Pismo Beach Tips

[4x4]

Hey peeps,
I was wondering if someone can please give me guidance to Pismo Beach?

It's going to be my first time there. Planning on camping down there for the weekend on Oct. 17 with my gf.

I'm not interested in any hardcore action and dune jumping (since it's my gf's first time offroading).
Assuming i don't air down the tires, will i be safe if i lingered around post 2? (Am i likely to get stuck in that area without airing down?)

Thank you in advance!

[gon2srf]

Hey peeps,
I was wondering if someone can please give me guidance to Pismo Beach?

It's going to be my first time there. Planning on camping down there for the weekend on Oct. 17 with my gf.

I'm not interested in any hardcore action and dune jumping (since it's my gf's first time offroading).
Assuming i don't air down the tires, will i be safe if i lingered around post 2? (Am i likely to get stuck in that area without airing down?)

Thank you in advance!

4x4 welcome to the forum. Pismo Beach and the OHV area known as Oceano Dunes are a blast but to enjoy even a little bit of it I highly recommend you air down. Once you leave the mean tide area or if the tide happens to be high when your enter you can get stuck even in 4x4 if your not moving fast. What pressure you choose depends on your tire and rig. 15-18lbs is good medium. There are plenty of places to air up if you don't have your own compressor or C02. You will get bored of Pole 2 in a hurry and want to go explore the dunes.

It can get windy, cold and wet out there so be prepared for all. Bring a couple of tarps that can be used for a wind break or Lean-to and bring lots of wood for your fire. Maybe pick up a flag for your rig so you'll be seen while cruising the dunes and have a great time!

[toms]

I recomend you air down as soon as you hit the beach. If you do not have a compressor, you can drive back into town to air up. Sometimes the vendors on the beach will air you up for $4.00. I would never recommend you jump a vehicle. You can get away with it a few times but it is very hard on a stock vehicle.

Licensed 4-Wheel Drive vehicles do not need a dune flag but I recommend it for safety. The flag is the only item visible on your vehicle as you reach the crest of a dune. You may run head-on into a vehicle coming up the other side if neither of you have a dune flag. Best place to look to purchase a flag is at an ATV or motorcycle shop. Forgot to bring one? If you get lucky you might find one torn off in the sand with enough shaft left to rig it on your roof! There are also vendors on the beach selling flags.

On the soft stuff like sand you need to air your tires down so that you float on top of the sand. Air down into the 12 – 13 PSI range. Then adjust tire pressure downward by 1 PSI increments if you are still having trouble. A 1 PSI decrease when you are below 15 PSI has a huge effect--- much more then 1 PSI between 33 and 18 PSI. A sure sign that you are not aired down enough is an over heating radiator on a vehicle which does not normally have an overheating problem. You can keep airing down as long as you see a nice bulge on the side of the tire. If you get a wrinkle you have gone too far and will ruin the tire if you drive on it.

Use 4 high unless you get stuck. Then switch to 4 low to have power to turn wheels. Keep you momentum up in 4 high. Use 4 low for descents on the slip face. With an automatic transmission, use Drive except use drive 1 for descents. On a manual transmission, you can experiment with 2nd and 3rd to see which one gives you enough speed but still has the guts needed to pull you through. Do your experiments on a short steep dune. That way you have less distance to back down.

If you lose your forward momentum, either on the flat or going up a hill, do not sit and spin your tires. It will only bury you deeper. But before you lose all momentum, try walking the front wheels. This involves turning the steering wheel back and forth to see if the tires can find a new bite.

Travel only straight up and straight down the sand dunes! When you make the transition to the flat sand off a dune, try to have the wheels pointing straight ahead. If you hit hard at a 15 degree angle you could break a front axle u-joint. If you get side hilled, turn down hill quickly before you lose all momentum and give it a lot of gas to bring the rear end around. This can be scary at first. You should practice this in advance by driving along side a short dune and then turning and going down.

Don’t race over apparent flat stretches of sand. Drop off-, gullies and arroyos have a way of disappearing into the landscape with the bright overhead Sun. You will go airborne and nose into the opposite bank. Or perhaps worse, finding nothing but a steep slope, go nose down and roll end for end. At Pismo the ocean weather generally gives you more contrast then in the desert. However, it is time to quite when the wind picks up the sand. About 6 inches of blowing sand will eliminate the features and you will not be able to tell what is ahead.


Smooth easy driving counts in the sand. Make smooth gear changes at the high end of the revs. Make turns wide to reduce the impact of losing momentum and avoid rolling a bead off the rim. Coast to a stop! Stop pointing down hill.

Stay out of the ocean salt water and when you get home give your vehicle a good bath.


I have a sand clinic November 22 at Pismo that will give you a lot of confidence on the sand. There is a lot more to learn.

[raYGunn]

How can I follow up Tom!?

I have a few things that worked for me since I just went out there this weekend.

1) Don't break hard in the sand, you just push it in front of your tires making it hard to get going again
2) Don't turn sharply, your tires are aired down so a bead might break and you just push sand around
3) Drive with windows down if possible, there is a lot of traffic and you need to be able to hear it coming
4) In Oceano Dunes the East side of the dune drops off hard, driving North and South were easiest
5) Wear something to cover your ankles, wind blown sand blasts you good
6) Take it slow

Have fun! I am jealous you are going, despite my complain about driving in sand it is a fun trip to make.

[raYGunn]

I noticed I hit a few things Tom said and at the risk of doing it again I remembered a few more things...

Addendum:
a) Travel in other peoples tracks, the sand has been compacted and you know someone else made it that far
b) If you can't go forward go back, over your own tracks

[4x4]

Thank you everyone for such a detailed answer! I couldn't ask for anything more.

I'll probably just by a portable air compressor and lower the PSI.

Thank you all!

[unwiredadventures]

If you plan on camping with a tent on the sand. I recommend setting up some sort of perimeter with yellow caution tape and long wooden stakes. There's loads of vehicle activity on the sand until the very wee hours of the morning.

[cruiserlarry]

If you plan on camping with a tent on the sand. I recommend setting up some sort of perimeter with yellow caution tape and long wooden stakes. There's loads of vehicle activity on the sand until the very wee hours of the morning.

Very good idea.

And get a good night's sleep BEFORE you go to Pismo - the ATVs / motorcycles seem to run 24/7, so sleeping through the night can be difficult sometimes. Add to that the intense late night / early morning winds, and your "beauty sleep" may be interrupted several times throughout the night...

[taugust]

If you plan on camping with a tent on the sand. I recommend setting up some sort of perimeter with yellow caution tape and long wooden stakes. There's loads of vehicle activity on the sand until the very wee hours of the morning.

Very good idea.

And get a good night's sleep BEFORE you go to Pismo - the ATVs / motorcycles seem to run 24/7, so sleeping through the night can be difficult sometimes. Add to that the intense late night / early morning winds, and your "beauty sleep" may be interrupted several times throughout the night...

When camping in areas where ATV's and buggys play, I recommend sleeping with earplugs. They make a big difference in being able to sleep through the night. I use the cheap foam plugs available from the sporting goods (shooting) area in Walmart.

[gon2srf]

And buy one of those black eye covers the movie stars wear. The lights from the ATV and buggies we'll scare the hell out of you too. There is a reason some people stay in motels!