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Dune weather summary: Aden Hills Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 93°, 7 mph. Alkali Lake OHV Area, 95°, 8 mph. Amargosa Big Dune, 95°, 9 mph. Aurora Open OHV Area, 84°, 23 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Bangs Canyon OHV Trails, 88°, 8 mph. Barnwell Mountain Recreational Area, 95°, 6 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Blue Creek OHV Area, 91°, 11 mph. Boulders OHV Staging Area, 98°, 3 mph. Buttercup Valley, 101°, 9 mph, heat caution: HIGH HEAT - HYDRATE. Cameo Cliffs/Hook and OHV Ladder Trail System, 82°, 5 mph. Chappie/Shasta Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area, 70°, 0 mph. Cinder Hills OHV Area, 82°, --. Copper Basin Dunes OHV Area, 86°, 17 mph. Coral Pink Sand Dunes, 61°, 7 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Crescent Sand Dunes, 75°, 21 mph. Cross Bar Ranch Off-Road Park, 102°, 10 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Crossroads OHV Area, 89°, 17 mph. Dove Springs OHV Area, 67°, 1 mph. Dumont Dunes, 81°, 0 mph. Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 84°, 6 mph. El Mirage OHV Area, 68°, 8 mph. Escondido Draw Recreational Area, 91°, 14 mph. Fort Sage Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 71°, 22 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Fossil Creek OHV Trail, 70°, 7 mph. Gemini Bridges, 84°, 0 mph. Glamis / Imperial Sand Dunes, 96°, 12 mph. Glenwood Open OHV Area, 84°, 23 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Gordon's Well, 101°, 9 mph, heat caution: HIGH HEAT - HYDRATE. Grand Valley Open OHV Area, 88°, 8 mph. Greater Sand Dunes SRMA, 79°, 6 mph. Hackberry Lake Off-Highway Vehicle Use Area, 95°, 8 mph. Hayfield Draw OHV Area, 93°, 3 mph. Haystack Mountain Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 81°, 11 mph. Head Canyon OHV Recreation Area, 84°, 6 mph. Hog Canyon OHV Trail System, 61°, 7 mph, active alert: Flood Watch. Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area, 91°, 4 mph. Hungry Valley SVRA, 58°, 11 mph. Jawbone Canyon OHV Area, 59°, 1 mph. Johnson Valley OHV Area, 69°, 4 mph. Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area, 79°, 6 mph. Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA), 86°, 15 mph. Little Sahara Recreation Area, 79°, 23 mph. Little Sahara State Park, 99°, 10 mph. McCullough Peaks OHV Area, 79°, 11 mph. Mescalero Sands North Dune Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 81°, 11 mph. Millican Valley OHV Trail System, 59°, 0 mph. Moon Rocks OHV Area, 69°, 11 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Nellis Dunes OHV Area, 82°, 16 mph. North Sand Hills OHV Area, 73°, 7 mph. Northwest OHV Park, 98°, 7 mph, active alert: Heat Advisory. Oceano Dunes / Pismo Beach, 74°, 7 mph, active alert: Beach Hazards Statement. Ocotillo Wells SVRA, 87°, 4 mph. Pipestone OHV Area, 61°, 8 mph, active alert: Red Flag Warning. Poison Spider / Gold Bar, 87°, 6 mph. Rabbit Creek OHV Trail, 70°, 7 mph. Radar Hill OHV Area, 54°, 15 mph. Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 70°, 8 mph. Red Sands Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 90°, 5 mph. Rice Canyon Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 64°, 20 mph, active alert: Lake Wind Advisory. Robledo Mountains OHV Trail System, 93°, 7 mph. Rosita Flats OHV Area, 91°, 11 mph. Samoa Dunes, 63°, 2 mph. Sand Flats Recreation Area, 87°, 6 mph. Sand Mountain Open Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 79°, 17 mph. Sand Mountain Pipeline Designated Dispersed Camping Area, 79°, 17 mph. Sand Mountain Recreation Area, 73°, 5 mph, active alert: Red Flag Warning. Seep Springs OHV Area, 88°, 9 mph. Shoshone OHV Trail System, 72°, 5 mph. Shotgun Creek OHV Staging Area, 50°, 7 mph. Silver Lake ORV Area, 75°, 10 mph. South Cow Mountain OHV Management Area, 63°, 10 mph. St. Anthony Sand Dunes, 79°, 11 mph. St. Helen Motorsport Area, 75°, 9 mph. Standard Wash OHV Area, 86°, 17 mph. Stoddard Valley OHV Area, 68°, 6 mph. Table Mesa Recreation Area, 99°, 5 mph. Virtue Flat Off-Highway Vehicle Area, 63°, 0 mph. Weiser Dunes, 68°, 0 mph. Whitewash Sand Dunes Open OHV Area and Trail System, 84°, 0 mph. Winnemucca Sand Dunes, 72°, 6 mph.

