Check out the Pink Sands at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Written: May 18 '04
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Pros: stunning natural beauty, unique coral pink colors of sand, easily accessible
Cons: lots of ATV, 4wd and dirt bike use
The Bottom Line: the off-roading is annoying, but the park is worth visiting, if not just for the views from the tops of the dunes and the unique pink colors of the sands
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| jps246's Full Review: Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park |
If you are ever in the Kanab, Utah area and looking for a quick and interesting trip, a stop at the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is well worth your time. Coming in at roughly 3700 acres and featuring sand dunes, a small campground, picnic sites, a ATV/OHV (off-highway vehicles) area, and some hiking opportunities – this state park is worth at the least, a stop of a few hours to explore the sand dunes.
Where is it & how big is it?
The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is located about 10 miles to the south of Kanab, Utah – which is near the Utah and Arizona border. The park is about 80 miles west of St. George, Utah, 90 miles east of Page, Arizona and about 90 miles from the Grand Canyon National Park. Signage to the park is well maintained and the location is clearly marked on maps for the area.
The park is open year-round and 24-hours a day.
The park was created from Bureau of Land Management land that was given to the state to protect the dunes, the park is about 3700 acres in size and is surrounded by Bureau of Land Management lands that offer additional recreational opportunities for hikers and OHV enthusiasts.
What’s it like?
The park itself is surrounded by the red sandstone cliffs of the Navajo Sandstone that is slowly being eroded, which creates the sand for the dunes and gives it the unique pink coral color. The park is about 6,000 feet in elevation and is located between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains, which funnel winds into the air, which subsequently drop the sand grains, creating the dunes of the park.
There’s plenty of wildlife in the park, but like in most arid areas, you will have to pay attention to see it – you’re more likely to see their tracks in the sand than the actual animals. The park is also home to the rare Coral Pink Beetle, which is found nowhere else in the world – a special conservation area protects its habitat in the park.
The dunes of the park can be climbed and the scenery of the area is simply amazing, from the color of the sands, the cliffs beyond and the mountains rising towards the endless expanses of sky. It’s downright amazing for easterners who are used to heavily forested areas, limited views and humid and wet climates.
What’s it cost?
The park charges a day use fee of $4.00 per day, per vehicle (so stuff as many people as you can in there). For campers, sites are available for $12 per night. The Utah State Parks system also has a “single park permit” available for $40 that allows the cardholder and guests in their vehicle to use a park for an entire calendar year and for $15 there is the “five-day pass” that allows the holder to enter most Utah State Parks for 5 consecutive days.
Camping?
There are 22 sites in the park and all of the sites have electricity. The sites are also all RV accessible for RVs up to 32 feet in length. There is a maximum of 8 people per site and you can stay for a maximum of 14 days (though you’d tire of this park long before then…). Bathrooms with free showers (a big deal in the southwest) are available to all campers.
Reservations are available through the Utah State Parks Department and require non-refundable deposits.
Off-roading?
The park’s main goal is to protect and preserve the coral pink sand dunes within its limits, but they have set aside about 1200 acres of the park for off-highway vehicles, including ATVs, 4WD automobiles and dirt bikes. There are regulations for the use of these vehicles and they are only allowed off-road in the designated areas. Beyond the park boundaries, there are OHV trails and roads in the Bureau of Land Management lands.
For other users, this can be an annoying and distractive use in the park. It’s rare that there are quiet times when you don’t hear the whine of dirt bike engines or ATVs and for people who like to enjoy the solitude or quietness of nature, this can be a shock to the system.
Hiking and Exploring
There are no hiking trails per say in the park, however users can hike throughout the entire park if they are so inclined. The dunes are easy accessible and make for an interesting walk as you climb higher and higher onto the dunes getting a view of the surrounding areas. The conservation area protecting the beetle is open to hiking and you can get a chance to catch a glimpse of an animal found nowhere else in the world.
Beyond the park limits, several trails on the Bureau of Land Management lands climb into the mountains and canyons surrounding the area.
There are a few nature walks available in the dunes area that provide a quick interpretive tour – however I think you’d best just go out and explore the dunes on your own.
Picnicking
There are a few different picnic areas and group-use areas located in the park. They all have picnic tables on concrete pads along with a barbecue grill for cooking. The group-use area also has a fire pit for a communal type fire. Just remember that fire-bans are often in effect, so grilling and/or open fires can be prohibited.
Rules & Regulations?
There are a few rules worth noting in the park:
-You can only camp in the designated camping sites
-You cannot remove any plants, animals or minerals from the park
-Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6-feet
-No firearms are allowed in the park
There are a few others, but mostly they pertain to driving speeds and other activities most users won’t be taking part in. Make sure to check out the information you are given when you enter the park.
Is it worth going to?
For anyone who is traveling through the Kanab area and who are interested in seeing some additional natural wonders of the southwestern area, the Pink Coral Sand Dunes State Park makes an excellent stop for a few hours. The inexpensive campground at the park also makes an excellent stop for people traveling through the area who want to save a few dollars and who are interested in getting some scenery and recreational potential out of their campgrounds.
The ATVs and dirt bikes are annoying and I was dismayed to see them riding around on some of the dunes – but I also realize that some areas are better able to handle use like that than others. The parks keeps them out of the fragile areas and allows them to speed around on the bare sand dunes where they cannot do much damage to the ecosystem, beyond the ever present hum and roar of engines. For me, while the OHVs are annoying and detract from the experience a bit, the park itself is still worth visiting – if not just for the views from the tops of the dunes and the unique pink color of the sands.
Experience
I stopped at this park on my way from Kanab to the Grand Canyon – I was with my geology professor and a few other students and since we had been snowed out of Bryce and Zion Canyons to the north and west, we were heading south to get out of the storm. While the snow had stopped by the time we got to the park, there was a dusting of snow on the dunes as we arrived. It offset the unique color of the sand dunes and looked simply amazing.
We hiked around the sand dunes for several hours – and if you’ve never had a chance to climb a sand dune, it’s an experience that you’ll never forget. Imagine walking on a slanted beach – the sand is soft and runs down the sides of the dunes as you climb and if the wind picks up, you feel the sands blowing down into the dunes and over the dunes.
You can find tracks of small reptiles and other animals all over the dunes, though all I got to see were a few lizards skittering across. I did however get some pictures of them after I chased them around for a while and had them get used to me standing close.
The play between the clearing skies, the mountains and dunes was amazing – alternating bursts of sunshine and dark clouds, glints of the snow on the dunes and the pinkish color of the sand. I must have taken at least 3 or 4 rolls of film easily here and still have many of the shots framed and hanging on my walls.
I rated Pink Sands with only 3-stars and only because of all of the off-road vehicle use. If that wasn't around, this would be a 4-star to 4 1/2 star park.
Final Thoughts
Worth several hours of anyone’s time, Pink Coral Sand Dunes State Park is a logical stop for anyone exploring the natural wonders of the Southwestern United States.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: Anytime
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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