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Sand Dunes
Nat'l Recreation Area

Sand Dunes

United States

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We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this park using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: May 20, 2026. Spot an error in our data?

About

Imported description
The Sand Dunes WSA encompasses 27,109 acres, including 600 acres of split estate land, 640 acres of state land and 160 acres of private land. The study area comprises a large part of the Killpecker Sand Dunes. There are large areas of barren active dunes with superb draws and valleys, wet meadows and interspersed greasewood, sagebrush and rabbitbrush communities. Outstanding opportunities for primitive unconfined recreation are readily available. Hiking in the dunes is strenuous but can be a rewarding experience. Other activities include bird-watching, hunting, sightseeing and photography. Birds, including waterfowl, shorebirds and killdeer, are relatively abundant in parts of the area. This provides an unusual opportunity for viewing and photography in nearby areas of the high desert. The outstanding scenic quality of this WSA enhances the recreational values. The moving sand dunes provide for a dynamic viewshed. This is a fee free area. Sections of the boundary are ADA accessible.

Source: recreation.gov

From Wikipedia

A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat regions covered with wind-swept sand or dunes, with little or no vegetation, are called ergs or sand seas. Dunes occur in different shapes and sizes, but most kinds of dunes are longer on the stoss (upflow) side, where the sand is pushed up the dune, and have a shorter slip face in the lee side. The valley or trough between dunes is called a dune slack.

Source: Wikipedia — text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Verify alerts and operational details with the managing agency below.

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Hunting in this park

Hunting is generally prohibited in this National Park Service unit

Verify current park-specific rules with the National Park Service before planning any hunt. See NPS regulations

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