Aden Hills Off-Highway… 93° 7 mph Alkali Lake OHV Area 95° 8 mph Amargosa Big Dune 95° 9 mph Aurora Open OHV Area 84° 23 mph Bangs Canyon OHV Trails 88° 8 mph Barnwell Mountain… 95° 6 mph Blue Creek OHV Area 91° 11 mph Boulders OHV Staging Area 98° 3 mph Buttercup Valley 101° 9 mph Cameo Cliffs/Hook and OHV… 82° 5 mph Chappie/Shasta Off-Highway… 70° 0 mph Cinder Hills OHV Area 82° -- Copper Basin Dunes OHV Area 86° 17 mph Coral Pink Sand Dunes 61° 7 mph Crescent Sand Dunes 75° 21 mph Cross Bar Ranch Off-Road Park 102° 10 mph Crossroads OHV Area 89° 17 mph Dove Springs OHV Area 67° 1 mph Dumont Dunes 81° 0 mph Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area 84° 6 mph El Mirage OHV Area 68° 8 mph Escondido Draw Recreational… 91° 14 mph Fort Sage Off-Highway… 71° 22 mph Fossil Creek OHV Trail 70° 7 mph Gemini Bridges 84° 0 mph Glamis / Imperial Sand Dunes 96° 12 mph Glenwood Open OHV Area 84° 23 mph Gordon's Well 101° 9 mph Grand Valley Open OHV Area 88° 8 mph Greater Sand Dunes SRMA 79° 6 mph Hackberry Lake Off-Highway… 95° 8 mph Hayfield Draw OHV Area 93° 3 mph Haystack Mountain… 81° 11 mph Head Canyon OHV Recreation… 84° 6 mph Hog Canyon OHV Trail System 61° 7 mph Hot Well Dunes Recreation Area 91° 4 mph Hungry Valley SVRA 58° 11 mph Jawbone Canyon OHV Area 59° 1 mph Johnson Valley OHV Area 69° 4 mph Killpecker Sand Dunes Open… 79° 6 mph Knolls Off-Highway Vehicle… 86° 15 mph Little Sahara Recreation Area 79° 23 mph Little Sahara State Park 99° 10 mph McCullough Peaks OHV Area 79° 11 mph Mescalero Sands North Dune… 81° 11 mph Millican Valley OHV Trail… 59° 0 mph Moon Rocks OHV Area 69° 11 mph Nellis Dunes OHV Area 82° 16 mph North Sand Hills OHV Area 73° 7 mph Northwest OHV Park 98° 7 mph Oceano Dunes / Pismo Beach 74° 7 mph Ocotillo Wells SVRA 87° 4 mph Pipestone OHV Area 61° 8 mph Poison Spider / Gold Bar 87° 6 mph Rabbit Creek OHV Trail 70° 7 mph Radar Hill OHV Area 54° 15 mph Rasor Off-Highway Vehicle Area 70° 8 mph Red Sands Off-Highway… 90° 5 mph Rice Canyon Off-Highway… 64° 20 mph Robledo Mountains OHV Trail… 93° 7 mph Rosita Flats OHV Area 91° 11 mph Samoa Dunes 63° 2 mph Sand Flats Recreation Area 87° 6 mph Sand Mountain Open… 79° 17 mph Sand Mountain Pipeline… 79° 17 mph Sand Mountain Recreation Area 73° 5 mph Seep Springs OHV Area 88° 9 mph Shoshone OHV Trail System 72° 5 mph Shotgun Creek OHV Staging Area 50° 7 mph Silver Lake ORV Area 75° 10 mph South Cow Mountain OHV… 63° 10 mph St. Anthony Sand Dunes 79° 11 mph St. Helen Motorsport Area 75° 9 mph Standard Wash OHV Area 86° 17 mph Stoddard Valley OHV Area 68° 6 mph Table Mesa Recreation Area 99° 5 mph Virtue Flat Off-Highway… 63° 0 mph Weiser Dunes 68° 0 mph Whitewash Sand Dunes Open… 84° 0 mph Winnemucca Sand Dunes 72° 6 mph

