 deposit back.

If you have any questions about Oceano Dunes, feel free to reach out!