California’s off-road paradise threatened as dune-buggy fans fight to keep beloved beach open

California’s legendary dune-buggy playground is under siege.

A powerful state agency and environmental groups are waging a years-long legal campaign to curb off-roading at Oceano Dunes — the birthplace of California’s dune-buggy culture — while furious riders keep fighting to preserve one of the state’s most unusual recreational traditions.

The beach at the center of the dispute is 3,600 acres of spectacular sand along California’s Central Coast, where roughly 1.5 million visitors a year come to tear across the open dunes in off-road vehicles.

And there’s nowhere else quite like it.

Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area remains the only California state park where vehicles can legally drive directly onto the sand and beach.

That distinction has made the spot a mecca for off-road enthusiasts — and a target for environmentalists who argue the vehicles damage wildlife habitat and worsen air quality.

The California Coastal Commission determined in 2019 that off-road vehicles were a net negative and has since pushed to phase out the activity, arguing that it has degraded dune habitats and harmed native species.

Environmentalists have also argued that vehicles disturb the dunes, sending wind-blown sand into nearby communities and contributing to air-quality problems.

Friends of Oceano Dunes sued in 2019, arguing the Coastal Commission had exceeded its authority and sidestepped required environmental reviews and public hearings.

The California Supreme Court ultimately declined to hear a petition from the commission in July 2025, leaving motorized recreation at Oceano Dunes intact.

But the fight was far from over. This April, the dunes were temporarily shut down after the Center for Biological Diversity won a favorable federal ruling arguing that off-road vehicles threatened native shorebirds, including the endangered snowy plover.

The dunes reopened in May after park officials fenced off areas where the birds were nesting.

In June, environmental groups and a tribal council filed another lawsuit challenging California State Parks’ habitat conservation plan, arguing it “conserves off-roading, not habitat,” according to Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity.

The latest lawsuit is now just one front in the sprawling battle over who gets to decide what happens on the sand.

The federal government has also launched a review of the Coastal Commission over what it described as “policies that delay critical national infrastructure in the name of environmental extremism.”

The renewed fight is now drawing political attention.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton jumped into the fray Friday, blasting the commission and other opponents of off-roading and claiming the activity generates $500 million a year for the local economy.

“They’re JOYLESS bureaucrats who don’t want anyone to have fun!” he said, sharing video of himself visiting the dunes and promising to create an Office of Fun and Freedom if elected governor.

California officials, meanwhile, have defended the Coastal Commission amid the federal review.

“For decades, coastal states and the federal government have worked together to effectively manage our coastlines, advancing federal and state priorities while giving local communities a critical voice in decision-making. Now, the Trump administration is launching a new attack on that collaborative relationship—just as the federal government is already working to open California’s coast to new offshore drilling,” California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot said in a statement.

“Our $51 billion coastal economy serves as a powerful engine for the state’s prosperity, and the people of our state must keep a seat at the table to protect it.”

For dune-buggy fans, however, the issue is about more than environmental policy.

Dune buggies themselves have deep California roots. Engineer Bruce Meyers built the prototype for the iconic Meyers Manx in Newport Beach in 1964, helping launch a uniquely California off-road craze.

Today, Oceano Dunes is one of the last places where that culture can still be experienced.

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