Pismo Beach California - Dunes, Trails And Family

[avking]

I am going to start planning a meet in Pismo Beach, California. This is a great destination where you can offroad in the Dunes, camp on the beach and hit some inland trails. I think I can get a guide for a day to help with some offroading. You can do a search in Yahoo on Pismo Beach and the Oceano Dunes for more info on the area.

For those that do not offroad, you can rent ATVs or go Horseback riding on the beach. Hummer H1 tours (1 Hour high speed in the Dunes) run several times a day for about $75. Hearst Castle is about 45 minutes up the road. Lopez Lake and Mustang Water Park are about 15 minutes away. Lopez Lake allows jet skis and boats. Mustang Water Park is a water park with slides and such, built into the lake.

Primary lodging will be camping on the beach. Tent camping and towable campers are both allowed on the beach and in the dunes. For those that do not camp, we have plenty of hotels within 5 minutes.

I am looking at a Friday through Monday sometime in July or August. This way you can some Friday or Saturday and leave Sunday or Monday depending on your schedule. I will stay all four days and I know a couple others will also. I think this would be a great trip for those who can not make the Nationals. This trip can be very cheap if you camp.

People come from all over to go to Pismo. I have seen people from Oregan, Washington, Utah, Arizona and Nevada come for the offroading. The Pismo Dunes are some of the best offroading on the West Coast. Beutiful weather and it NEVER rains in the Summer. Temps is Pismo will not reach 90 and it is always cool in the evening, great for campfires.

So, who is interested? Throw some dates at me and I will norrow them down and see what works best for everyone. I will also have a thread going on the http://www.socalavalanche.com/ site.

Check back frequently, I will post more information as the plan comes together. I really want to get a big group and even some out of state AVs for this one. What will I have to do to interest you?

[Sunburst 2500]

i love going to pismo count me in for something like this most likely will stay at my favorite hotel but may camp. Now i need to see when i can swing this date wise... i no july 20th is out for me..

[CA_HIKR]

YOU KNOW WE ARE IN FOR THIS ONE, STILL THINKING ABOUT THE NATIONAL THOUGH. MAYBY EARLY JULY OR EARLY AUG. 3RD WEEK IN AUG IS OUT THATS WHEN WERE DOING WHITNEY.

[AV25004X4]

Count us in.  We make a Pismo run at least once a year.  We will either bring our ATVs and/or rent them up there.  Running the sand dunes is a blast.

July is fine as long as it is after the 4th.

[Supermobile]

Sounds intriguing to me, I will be trying to work it out.

How far is Pismo from say Oceanside would you say?

[Tomer3000]

I must say that I been there 2 weeks ago and it's realy sucks - It's totaly destructive to your AV - the sand which enter everywhere and the Salt !!!
Be carfull - It's took me a week and 10 washes to bring my AV to original condition. !!! And I talk about Water Pressure washes !!!
If u love your AV - Don't take it there. I took my ATVs with me but in order to unload - u have to go do it on the sand beach....and u come back and the AV is full of sand everywhere - a nightmare. Even my friends that came with me there thought it is realy bad to the AV...I thought u would like to know it ...bye

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[Tomer3000]

I still have sand in the AV !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do not go there with the AV - go there with some cheap truck and ATVs !!!!

The AV is too new for it !!!



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[avking]

Everyone has an opinion on this, and they vary widely. The salt water is not an issue, all you have to do is hit the car wash with the undercarriage wash right by the exit to the beach. A little salt water will not hurt anything if you wash it off. As far as sand, the same applies. All you gotta do is clean it. Sure, it may take a few washes before you get it all from under the AV, but what is it going to damage.

I have brought my AV to Pismo a couple times a month for the past 16 months. I have no short term or long term damage from it, and I am positive I do not clean it half as much as most people do. Sure, I usually have sand in the frame rails and inside the bed and cabin, but I did buy a 4x4.

I am not sure what you mean by bad to the AV. Did anything get damaged? I just don't think we should discourage people from a meet for these reasons. Sure, it WILL get dirty and you WILL be finding sand in the cabin for weeks to come, but you WILL have a blast if you go.

I must say that I been there 2 weeks ago and it's realy sucks - It's totaly destructive to your AV - the sand which enter everywhere and the Salt !!!
Be carfull - It's took me a week and 10 washes to bring my AV to original condition. !!! And I talk about Water Pressure washes !!!
If u love your AV - Don't take it there. I took my ATVs with me but in order to unload - u have to go do it on the sand beach....and u come back and the AV is full of sand everywhere - a nightmare. Even my friends that came with me there thought it is realy bad to the AV...I thought u would like to know it ...bye

[Sunburst 2500]

hell we show are av and i cannot wait to take it to pismo already took if off road pismo rock after a few washed all will be well. Any ideas on dates yet??

[MisterSinister]

I go to Pismo at least 3 times a year. I have to say That I absolutely LOVE it. I am usually camping on the beach with all my toys and have not had any problems cleaning them or noticed any damage by the sand or salt water. You really only have to worry about tracking it your AV when you get in and out of it. Clean off your feet as well as you can before you get in and you'll be fine.

Tomer- I am curious to know what you did with your AV there to warrant 10 washes. My Ford SD F250 in 4x4 and go all over that place. I have never washed it 10 times afterward, 2 at the most. I haven't even had to wash my motorcycle 10 after going there, and I ride that in the water on the beach. The sand is really fine there. You must have been having some real fun back in the dunes.  I bought my AV to drive it not matter what terrain. If you can't enjoy using it then why have it?


Just my 2 cents.

MS

[avking]

Ok, as promised, I am going to throw out some pssible dates. Please respond here or on SaCal site with what works best for you. I will look at all the responses and pick that date that works best for the most.

