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Oregon Dunes Riders Lose Banshee Hill for the Winter

A new Forest Service order keeps Banshee Hill and the southwestern edge of the Umpqua Dunes closed to all motorized vehicles through Jan. 15, 2027, and the 10:30 p.m. curfew stays too. Here's what's closed, why, and what to check before you ride Umpqua 2 or 3.

Trail Roamer Editorial TeamOct 16, 2026 · 5 min read
The Forest Service's Oct. 14 closure map: red areas mark Banshee Hill, northeast of Umpqua #2, and the southwestern Umpqua Dunes strip below Umpqua #3. - Credit: USDA Forest Service

If Banshee Hill was on your list for a winter run out of Winchester Bay, cross it off. The Siuslaw National Forest has extended the motorized closure on Banshee Hill and the southwestern edge of the Umpqua Dunes through Jan. 15, 2027, which covers the heart of the wet-season riding calendar on the Oregon coast.

The new order, Forest Order 06-12-04-26-14, was signed Oct. 14 by Forest Supervisor Rebecca Brooke and took effect immediately. It replaces the August order that first shut these two spots, and it keeps the same rules in place. The rest of the Middle Riding Area stays open, but there's still a nightly curfew to plan around.

What's closed, and where

Two pieces of the Middle Riding Area south of Winchester Bay are off limits to every kind of motorized vehicle:

  • Banshee Hill, northeast of the Umpqua #2 staging area
  • The southwestern edge of the Umpqua Dunes, south of the Umpqua #3 staging area

The order bans possessing or using a vehicle off National Forest System roads and trails inside the closure area, and the Forest Service's alert says that means no motorized use on roads or sand routes in there either. Legally, the closure covers parts of Sections 24, 26 and 35 of Township 22S, Range 13W in Douglas County. The official closure map shows it best: a small red patch on Banshee Hill and a long red strip running south along the beach side of the dunes below Umpqua #3.

How long it lasts

The order runs through Jan. 15, 2027, unless the Forest Service rescinds it sooner. That last part matters. The underlying court order says these areas stay closed until the judge decides on longer-term interim measures, so the closure could change before January, or a new order could follow it. Nobody has said which way that will go.

The August order wasn't open-ended, by the way. An archived copy of the alert shows it ran from 10:30 p.m. Aug. 11 through 11:59 p.m. Oct. 14. The new order picks up right where that one ended and now has the whole winter in its sights.

The fine

This isn't a polite request. Violations carry a fine of up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a corporation, up to six months in jail, or both. The only exemptions are people with a specific Forest Service permit for restricted areas, and officers or rescue and fire crews on duty.

The night curfew is still on

Riders who missed it in August should know there's a second order. The Forest Service also renewed the Middle Riding Area curfew on Oct. 14 under Forest Order 06-12-04-26-13. No motorized vehicles are allowed on roads, sand routes or off-route between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time. It covers the NRA east of Salmon Harbor Drive and west of Highway 101, from the Douglas County boundary on the north to the Coos County line, and it also runs through Jan. 15, 2027, with the same $5,000 maximum fine.

So the late-night dune run from Umpqua 2 or 3 is off for the winter too, not just Banshee.

Why it's happening: coastal martens

It all traces back to a lawsuit the Center for Biological Diversity filed in 2024. On Aug. 9, U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken ruled that the Forest Service broke federal environmental law when it expanded off-highway vehicle use through coastal marten habitat without consulting wildlife officials. A day later she granted a preliminary injunction that was blunt about it: "Banshee Hill shall be closed."

Coastal martens are small, ferret-like members of the weasel family, and there aren't many left. OPB reports about 71 live in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, out of roughly 400 in total between Northern California and Oregon. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed them as threatened in 2020 and designated part of the dunes as critical habitat in 2024.

Banshee Hill itself is fairly new riding ground. According to OPB, the Forest Service's 2015 routes expansion opened an extra 518 acres to OHVs, added about 2 miles of trail and designated the steep, two-acre Banshee Hill as open riding. The judge found the agency should have revisited those changes once martens were listed.

The injunction also required the Forest Service to rope off and sign both closed areas. As the Forest Service said in August, the restrictions stay in place until the court determines longer-term interim measures.

What happens next in court

The judge's Aug. 9 ruling set a briefing schedule on those longer-term measures, with opening briefs due Sept. 9, responses Sept. 23 and replies Oct. 7. That briefing should now be complete, but we couldn't find a hearing date or a new ruling as of Oct. 16. The Center for Biological Diversity has said it expects another ruling this fall. When it lands, it could loosen, tighten or reshape these closures, and we'll update riders when it does.

One small wrinkle worth knowing: the injunction's curfew paragraph names the "North Riding Area," while the Forest Service's orders and its August release apply the curfew to the Middle Riding Area around Umpqua 2 and 3. On the ground, the Forest Service order is what's posted and enforced, so ride by that.

What to do before you go

  • Pull up the closure map before you head to Umpqua 2 or Umpqua 3, and know where both red areas sit relative to the staging lots.
  • Watch for the roped lines and bright signs at the closed areas, and stay out even if a track looks ridden.
  • Plan to be off the sand by 10:30 p.m. and don't fire up before 6 a.m. anywhere in the Middle Riding Area.
  • Check the Siuslaw alerts page again right before your trip. A court decision could change things before Jan. 15.

The bottom line: the Umpqua side of the dunes is still very much rideable this winter, just not Banshee Hill, not the southwest strip below Umpqua 3, and not after dark. Check the map, ride the open sand, and keep an eye on the court calendar.

Sources

FAQ

Is Banshee Hill open at the Oregon Dunes?
No. Forest Order 06-12-04-26-14 closes Banshee Hill and the southwestern edge of the Umpqua Dunes to all motorized vehicles through Jan. 15, 2027, unless it's rescinded sooner.
What's the fine for riding in the closed area?
Up to $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for a corporation, up to six months in jail, or both.
Is there still a night curfew in the Middle Riding Area?
Yes. Forest Order 06-12-04-26-13 bans motorized vehicles from 10:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. in the Middle Riding Area through Jan. 15, 2027.
Why is Banshee Hill closed?
A federal judge ordered it closed in August to protect threatened coastal martens while the court considers longer-term measures in a Center for Biological Diversity lawsuit.

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