Hi guys! We are Nicole and Will from @the_overlanders_. Thanks for stopping by our article on Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. We are both from southern Massachusetts and met through friends in high school. After that, we started dating and the rest (as they say) is history!
Our passion for travel really started when Will jokingly said: “Hey, we should live in an Airstream”. He then proceeded to show me (Nicole) photos of renovations that people had done. I bolted up and said: “Yes”! And well here we are today living the dream as full time wanderers and overlanders.
Visiting Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah
We camped on BLM land a few miles outside the park and our interest peaked when we saw that the park was dog friendly! Will and I made our way over in the afternoon. It was a tad chilly. So the park wasn’t busy which was nice as we love exploring uncrowded places.
We ended up renting a sandboard and going boarding on the dunes. It was like we were kids again riding down and running down the sand dunes. We had such a blast! Make sure you hire a sandboard for your visit to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. Trust me, you will have so much fun!
Why this Destination should be on your Bucket List
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah is unique because it’s made up of these massive sand dunes that are tucked away in the middle of the desert forest and sandstone cliffs. The beautiful, coral colored sands come from the erosion of the sand stone, giving it that incredible color and hue.
This park should be on everyone’s bucket list because it’s a park for the people. It wasn’t restrictive at all. You can enjoy many different activities ranging from hooning around on a four wheeler to just taking in the beauty. The park is also just a stunning site in the desert. It reminded us of the Sahara desert, making it feel like a foreign experience.
Our favorite spot at the park was simply the tallest sand dune we could find! The cool thing about that is that the highest point is always changing due to the winds. We enjoyed the tallest sand dune spot for the sweeping views it provided. It also made for an interesting sandboarding experience.
Things To Do at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
- Rent a Sandboard: This was kind of like snowboarding on sand. Both Will and I loved this fun and unique experience in the desert!
- Hire a Sled: If sandboarding isn’t your thing then rent a sled. We saw many people piled up as they zoomed down the hills on their sleds.
- Go Camping inside the Park: There is a small campground at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park that you can utilize for camping. You can either pitch a tent or bring your RV and stay at the RV site.
- Zoom around in ATVs or Dirt Bikes: As I mentioned before, you can really do so much at this state park! We saw a few people zooming up and down the hills in ATVs and dirt bikes. It looked like so much fun! We will have to come back again and try this activity for ourselves.
- Frolic with your Pup: Our dog had such a great time running around and rolling in the sand dunes. It made the day that much better for us!
Where to Stay at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
If you are a camper wanting to visit Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park we recommend the BLM land near the park. If you like a few more amenities, Kanab is wonderful. There is a dog friendly hotel run by Best Friends Animal Society (one of the shelter organizations) that was very cute!
We stayed at Crazy Horse RV Campark in Kanab for two nights and both the park and people were lovely. The people of the town were some of the kindest we have ever met while traveling. Not only is this town surrounded by stunning landscapes but you can also check out the abandoned film sets near the town. So we can’t recommend Kanab enough.
Other Places to Visit in Utah
Coral Pink Sand Dunes is in a great location. It’s central to so many amazing places. The park is about 30 minutes to the eastern entrance of Zion National Park, an hour from the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon National Park and Lake Powell. It’s also not far from Escalante – home of the Grand Staircase. We recommend spending a week or more at these places!
Need to Know Before you Go
Our biggest piece of advice for visiting the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park area would be to have (or rent) a four wheel drive vehicle. Not having one wouldn’t stop you from seeing the park but it would prevent you from being able to access some of the other local attractions around the park.
We also recommend bringing lots of sunscreen as there is zero shade within the park. It’s definitely a great place to work on your tan. Lastly, be prepared to find sand in your home for months to come. A lovely reminder of the fun times you spent at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park!
I would like to leave you with my favorite memory of the state park. It was definitely watching Will eat sand while sandboarding. Just kidding! We both just loved being able to run around the dunes with Caico (our dog) and seeing how much fun she had. Sometimes it’s hard to find dog friendly things to do while traveling – so that made this a gem of a place for us.
