Most children love sand. They like to frolic in it, feel the grains slide between their fingers and run, jump, dig and roll in it. So what could be more fun for kids than the two largest "sandboxes" in Utah -- the Little Sahara Recreation Area and Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park?
Sahara is located in the center of the state, about 35 miles west of Nephi, on Bureau of Land Management property. Coral Pink is found in the extreme southern end of the state, about 10 miles west of Kanab.These two recreational assets are best known as motorcycle or ATV riding heavens, but they are also a favorite for young kids who don't need motorized vehicles to think they're in paradise.
Both areas have fenced-off portions where motorized vehicles can't go and where children and adults can play, hike or run in safety. However, tunneling in sand can be dangerous, and young children should not be left alone and unsupervised.
Coral Pink, elevation 6,000 feet, is a year-round playground. Little Sahara, elevation
5,000 feet -- on the edge of the Sevier Desert -- also has a long season for snow-free usage each year.
The two sandy spots are also great places for flying kites, photographing the sandy landscape or for tubing in winter when there's enough snow.
Here's a closer look at the two sandy paradises:
LITTLE SAHARA RECREATION AREA is the largest sand dunes area in Utah at some 60,000 acres or 124-square miles. Little Sahara is 115 miles from Salt Lake City and 31 miles from Nephi.
According to Bert Hart, public affairs specialist for the Richfield BLM office, Little Sahara receives more than 113,000 visitors a year.
"It's steadily increasing," he said, explaining that senior citizens in particular seem to be flocking there.
"We have something for everybody," Hart said. "We're not to the point of saturation," but he said Easter weekend is particularly busy.
Usage drops off in the winter and again in the summer, when it is very hot. Still, Hart said it's fun to scramble up a frozen dune in winter -- it feels like sandpaper.
He said that although some areas restrict ATV usage, that still doesn't make Sahara a good place to come for serenity.
Other than the 10 p.m. to morning quiet time in the campgrounds, some areas like Sand Mountain (700 feet high) often have usage 24 hours a day by ATV riders.
The quietest section of the park is a 9,000-acre "vehicle free" zone, called Rockwell Natural area -- in the northwest section.
Sahara also has two special areas it boasts are the "World's Largest Sandboxes." Fenced and clean play areas for kids are set aside at White Sands Campground and also the Jericho Picnic area.
Little Sahara is the result of deposits left by the Sevier River that flowed into ancient Lake Bonneville. The dunes are still moving north and east at a rate of between five and nine feet annually. Safety should be a prime concern to all visitors. Some ATV riders have been killed in accidents.
"We would encourage folks to take it easy until they scout the area," Hart said, in reference to the area's constantly shifting sands where a flat spot yesterday might be a dip next week.
There are also four camping areas in the park: White Sands, Oasis, Jericho and Sand Mountain.
Little Sahara was first used in the 1940s by local residents who gathered firewood in the White Sand Dunes area. Recreational development began in the 1960s.
To reach Little Sahara, travel west of Nephi some 13 miles on U-132 to a marked, right-hand side road. From there, it's about 10 miles to the Jericho Junction and another 10 miles to the dunes. There's also access from the north, off U-6, from Tintic/Eureka. Daily use fee is $6, and that includes camping costs. Annual permits cost $55.
Contact the Sahara Visitor Center office, through the Richfield BLM office, at (435) 896-8221, ext. 253.
CORAL PINK SAND DUNES STATE PARK, located almost exactly 300 miles from Salt Lake City, is a worthy two-hour or half-day side trip for anyone en route to Kanab or the Grand Canyon.
Access to the State Park has improved in recent years with two paved roads off U.S. 89 now leading there. Both turnoffs are well-marked with signs. One is closer to Kanab (Yellowjacket Road) and the other (Hancock Road) to Mount Carmel Junction. Both roads merge two miles before the park's entrance.
The sand dunes comprise some 3,500 acres, 2,000 of which are managed as a state park. The rest are administered by the BLM. Some use areas are free; others aren't.
The state park area is open 24 hours with a self-service fee area. Quiet time in the park is 10 p.m. to 9 a.m.
According to Park Manager Rob Quist, about 150,000 people visit Coral Pink each year, a number that is steadily increasing -- thanks mainly to foreign visitors.
"We really do get a mix of people here," he said.
Easter weekend to October is the busiest period, but he said early spring and fall are fast becoming busy popular seasons, too.
Temperatures hit the mid-90s in the summer near the dunes and the 100s on the dunes.
Quist said the main differences between Coral Pink and Little Sahara are that Coral Pink is smaller but has more colors in its sand.
Coral Pink has one main visitor area, complete with a wooden boardwalk and five picnic tables. A loop trail, marked by signs, also begins here and is a great nature walk among 25 acres separated from vehicle users by a fence.
Some visitors also ride horses or hunt for petroglyphs in the area.
Wind funneling through two small mountain ranges has eroded the area's Navajo sandstone, creating the dunes in the process.
The state purchased its land from the BLM in 1963 for the park and developed the site from 1969-72.
To reach Coral Pink Sand Dunes, go about two miles south of Mount Carmel Junction on U.S. 89 to the marked turnoff. It's another eight miles on a paved road to the park. For off-highway thrills, an unpaved road -- the Kane Bed Road -- leads from Arizona's Highway 389 to Coral Pink.
Day use entrance fee is $4 and camping (22 units and one group site are available) is $12 a night per vehicle.
Camping reservations are available by calling 322-3770 or (800) 322-3770.
More information on Coral Pink itself is available by calling (435) 648-2800.