Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park sits about 20 miles northwest of Kanab at roughly 6,000 feet elevation, noticeably cooler than the canyon floors below. The dunes formed through a process called the Venturi effect: high winds funneling through a notch between the Moquith and Moccasin Mountains pick up loose sand particles and drop them in the valley on the other side. That process has been running for 10,000 to 15,000 years, producing one of the most unusual landscapes in southern Utah, and the only major sand dune field on the entire Colorado Plateau.

The Sand and the Dunes

The sand itself is eroded Navajo sandstone, iron-rich and distinctly pink-orange in color. The dunes shift position by as much as 50 feet per year.

About 90 percent of the park's 3,730 acres are open to off-highway vehicles, which makes this one of the region's most popular OHV destinations. The remaining area, a 265-acre conservation zone, is non-motorized only. That protected section is home to the Coral Pink tiger beetle (Cicindela albissima), an insect found nowhere else in the world, and to Welsh's milkweed (Asclepias welshii), a federally threatened plant species that exists primarily here.

Hiking and Exploring

For visitors on foot, the park has one developed hiking trail: the Nature Trail, a roughly half-mile loop starting from the observation platform near the day-use parking area. The trail is marked with posts along the edge of the non-motorized zone and gains less than 100 feet in elevation.

Beyond the Nature Trail, the open dunes are accessible for unstructured exploring. There are no marked routes on the dunes themselves, and paths shift as the sand moves, so orientation is on the hiker. Sandboards and sleds are available to rent at the visitor center for $25, and the dunes near the parking area are popular for sliding. Early morning is the best time to hike, before the sand heats up and before OHV traffic picks up.

Camping and Dark Skies

The park holds International Dark Sky Park designation, and the elevation and distance from town make for clear viewing on clear nights. The campground has 34 sites split between two loops: 22 dry camping sites and 12 with water and electricity. Both loops have hot showers, flush toilets, and RV dump stations. Advance reservations are strongly recommended in spring and fall.

Best Times to Visit

Spring and fall are the practical sweet spots for visiting. Summer afternoons can push the sand surface temperature well beyond air temperature, and strong winds in winter make conditions on the dunes genuinely unpleasant. The park is open year-round, but a weekday morning in April or October is a different experience from a summer Saturday afternoon with OHV traffic at full volume.