Tillamook County transferred the land to the State of Oregon for a park in the 1930s. During the 1940s and 1950s, workers planted European beach grass, shore pine, and Scotch broom to stabilize the dunes—a process that took an additional twenty years. The park opened in 1972.[3]
This park has a day-use areas, and a campground for tents, recreational vehicles, horse riders, hikers and bicyclists.
There is an air strip for small planes, the Nehalem Bay State Airport, and an amphitheater that has interpretative programs throughout the summer months.