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Samoa Dunes

Recreational activities for all interests

Locationnear Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
Entry points2 verified
Size300 acres
Conditions63° · 2 mph

Trip check

Before you go

  • Permit status not confirmed. Check with the managing agency.
  • CAUTION: Large waves can hit the beach and jetty at any time, washing away anything in their path. Never turn your back on the ocean. The jetty is not safe for recreational use. Do not attempt to rescue a dog from the ocean.

Guide

About this area

This 300-acre area offers off-highway vehicle (OHV) riding, hiking, surfing, fishing, sightseeing, beach combing, birdwatching, picnicking, and kayaking. The OHV trails are open to all types of vehicles and include a one-way track, a 4x4 rock crawling course, and the beach strand.

Facilities

unloading ramp, restroom, tables, cooking grills, scenic overlook

Full agency description

Samoa Dunes Recreation AreaWelcome to Samoa Dunes Recreation Area. As a visitor to this 300-acre area, you can enjoy many recreational activities, including hiking, surfing, fishing, sightseeing, beach combing, off-highway vehicle (OHV) riding, birdwatching, picnicking and kayaking. Before you explore, make sure to familiarize yourself with OHV riding areas and respect the rights of other visitors. Those on foot should be cautious while in or around OHV riding areas. Samoa Dunes Recreation Area is open during daylight hours only. Off-Highway Vehicle UseAll riding trails are open to all OHV vehicle types. Facilities include an unloading ramp, restroom, tables, cooking grills and a scenic overlook. . From the staging area, riders have easy access to 140 acres of "open" terrain, containing numerous trails, a one-way track, a 4x4 rock crawling course, and the beach strand. An additional 75-acre riding area known as Eureka Dunes is open to OHV use and extends about 1 mile north of the park. It is unlawful to operate any vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. For the safety of all visitors the use of firearms, bow and arrows, and fireworks are prohibited. Unless your off-highway vehicle (OHV) is designed to carry a passenger, carrying passengers on an OHV is prohibited. All vehicles must be registered and a green or red sticker or license plate must be clearly displayed. OHVs must be equipped with an approved spark arrester and muffler. Flags are required on all OHVs and passenger vehicles operating off highway. Ocean SafetyCAUTION: At any time, the beach and jetty can be hit by large waves that wash away anything in their path. Don’t fall victim to these hazardous conditions. Never turn your back on the ocean. The jetty is not safe for recreational use and is not managed by the BLM. Consult a tide chart and check the weather for optimal conditions. Never attempt to rescue a dog from the ocean. Dogs are better swimmers than us and almost always get out safely on their own.

Access

Getting there

  • ➡️ FROM EUREKA — New Navy Base RoadEntrance

    From U.S. Hwy 101 at Eureka take Hwy 255 across the SAMOA BRIDGE. Turn SOUTH (left) onto New Navy Base Road and drive about four miles to the parking area.

    Pin from the managing agency
  • ⬇️ FROM ARCATA — via Samoa BoulevardEntrance

    From Arcata take Samoa Boulevard west then south until it meets the Samoa Bridge, then follow the Eureka directions — south on New Navy Base Road about four miles.

    Pin from the managing agency

Rules

Rules

Standard OHV rules (11)

Common equipment, registration and trail-use rules still apply.

