The One Incredible Sand Dune Every Utahn Must Explore
By Catherine Armstrong|Published August 17, 2017
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
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.
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.
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!
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