Stop #26: Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, Kanab, UT
- Denisse Storti
- Jan 5, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Jan 7, 2024
We drove by Coral Pink Sand Dunes on the way to Zion and loved what we saw from the road. We had considered visiting, but having gotten a sneak peak we decided to book following Zion.
Up until then, we had had no luck booking an RV site at any campground. Most seem to book way in advance. But this was the low season and there were plenty of sites despite it being Thanksgiving week. Sites were spacious, paved, and had electricity and water hookups which was awesome. While there was no sewage, the park does have a dump station on site which is convenient. The best part, however, was being steps from the dunes.
We arrived late in the afternoon and while we did go out to check out the dunes we saved renting sand boards for the following day. We arrived right in time to catch the sunset which was spectacular in this setting. Think White Sands but with golden hues throughout and thicker sand texture. :) The kids had a ball running around the dunes, digging holes, and watching others sled and sand board. Whatever you do, make sure you stay for the sunset during your visit. It's well worth it.
On day two, we went to the office (which I guess works as the Visitor Center) and got one sand board at our son's request and a sled. Our kids have never snowboarded and we thought the learning curve would be too big for them to grasp it. But we were wrong. They loved sand boarding and while they were sliding down on their butts a lot in the beginning they were soon enough standing and doing a great job. The sled was ignored and we even ended up lending it to other visitors so it wouldn't go entirely to waste.
At this park we didn't walk out as much as we did at White Sands. The dunes were a bit more far apart from each other as they were at White Sands. Better for exploring on a side by side. Since we knew we'd be there for a while, we took our camping chairs, some snacks and water so we'd be comfortable. We walked to the top of the dune with our stuff and set up camp which seemed to annoy a woman because we had the nerve to sit somewhat close to her and her family. It's not a big dune, people... share the space. The lady moved and later on a ton of people showed up, sitting next to us and we gladly chatted with them. It was a great spot to people watch. So many were having the best time sledding down the dunes and that joy is contagious. :)
On our third day we drove over to hike up to the Sand Caves in Kanab. This hike is only 1.2mi in length but it's easy to walk right past the part where you hike up and miss it entirely. Paul and our son went up a different way while my daughter and I attempted to follow All Trails. By the time we started looking up, we couldn't see the caves at all and therefore were unsure of where to climb up. A family ahead of us, plus the two of us walked all the way to the Moqui Cave area before turning around. On the way back, I was able to see where to go up and Paul and our son were already on their way down. The rock on this section is a bit slick so it can be a bit tricky, specially with kids. But we managed to help each other and get up to the easier part of the trail that takes you to the caves - I dragged Paul back up so he could help if needed.
When we arrived we had the caves to ourselves for a while before the other family caught on and noticed where to go. The views from within the cave were beautiful and it was super neat to explore inside it. We took lots of pictures and then the kids hid towards the end of the cave to scare some unsuspecting visitors. lol
Following this hike we drove back to the park but Paul decided to make a slight detour into the dunes. Usually he'd get out of the car to check how deep the sand was and on this instance he didn't and we got stuck. Very stuck. I was annoyed because it seemed like the most likely outcome... but should've seen it as part of the adventure. Thankfully, this happened not too far in and there were a few nice folks camping right outside of the entrance who lent us a shovel and advised us to let out a ton of air from our tires in order to get out. After some hard work (everyone shoveled!), the truck budged and we were able to get back out. They also had a compressor handy for us to fill our tires enough for us to ride back to our campground.
Following this adventure, we went back to our campground, rented out a sand board and went back to the dunes for a few hours of fun before leaving. Paul stayed behind getting the RV ready. By the time we left, the kids looked like pros on the sand board. I, more like an amateur but to my defense I didn't practice nearly as much as they did.
We left around sunset in order to spend Thanksgiving in the more metropolitan St. George.
Commenti