Top Ten Sand Dunes Parks in America
Part of the Algodones Dunes, the largest dune system in California, the Imperial Sand Dune Recreation Area (ISDRA) is commonly known as Glamis for the store, restaurant and pizza parlor at the northeast end of the ISDRA and vendor row, where you can rent ATVs and UTVs and get most anything you need for duning and camping.
Glamis Beach Store: 5775 California 78, Brawley, CA 92227 (760) 278-9127
The ODNRA stretches along Oregon’s coastline from North Bend to Florence, with Reedsport/Winchester Bay being the epicenter and home of Dunefest. Dunes reach up to 500 feet high, but the coolest part of the ODNRA is that the dunes support evergreen rain forests along Highway 101, and many trails snake through the forests like e-ticket-ride tunnels. Also, street-legal vehicles can drive on the beach in northern areas in the off-season (October 1 through April 30), but the dunes are open year-round.
Reedsport Chamber of Commerce: 855 Hwy 101 S, Reedsport, OR 97467 (541) 271-3495
Nestled between Death Valley and Baker, California, on Hwy 127, Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area is an 8,150-acre dune system, with Comp Hill climbing 500 feet. There are small dunes along Highway 127, and they get taller as you ride east. Or, drive east on Dumont Dunes Road to the larger dunes with seriously steep faces, sharp razorbacks, and witches’ eyes, so be really careful, especially at high noon. It’s much more readable with low sun. This relatively small dune system is bordered by wilderness, a national park and volcanic peaks, but there is some open desert riding along the Amargosa River.
BLM Barstow Field Office: 2601 Barstow Road, Barstow, CA 92311 (760) 252-6000
4.) Idaho Dunes, St. Anthony, Idaho
Idaho Dunes is a 10,000-acre dune system with windblown quartz sand reaching up to 400 feet, and it’s host to the UTV Invasion every Labor Day weekend. The infamous Choke Cherry Hill is steeper than Glamis’ China Wall, and Thunder Mountain and Dead Horse Bowl are other features. Park at Egin Lake for day use or stay at the Idaho Dunes RV Park, which has 56 hookup sites, 25 acres of dry camping, RV trailer and ATV rentals, seasonal RV storage and a general store but no fuel pumps. Sand Hills Resort and Campground has race fuel, 109 RV spots with partial and full hookups, tent camping, day parking, a dump station and propane.
Idaho Dunes RV: 1695 East 500 North, St. Anthony, ID 83445 (208) 624-3275 www.idahodunesrv.com
5.) Oceano Dunes SVRA, Pismo Beach, California
Formerly a hub of the WORCS racing series, Oceano Dunes SVRA now hosts Huckfest in late October and is a duner favorite, especially during the summer months when Glamis and Dumont are uninhabitable. Cool ocean breezes are only part of the draw, as the SVRA is the only place in California where it’s legal to drive on the beach, a 5.5-mile stretch. The uncool part is that the OHV portion of the area, formerly known as Pismo Beach, has been cut down to 3500 acres, and that drops to 1500–2000 acres during the Snowy Plower nesting season (March–September). Camping is allowed on the beach (call Reserve America at 800-444-7275 for reservations), and Pismo is serviced by Luv 2 Camp RV Rentals (888-898-2267, also serving Glamis, Oregon Dunes and St. Anthony).
Oceano Dunes District Office: 340 James Way, Suite 270, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 (805) 473-7220
6.) Little Sahara Dunes, Fillmore, Utah
The Little Sahara Recreation Area (LSRA) is Utah’s largest dune system at 60,000 acres, and dunes climb to 700 feet! Quartz sand from the ancient Servier River blew up to create Sand Mountain some 15,000 years ago, and the system covers 124 square miles. Check out the smaller dunes with the whole family southwest of Black Mountain, which has mountain trails for those with knobbies, or head to the big bowls of White Sands Dunes, which has 99 campsites nestled in junipers and flush/vault toilets.
LSRA Visitor Center: 27020 W. Sand Mountain Rd., Eureka, UT 84628 (435) 623-3000
7.) Sand Hollow State Park, Hurricane, Utah
Opened in 2003, Sand Hollow State Park is the new headquarters for the WORCS races, since Greens contested the WORCS five-year agreement with Oceano Dunes SVRA. Sand Hollow has 15,000 acres of red sand dunes, washes and red rock formations. Soft red sand forms the dunes, and the consistency is more like flour or silt than beach sand. It saps power and is harder to get on top of, so paddles are a really good idea for the steep dunes in the 20,000-acre park, of which 1,322 acres are a reservoir for cooling off in hotter months. Sand Mountain is 200 feet high.
SHSP Visitor Center: 3351 Sand Hollow Road, Hurricane, UT (435) 680-0715
8.) Little Sahara Dunes, Waynoka, Oklahoma
Formed some 15,000 years ago by winds and the Cimarron River in the Oklahoma panhandle, Little Sahara covers 1600 acres, with blowing sand dunes 25–75 feet tall with familiar names like Comp Hill and Buttercup. Little Sahara hosts Midwest Sandfest September 9–13, 2015, and it’s located north of Seiling on US60/OK281. Park fees are $10 per person per day to dune. There are 86 RV slots with hook-ups ($20) and 143 tent camping sites ($12). The park is open year-round, and ATV/UTV rentals are available.
Little Sahara State Park: 101 Main Street, Waynoka, OK 73860 (580) 824-1471 www.travelok.com
9.) Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Kanab, Utah
Southeast of Zion National Park, Coral Pink Sand Dunes covers 1200 acres with red sand dunes moving up to 50 feet per year, and there are hundreds of miles of BLM trails adjacent to the dunes. There are also jumpable dunes and tight trails along the edges of dunes weaving through junipers, pinion and chaparral. Sand is fine like at Sand Hollow, and dune faces are steep. There is a visitor’s center, day-use area with ATV rentals by Utah ATV Tours (855-627-0868), and a campground with restrooms, showers, picnic tables and BBQ grills, plus a large group site.
Coral Pink State Park: P.O. Box 95, Kanab, UT 84741 (435) 648-2800
10.) Silver Lake State Park, Michigan
Silver Lake State Park covers 2000 acres along the shore of Lake Michigan, with both dunes and mature forest, and some 450 acres are OHV habitat with dunes reaching up to 100 feet. The OHV recreation season in the dunes is April 1st through October 31st, and there are long-stretching dunes to jump, steep climbs and deep-water crossings in spots. A Michigan OHV sticker and recreation passport are required, along with flags on 10-foot whips. Camping isn’t permitted, but there are several RV campgrounds nearby.
Silver Lake State Park: 9679 W. State Park Rd. Mears, MI 49436 (231) 873-3083
Source: www.utvactionmag.com/