The One Incredible Sand Dune Every Utahn Must Explore

Much of Utah is desert, so it shouldn't come as much surprise that we have sand dunes here. Last year, we wrote about Little Sahara in the Sevier Desert. It's a great place to visit, especially if you loved to play on ATVs. But here are some more sand dunes...and they have a unique characteristic.

The dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park were created by a unique wind tunnel effect from the notch between the Moquith and Moccasin Mountains.

The wind rushing through the notch erodes the Navajo sandstone, then carries the grains of sand into the open valley. Once the wind enters the valley, it loses its stamina and the sand grains drop to the ground. After 10,000 to 15,000 years of deposits, we have the Coral Pink Sand Dunes.

The wind still has an impact here, though; the dunes shift and move as much as 50 feet annually.

The wind creates gorgeous ripples and patterns in the sand.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park encompasses 3,730 acres. Far from being a desolate place, this park draws visitors from all over the Beehive State, for all kinds of recreation activities.

Spend the day exploring the dunes on your quad or dune buggy. About 90 percent of the park is accessible to ATVs.

This is also a wonderful place to explore on foot. And, you'll get a good workout, too! Deep sand can make for strenuous walking.

Kids (and let's face it...adults too) love to play in the sand and slide down the dunes.

You can even leave a temporary message in the richly-colored pink sand.

This park is home to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle. It's the only place in the world to find this species.

Contrary to what you might think, even wildflowers can grow in this desert environment.

In fact, during early summer months, you might come over a rise to find this...A whole field of flowers!

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is located about 22 miles west of Kanab.

You'll pay a day use fee of $8 per vehicle. The park is open for day use during daylight hours, every day of the week. You can also camp in the campground for $20/night.

Have you hiked or ridden ATVs at Coral Pink Sands State Park? Tell us about your adventures there!