coral Pink sand Dunes state park
Kanab, Utah is home to the stunning Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and if you’re in the area, this is a must-see. These massive pink dunes just have to be witnessed and while you’re there, try out one of the many activities the park has to offer, including sliding down them of sleds!
Welcome to the Babymoon series! This group of blog posts chronicles a road trip that my then-partner (now husband) and I took in September of 2021. We left from our home in Philadelphia with our Great Dane, Lars, and pop-up camper in tow. I was seven months pregnant with our first son, Arlo. From Philly, we drove straight to Utah to see as many national and state parks as possible in two weeks. Halfway through, we decided to go even further to Joshua Tree to visit friends. After hitting a few destinations on the way back, including one of my favorites of the trip, White Sands, we landed back in Philly. Although my pregnant belly was somehow twice the size as when we left and I was exhausted, the places we saw were stunning and memorable. I’m exited to share each destination with you as I go through the trip's timeline. If you’d like to see an overview just click on the “babymoon” tag in red at the bottom of each post. Start here to read from the beginning!
Our second official stop on our babymoon road trip was Kanab, Utah. Kanab is central for a lot of trails and sightseeing in the area. Just a few of the closest destinations include Zion, Bryce Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs National Monument, Toadstool Trail and of course, Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
We saw both Pink Sand Dunes and the Toadstool Trail in one afternoon, so it’s easy to do in a quick few hours if you’re in a rush but just don’t want to miss it.
ACCESSIBILITY
This park is a short drive from just about anywhere in Kanab. I think it was about 30 minutes from our site at Dark Sky Campground. It also has paved roads leading up, a big parking lot and visitor center so it’s easily accessed by car.
It only takes a few minutes to walk into the park and the dunes are right there in the beginning. They don’t look huge from the parking lot, but as you start walking in, you realize how expansive they are. Take a look at how small the people are in the photos!
Fees
Entrance fee for Coral Pink Sand Dunes is only $10 per vehicle ($5 for Utah seniors) which is a pretty good deal if you’re with a group.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed in the park on leash for no additional fee.
Activities
There are sleds and boards available to rent. The sleds are for sitting and boards are for standing. We opted not to do either since we had our dog with us, but sledding down the enormous dunes looked like a lot of fun!
Guided ATV tours are also available. The park goes further in with the terrain changing quite a bit. I think this is primarily where the ATVs stay. They don’t get too close to the people enjoying the sand, but you’ll be able to see them riding around. We stayed pretty close to the entrance and explored the actual dunes.
There’s also a guided rappelling tour that looks incredibly cool! Here’s what the website has to say about it -
“Rappelling adventure at Coral Pink Sand Dunes Park. It’s an exciting 1.5-2 hour long tour where our guests experience the thrill of hanging over a cliff edge with sweeping views of the sand dunes behind them.”
Camera safety
We didn’t experience an excessive amount of wind while we were there. However, it’s worth noting that the small gusts coming through will feel more noticeable because of the sand. It’s like there’s a layer of haze swirling around the top of the sand, so, for instance, if you’re sitting, you’ll be able to feel it more.
Because of that, make sure you keep all of your camera gear and electronics very protected! I wouldn’t recommend changing lenses at any point while on the dunes. You’ll run the risk of dust and sand getting into your camera. I like to use a trick where I seal the camera/lens connection and other exposed elements with black gaffer tape. Keeps everything protected!
If you scroll to the bottom of this post, you can see how covered my shirt was after just a few seconds on the ground.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes was such a cool sight to see, but more than that, I like that this park has an element of playfulness. You could spend a whole day doing each activity or just playing around in the sand like we did. It’s definitely worth dropping by if you’re in the Kanab area or even passing through!
If you enjoyed this post, check out the rest of my Babymoon series. I explore each destination in chronological order when we traveled from Philadelphia to Joshua Tree and back.
Start here with An Afternoon in Canyonlands and Dead Horse
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