Tenmile Lakes: Set sail for lakes and enjoy water activities

Tenmile Lakes in Lakeside are a big draw for sailboat enthusiasts whose slim vessels and brightly colored sails are fixtures on the waters season to season.

The lakes offer other distractions as well. Hiking, fishing, camping, picnicking and water-skiing activities lure visitors from near and far.

For anglers, the lakes offer up large-mouth and striped bass, yellow perch, rainbow and cutthroat trout and brown bullhead. At times, the lake also provides natural habitat for coho salmon and steelhead.

For those with a need for speed, the Neil Donegan Classic Drag Boat Race takes place each year on the last weekend in August.

Visitors will find day-use areas with covered picnic shelters, as well as marinas and boat launches and rentals.

To get there, follow U.S. Highway 101 north from North Bend to the Lakeside Junction.

New River: Tour marshy, young stream

Plan to spend an afternoon at New River. This stream was formed only 120 years ago in a low-lying marshy area. Much of the area was pastureland that flooded and formed the river that meanders parallel to the beach.

An afternoon's jaunt is required to see the river. The gravel road that leads to the river's edge is closed during the summer months. It's not a trek for people in wheelchairs. People with toddlers should plan to carry or pack them. To get there, drive about 8 miles south of Bandon, turn right on Croft Road. For those traveling north from Langlois, go about 4.5 miles and turn left onto Croft Road. There is a site host stationed at the parking lot.

Sixes River: Camp at Edson Creek

Visit the Sixes Store on your way to Edson Creek, up the Sixes River, for a day of river fun. Don't forget the sunblock, inner tubes, picnic lunch and lots of drinking water. Where the creek flows into the Sixes River is a favorite swimming area, and the campground across the road is well-maintained and inexpensive, with an on-site host, large campsites, fire pits with grills, picnic tables and regularly cleaned outhouses.

What's even nicer is the campsite is just far enough east to be out of the wind so prevalent on the coast, but close enough to get there within 20 minutes after leaving U.S. Highway 101. Those visiting can spend a day at the river or a few days camping and enjoying the area.

Bandon Marsh: See multitudes at refuge

Visitors to the South Coast have the unique opportunity to view an abundance of wildlife in its natural habitat at the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge and the Oregon Islands NWR.

Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bandon Marsh NWR was established in 1983.

It includes approximately 900 acres that were set aside to provide habitat for diverse wildlife, including shorebirds, waterfowl, salmon and other estuarine-dependent species.

The refuge is divided into two units. The Bandon Marsh Unit includes approximately 300 acres of tidally influenced estuary west of U.S. Highway 101 near the mouth of the Coquille River. Access and parking are available at an overlook on the west side of Riverside Drive. It includes an accessible boardwalk and deck, a bench and a stairway leading to the marsh.

Public uses at the marsh include photography, hunting, fishing, clamming, birdwatching, educational activities and more. Marsh visitors will find a unique year-round opportunity to observe diverse bird species.

An accessible observation deck allows the public to view the refuge. To visit the overlook, turn east onto North Bank Lane just north of Bullards Bridge, which is located about two miles north of Bandon on U.S. Highway 101.

Coquille Point and its associated rocks, reefs and islands, located at the west end of 11th Street Southwest in the city, is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses nearly 2,000 structures along the coast.