Welcome to Travel Tuesday! Remember my visit to Great Sand Dunes National Park? As it turns out, I wasn’t quite done with sand dunes yet — we decided to go to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park!
Sand Sledding in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Address: 12500 Sand Dune Rd, Kanab, UT 84741
Admission: $10 for day use
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park sits at an elevation of 6000 feet and the dunes are thought to be somewhere between 10,000-15,000 years old. The sand comes from Navajo sandstone from the Middle Jurassic geologic period and is a result of the wind funneling through the notch between the Moquith + Moccasin mountains, carrying sand grains with it.
90% of the dunes are open for ATV riders, but the whole thing is open for hiking, exploring and playing in the sand!
Since we were too cheap frugal/poor to cough up $25 to rent a sandboard/sand sled, I decided to try my luck with a repurposed REI cardboard box. (It was previously used in my car to hold snacks, but as it’d been >1.5 months on the road at this point, I’d finished that box’s worth of snacks!
There was a group that ended up around where we were for our attempted sand-sledding adventures. When they saw what I was going to attempt, they were all pretty invested in my success and wanted to watch to see if my cardboard sled would work.
(…Sadly, it did not.)
It’s okay though–the group that was there took pity on our failed attempt and let us use theirs! It was a lot of fun, albeit slightly terrifying.
- Keep your mouth closed.
- Use your hands to kindasorta steer if you can.
- Running up the hill is a rough time, especially when the wind’s blowing. It’s a great workout though?
- The sand can get very hot. Thankfully, we managed to escape with our feet unscathed, but there were definitely some heated moments.
- Have you ever gone sand-boarding or sand-sledding?
- Would you have tried the cardboard method like I did? (How misleading is my photo? :P )
38 comments
Skip to comment form
No one was boarding when I went to Mesquite Flats (another place in Death Valley you can sandboard) so I didn’t even know this was a thing until a few days ago!! Good to know it was fun, haha. (And yes, that last picture is very misleading!)
Ooo, I really need to go back to to Death Valley one of these days (I don’t remember much from when I was 5-6, hehe)! The photos have always looked so pretty!
I try, I try. ;P
My family loved Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, but I was kind of bored waiting on the bleachers for them. My son did the stand up sand boarding and took a selfie video with my GoPro. You’ve got to check it out my recap!
Debbie @ Deb Runs recently posted…Weekly RunDown: August 16 – 22 / Pablo’s Big Announcement!
Ahh, the photos looked awesome! <3 GoPro was definitely the way to go! I wish I'd thought to bring mine! :P
Aw, sorry the cardboard didn’t work, but that’s nice someone let you use their sled to try it out. I have not done this before, and I think it would make me nervous. LOL I’m sure it’s good fun to watch though.
-Lauren
ShootingStarsMag recently posted…Bradley’s Dragons: Author Interview + Giveaway
haha, it was super nice of that family! (They were so invested in my success with the cardboard box, haha. It was really sweet.)
That’s a great cardboard box story! How fun to experience this (on a real sled). I would love it. And you made me laugh with your tip to keep your mouth closed. Good idea!
Sharon recently posted…How to Spend a Day in Lovely Lucerne
haha, it was worth an attempt! :P It was awesome to get to try on a real sled though–that family was so nice! :]
Good try with the cardboard box, but glad you were able to get the real experience with a legit sled. It’s such a rush! Your tip to keep your mouth closed is both extremely helpful & practical and hilarious, lol.
I’m really glad too! :D I learned prettyyyy quickly about the mouth thing, hahaha.
LOL love your tip about keeping your mouth closed! I’ve never done sand sledding but I can imagine it’s one hell of a ride!
hehe, it was definitely a lot of fun! :D
Omg! haha. I went sand sledding in vietnam and OMG was it hard to get going sometimes! lol. i tried a lot of times with little success. and holy HOT is it if you’re in sandals. I’m glad that group let you use their sleds!!! Lol so funny
hahaha, but once you do get going, it’s so fast!! (I was vaguely terrified about ending up with a faceful of sand, haha. Totally with you on how hot it was! RIP feet.
Wow. I had no idea that sand sledding was a thing. How really fun!!
I didn’t either until I went to the Great Sand Dunes NP in Colorado! :O
Farrah recently posted…Sand Sledding in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
This looks like so much fun!! I didn’t even know we had anything like that out in Utah! Definitely on my bucket list now.
I didn’t either, but it was a cool discovery! :D!!
Farrah recently posted…Sand Sledding in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Bwahaha you crack me up Farrah! I love that you attempted to slide on the cardboard box, even it didn’t work! I am glad the people watching let you have a go on theirs!
hahaha, I figured it was worth a shot! :P It was super nice of them to let us take a couple turns on their sled!
LOL – we have done this in few spots but never paid prices as high as $25 for rental boards. Beautiful shots. I love sand dunes.
Rhonda Albom recently posted…Things to Do in Nelson: Geographical Centre of New Zealand
They’re definitely a lot of fun! I’ve only ever been to one other place with sand dunes (Colorado) but didn’t know sand sledding was a thing at the time.
Farrah recently posted…Sand Sledding in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
This looks like so much fun! I actually passed Coral Pink San Dunes State Park on my way to Bryce Canyon in Utah. It looks beautiful there too. :)
It was! I love that they’re all so close to–more adventures all rolled into one!
LOL at your Frugal ways (we love it) We have done sand duning in Dubai but it was in a car and this looks like SOO much fun!! We are not hikers, or extreme sports lovers but THIS is something we would love to do! and the sand looks stunning.
hehehe, I like to save money whenever I can! :P Sand duning sounds like a ton of fun–I have a feeling I’d really like that too! :]
To be honest I have not heard of this state park. So glad I came across this post! Would love to visit and go sand sledding. It looks like one ah-mazing time! Thanks for sharing now I have added this park and activity to my list. Pinning so I have this guide when I go!
I only found out about it because I was looking for neighboring state parks from the national parks! :P I hope you get to go sometime–it was a lot of fun! :]
Farrah recently posted…Sand Sledding in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Love it! Looks like a fun time. I have never tried sandboarding before. I’ve never been on sand dunes large enough for it to even be an option.
I never knew either til I went here/to Great Sand Dunes National Park, but it was a lot of fun! :]
hahah I love that you gave it a go on the cardboard! Shame it didn’t work, that would’ve showed their $25!!
Right!? If only. It was worth a shot though! :P
haha! sandboarding is fun and hiking up the dunes makes me really hungry. “Keep your mouth closed”… love it, had to remind kids every time about it. Fun reading your post, it reminded me of so many good memories of all the deserts I have visited.
Aww, I’m glad it brought back good memories! :] I was definitely hungry afterward too–good thing my car was packed up with snacks! :P
Nope, never been sand sledding but I’d sure like to. Love the cardboard box attempts. Glad you got to try a board too.
hehe, I’m really glad we got to try the real thing too! We figured the box was worth a shot. :P
Farrah recently posted…3 Short and Easy Hikes in Zion National Park
The Coral Pink Sand Dunes look so fun. I almost went there in May but decided to go to Bryce Canyon instead. Guess it just means I have to go back to the area!
Bryce Canyon is a gorgeous park too, so glad you got to go there! There’s a lot in Utah I still wanna see so I’m hoping to go back sometime as well! :]