  • ⭐ RIDE TO THE HIGHEST SAFETY STANDARD, NOT THE LEGAL MINIMUM. What is written below is what the managing agency requires. A helmet, eye protection, a flag and proper gear are what get you home — wear them whether or not the law where you are riding insists on it.
  • All vehicles must be registered. A green or red sticker or license plate must be clearly displayed. OHVs must be equipped with an approved spark arrester and muffler. Flags are required on all OHVs and passenger vehicles operating off highway.
  • 🪖 Side-by-side / UTV (factory-built, steering wheel, bucket seats, under 1,000cc, does over 30 mph): helmets on the driver and every passenger, and seat belts or a harness fastened whenever it is moving. That is California law on public land.
  • 🪖 Sand car, sand rail, dune buggy, Jeep, or anything home-built or over 1,000cc: no helmet or seat-belt law applies. Wear them anyway — State Parks recommend it, and so do we.
  • 🪖 Quads and ATVs: helmet on every rider, any age. Dirt bikes: helmet required under 18.
  • ⚠️ Tuned it past 30 mph? A machine built for 30 or under that now goes faster is treated like a side-by-side — helmet and belt rules apply.
  • 👶 A child seat does not replace a helmet. In a side-by-side, a child in a car seat still wears one.
  • Source: California Vehicle Code §500, §38505, §38601–38602 — checked Aug 2026.
  • 🪖 Any helmet the law requires must meet FMVSS 218 and carry a DOT label — CVC 27802.
  • 📖 CHECK THE LAW YOURSELF — these requirements come from California State Parks OHMVR — Laws & Safety. Rules change, and you are responsible for compliance: ohv.parks.ca.gov
  • 🗺️ NO SIGNAL? TAKE AN OFFLINE MAP. BLM publish free GEOREFERENCED PDF maps that show your live GPS position with no cell service, in the Avenza Maps app or similar. Download the map for this area BEFORE you leave tarmac: www.blm.gov

Permits

Permits & registration

Permit and registration details
State residents
California residents: OHV must display a current Green Sticker or Red Sticker registration from the CA DMV.
Out-of-state riders
Out-of-state riders: a California Nonresident OHV Use Permit is required unless your OHV carries current registration from your home state. $30 ($31.95 online), valid from purchase through December 31 of that year.
Bureau of Land Management official page (current closures & alerts)

Permit and registration rules change. Confirm current requirements with the managing agency before you ride — you are responsible for compliance.

Trip support

Fuel, food & local help

Pump gas & diesel

  • Services can be found in Eureka, CAfuel

    ACROSS THE SAMOA BRIDGE · Everything you need just across the bridge. Nothing out on New Navy Base Road.

  • Arcata, CA — northern approachfuel

    IF YOU ARE COMING DOWN FROM THE NORTH · Fill here rather than assuming there is something on the peninsula.

Marketplace

Rigs and vehicles

Elsewhere

These listings are not nearby and their sellers have not said they ride here.

$25,000

2014 MB 5 Seat Sand Rail

2014Orange, CA
StandardUsed
SaleDune Buggy

2014 MB 5-Seat Long Travel Sand Rail Clean, well-built 5-seat long travel sand rail with a great combination of performance, reliability,...

Dune Buggy6 days ago
$7,000

Polaris RZR 200 EFI

2025Orange, CA
StandardUsed
SaleSXS/UTV

FOR SALE: 2025 Polaris RZR 200 EFI – 50 Hours $7000.00 Excellent RZR 200 EFI with only 50 hours. Well set up, runs great, and has a ton o...

SXS/UTV6 days ago
$45,000

2 seat Potter Sandcar LS2/2d

2006Prescott, AZ
StandardUsed
SaleDune Buggy

This has been a great car! Got it in 2015-2016 Potter is still in business, had someone call them recently and ask about a 930 to 934 conve...

Dune Buggy2 weeks ago
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$4,000

J&J aluminum sand car

1987Victorville, CA
StandardUsed
SaleDune Buggy

Aluminum A-arm J&J sand car with bench seat. Recently rewired, new Tach, console and gauges, rear disk brakes. Trans has close ratio gears...

Dune Buggy2 weeks ago
$16,000

2008 Sand Limo Squirt

2008Hooper, UT
StandardUsed
SaleSand Cars

2008 Sand Limo Squirt sand car NO TRADES! I can help with delivery to ID, CA and NV $16K -Powered by a 2.2 Ecotec motor from CBM w...

Sand Cars1 month ago
$57,000

2024 Can-Am Maverick R XRS

2024Mesa, AZ
StandardUsed
SaleSXS/UTV

2024 Can-Am Maverick R EVO E85 setup (pump, tubes, exhaust etc) TMW shorty cage TMW Bumper Triple R Lights (bumper, hood, pillar, light ...

SXS/UTV1 month ago
List a vehicle that rides here