#1 July 25th through July 28th

#2 August 1st through August 4th

#3 August 8th through August 11th

All three are a Friday arrival and Monday departure. You can come as many or as few days you wish. I will arrive early Friday for sure, to get a good camping spot. Camping is wide open and you just put your tent anywhere you want. If you have a trailer, please let me know and I will pick a spot suited for trailers and tents. As long as your trailer is not to heavy, you should have no problem towing it on the beach to the campsite. If you do, there will be plenty of us to help out.

Here are some links for those that do not want to camp on the beach.

Camp Site at but not on beach with some hookups:
http://www.reserveamerica.com/jsp/commonpage.jsp?goto=/usa/ca/pism/newindex.html

RV Park - Very nice - I have stayed here before:
http://www.rvbeach.com/

This is a great site about Pismo and the Dunes:
http://classiccalifornia.com/index.htm

Once we pick a date, I will start planning activities. So far I have the following ideas:

Saturday Hummer H1 tour in the dunes.
Saturday night bonfire and pot luck.
All Days cruise in the dunes.
Saturday or Sunday ATV Rentals
Saturday or Sunday Horse Rentals
Maybe a run to Hearst Castle for those not into dunes

[AV25004X4]

The weekend in July looks good.   It leaves August open for some other activities.

We will probably come up Saturday afternoon for some ATV riding.  

The sand in a problem up there but it is no big deal unless you are careless and drag it into the car/truck by the buckets.  I use a leaf blower and it cleans the whole thing out in a few minutes.  It works a lot better than a vacum cleaner.

If you would like to go out and enjoy the dunes without getting 'dirty', some of the rental shops will even drive you out there in the shop's truck.  If there is enough interest, we may be able to work out a group rental rate.
Steves ATV & Hummer Tours/Rental

[avking]

The weekend in July looks good.   It leaves August open for some other activities.

We will probably come up Saturday afternoon for some ATV riding.  

The sand in a problem up there but it is no big deal unless you are careless and drag it into the car/truck by the buckets.  I use a leaf blower and it cleans the whole thing out in a few minutes.  It works a lot better than a vacum cleaner.

If you would like to go out and enjoy the dunes without getting 'dirty', some of the rental shops will even drive you out there in the shop's truck.  If there is enough interest, we may be able to work out a group rental rate.
Steves ATV & Hummer Tours/Rental

[avking]

I planned on renting one of the dune buggies for an entire day.

The weekend in July looks good.   It leaves August open for some other activities.

We will probably come up Saturday afternoon for some ATV riding.  

The sand in a problem up there but it is no big deal unless you are careless and drag it into the car/truck by the buckets.  I use a leaf blower and it cleans the whole thing out in a few minutes.  It works a lot better than a vacum cleaner.

If you would like to go out and enjoy the dunes without getting 'dirty', some of the rental shops will even drive you out there in the shop's truck.  If there is enough interest, we may be able to work out a group rental rate.
Steves ATV & Hummer Tours/Rental

[CA_HIKR]

#1 SOUNDS GOOD TO US. WE HAVE DECIDED NOT TO GO TO THE NATIONAL MEET. TO MANY OTHER THINGS WE ARE DOING THIS SUMMER.

[Sunburst 2500]

#1sounds good to me as well i am down for that..

[SoCalCindy]

Well... It looks like #1 is winning so far...

Sounds like a ton of fun avking!

I'm going to double check with my kids coaches and make sure they don't have any games, competitions or exhibitions scheduled for that week. So count us in for now...

We might be interested in a trip to Hearst Castle and some horseback riding too... Actually, we might stay for a week and make it our summer vacation.

Supermobile

How far is Pismo from say Oceanside would you say?

Super... I think it would be approx. 250 miles...

[AV25004X4]

It seems like we have about 1/2 dozen folks interested in this one already.  There is plenty to do up there as well as a possible cruise just going up.

We are planning to leave the Los Angeles area Saturday morining driving up 101.  We usually make a stop in Buellton (sp) / Solvang as a midpoint stop.  A second stop in Santa Maria for food/lunch and gas.  That puts us into Pismo right after lunch with a full afternoon and early evening for play time.

[SoCalCindy]

My good friend has told me that while we are in Pismo...we need to make reservations and go to dinner at McLintocks Saloon one night. She says it's a must!

avking... you familiar with this place?

[CA_HIKR]

I'M GLAD TO SEE ALL THE EARLY INTREST IN THIS TRIP. A WELL PLANNED TRIP USUALLY RESULTS IN A GREAT TIME FOR ALL.

[tractman]

I have been there on several occasions. I recommend the Turkey Nuts for all. They are the best you will ever eat.............They also have a 40 oz. steak for the big eaters..
Tractman

[SoCalCindy]

On the way home from the Nor Cal Coastal Cruise... we stopped at Pismo Beach for a bit and took a nice walk and let our kids play on the beach... It was gorgeous as usual!

I am so used to the overcrowded beaches in So Cal... It was such a TREAT to go to the beach and actually be able to walk WITHOUT stepping over or walking around someone every few steps!

Here's my kids having a good time at Pismo!



It was Memorial Weekend...
and it looked like people were really kickin' the sand up at the dunes!

[Sunburst 2500]

McLintocks Saloon rocks i always eat there one night when in pismo they are one of the best steakhouses i have been to. I would see if resvervations can be made as you you wait a while for a table on a saturday night.....

[injunss]

Dave do you still have your Impala? I had to sell mine in Nov.

[wildland1]

AVKING,  looks like #1 will work for me also.  I wont be able to drag my camper in though, I am a little heavy.  I am going to tray and get reservations @ the RV park. ~G