Is pismo beach open again???

[Firebuggy1981]

Hey l just read somewhere that pismo beach is open for "street legal " vehicles... any one else heard of something like that... and would our street legal buggies be allowed?

[Firebuggy1981]

I think starting October 30th is the first day of the reopening of pismo beach... i hope to see some cool buggies out there in the dunes. Take care all

[5150bossman]

As part of a 3-stage reopening, beginning on October 30th, Parks will allow 1000 STREET LEGAL vehicles on to the beach for day-use only (and only if they stick to their published schedule, as it has already changed 3 times). There will be no beach camping and no other types of vehicles allowed. Stages 2 and 3 have no timeline yet, but they will supposedly increase access gradually.

On a side note, Parks is acquiescing to the APCD and closing an ADDITIONAL 90 acres from OHV use for environmental reasons (wind-blown particulate concerns that have recently been proven to be false). So in total, 1/10th of the remaining ridable area of ODSVRA has been closed to riding in just this year! It's time to get involved and help keep this valuable resource open for OHV use! The CCC's plan is to have the dunes permanently closed to all OHV within 5 years. We need to contact our State representatives and tell them to keep the dunes open! ODSVRA comprises just 0.005% of the entire California coastline. There are some local well funded groups that are pushing hard to get the dunes closed to OHV for their own uses even though they have access to plenty of beach nearby with no OHV. Look into joining pro-OHV groups like Friends of Oceano Dunes, or CORVA to help us win this fight before its too late and we loose it forever.

[Firebuggy1981]

Sooooo... we are good to take our buggies and have fun while we still can... SWEET. Any advice for a first timer?

[5150bossman]

Always best to never go alone (another vehicle) so you have someone to help when you get stuck. Take a small shovel to dig yourself out. Street or AT tires will work, but not near as well as paddle tires so don't expect miracles. Make sure you lower your tire air pressure. You can get away with around 6 psi in the front and 8 psi in the rear for the dunes. Start moving gently to avoid digging yourself in. If you feel that you are starting to dig in or sink, stop applying power. If you start to dig in, you may be able to gently back out, but it is just as easy to dig a hole backwards as it is forwards. You want to try and keep track of other vehicles around you too. When you climb a dune and get to the top of the ridge, make an immediate left turn so you don't launch yourself onto other unsuspecting people on the other side that you can't see. Be vigilant for changes in the terrain. You can run across a steep drop off very quickly and not see it because all the sand tends to blend together in a kind of snow blindness. Try and avoid the deep sand holes (witch's eyes). They can easily suck you in and they are tough to get out of without help. You want to go up and down the dunes as close to perpendicular as you can to avoid potential rollover situations. Probably best to stay near the sand highway until you get familiar with driving on the sand and always be aware of which direction the beach is. Most of all, have fun!

[Firebuggy1981]

Wow... thank you so much for the great information. Im definitely gonna take it easy for my first time driving the buggy in the dunes. Hopefully when things calm down we can do another buggy run as a group. I really like this forum and love the dune buggy culture. Thanks again for the tips. -igor

[Firebuggy1981]

[Firebuggy1981]

Great time with the wife in pismo... thanks for your help

[5150bossman]

Nice job on the buggy. Looking great. How was it out on the dunes?

[Firebuggy1981]

The buggy did well... i deflated the tires to the recommended psi and took it easy for my first time with out an additional vehicle near me. Got slightly stuck on a sudden left turn but had no issues getting out with a push from my passenger(the wife got a strong back). I need to play with the carburetor a little, has a little bit of a flat spot and has some popping when cold... but overall A GREAT time had by all. Thanks again for the advice, hope pismo will remain open and we can go play in the sand with other members.

[Firebuggy1981]