Have an Exciting Adventure at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
While the desert of Southern Utah is known for spectacular landscapes, Coral Pink Sand Dunes stands out as a special spot that’s practically begging you to take off your shoes and play in the huge piles of soft sand. Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is full of fun adventures for the whole family and is a must-visit when you’re in the area.
Beyond hiking up and down the sand dunes, you can ride around the hilly terrain in ATVs, get a birds-eye view while rappelling down a cliff face, or have the exhilarating experience of sandboarding or sledding down the dunes.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park Info
The unique sand dunes here were formed by erosion of the sandstone cliffs in the area between 10,000 to 15,000 years ago. Wind funneled through a notch between the Moquith and Moccasin mountains picks up sand due to a phenomenon called the Venturi effect. The wind deposits the sand on the other side, creating the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. The dunes are constantly changing and can move up to 50 feet each year!
LOCATION
Coral Pink Sand Dunes is located in Kanab, UT, one of my favorite little towns in southern Utah. It’s a great home base to explore this area of the desert, and there are so many awesome things to do in Kanab.
If you’re coming from Springdale, Coral Pink Sand Dunes is about an hour away from the west entrance of Zion, and is just a half hour drive if you’re staying at East Zion Resort in Orderville.
ENTRANCE FEE
The day-use fee for Coral Pink Sand Dunes is $15 per vehicle. A Utah State Parks Annual Pass ($125, for residents only) will also get you into the park.
Local tip: You can purchase your Coral Pink Sand Dunes day pass online the day of your visit to save time when you get to the park.
HOURS
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is open 7 days a week, during daylight hours.
When to Visit Coral Pink Sand Dunes
While Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is open year-round, the best time to visit Coral Pink Sand Dunes is spring or fall for the best weather conditions. Summer gets super hot in the southern Utah desert, and winter can be really windy and cold at the sand dunes.
On hot days, the sand can be scorching during the day with the sun beating down, but towards the end of the day, I think the warm sand is surprisingly perfect.
Things to Do at Coral Pink Sand Dunes
The red mounds of sand are so inviting, you won’t be able to resist playing in the sand at Coral Pink Sand Dunes! And playing is encouraged here, with all sorts of fun ways to feel the sand between your toes.
Sandboarding & Sledding
Sledding or sandboarding down the massive hills of red sand is definitely the highlight of visiting Coral Pink Sand Dunes!
Sledding is a great intro to sliding down the dunes, since you stay seated the whole time. If you’re feeling more adventurous, try sandboarding, where you stand up on your way down. It’s kind of like snowboarding in a totally different landscape. Whichever mode you choose, you can experiment with different hills for different speeds.
My kiddos absolutely loved sandboarding and sledding here, and it’s a blast for adults, too. The sand dunes are basically a giant playground where you can hike up, sled down, and repeat as much you want!
Sandboard/Sled Rental Info: The Visitor Center offers sleds and sandboards for rent on a first-come/first-serve basis for $25 per board. You must return your rental 30 mins before the Visitor Center closes, which varies based on daylight hours, so be sure to ask when you pick up your rental.
Tips: Be sure to get a wax square when you rent your sled or board to help it go faster. Also, I recommend bringing goggles in case it gets windy to keep the sand out of your eyes.
ATV Touring
The majority of the sand dunes are open to off-road vehicles, and riding around the hills and mountains of sand in an ATV is an incredible adventure! ROAM is the exclusive UTV provider in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, and they offer several awesome tour options.
Experience the best of Coral Pink Sand Dunes with a tour that takes you on a UHV adventure around the dunes, followed by a hike through Coral Pink Slot Canyon, and then sledding or sandboarding down Star Dune. Or take a sunset UHV tour that will take your breath away with panoramic views, and includes s’mores and stargazing after the sun goes down.
Local tip: While I haven’t off-roaded with ROAM myself (yet!), I have done other tours with them, including a via ferrata and a horseback ride in Cave Lakes, and they were wonderful to work with!
Note: If you have your own OHV, you are allowed to ride around the dunes and explore on your own, and the Sand Highway and South Boundary Trail are popular OHV areas. Just be sure to check out the park OHV regulations before you head out.
Rappelling
Another available adventure in Coral Pink Sand Dunes is rappelling off the cliff faces in Coral Sands Canyon. All Ways Adventures offers private rappelling trips in Coral Pink Sand Dunes which are great for everyone from families to solo travelers. You’ll get the chance to raise your adrenaline while rappelling from multiple stations on the cliff, and you’ll experience breathtaking views from a unique, high-up vantage point in Coral Pink Sand Dunes.
ROAM also offers a group tour rappelling experience at the Coral Pink Cliffs, which includes a UTV ride to the cliffs. You’ll follow an easy via ferrata course to the top of the cliff, before choosing from a few rappels which range in height and difficulty…you can try them all if you want!
Hiking
One of the best and simplest ways to explore Coral Pink Sand Dunes is to hike around the mountains and mounds of sand. While there are no defined hiking trails in the sand, you can choose your own adventure through the dunes. As you drive through the park, you’ll see several places to pull over and you can just jump out and run up and down the sand hills.
If your kids have some pent up energy, this can be a great way to tire them out, believe me! The soft sand also makes for an excellent workout walking up and down the hills if you want to get your legs ready for more incredible hiking in southern Utah (like Angel’s Landing in Zion or Navajo Loop in Bryce Canyon).
Note: There is also a boardwalk to an observation deck where you can get an amazing view of the dunes without having to walk through the sand.
Camping
Extend your adventure at Coral Pink Sand Dunes by spending a night (or several) at the campground in the park. While I haven’t camped here yet, I always think it looks like such a cool place to camp, and it’s on my list to do one day.
The campground at Coral Pink Sand Dunes has 34 sites for tents or RVs, and there are modern restrooms with hot showers for when you need to clean up (you or the kids, haha). Nightly rates range from $28-$55, and you can make Coral Pink Sand Dunes campground reservations here.
Note: Campfires are allowed here, and firewood is available for purchase.
Additional Info & Tips for Visiting Coral Pink Sand Dunes
This is the only place in the world where you can find the Coral Pink Tiger Beetle, and 265 acres of the dunes are designated as a conservation area to protect its habitat.
Pets are allowed at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, but must be on a leash (6 feet or less) at all times. Just be aware that the sand is hot, so make sure to protect the paws of your furry friends.
There is a great day use area featuring several picnic tables and barbecue grills if you want to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at the dunes.
Kanab also has lots of excellent options for food, including one of my absolute favorites in Southern Utah, Sego. The small plates menu provided one of the best meals of my life! This would be a fantastic place to splurge for a romantic dinner or a girls night.
Another more family-friendly option is Iron Horse Restaurant, which serves tasty BBQ and more, often with live music. The restaurant is just 30 mins from Coral Pink Sand Dunes and is definitely worth a stop.
For more family fun activities in and around Kanab, check out my full guide to a family vacation in Kanab, UT here.
And don’t miss these other must-see state parks in Southern Utah, too!
If you’re ready for an adventure at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park, let us capture the fun on camera for lasting memories! We love offering photo sessions at Coral Pink Sand Dunes, because the mountains of sand make an amazing backdrop for a family photo session or a couples shoot, and you can book yours here!
I hope this post inspires you to add a stop at Coral Pink Sand Dunes on your visit to Southern Utah!
Happy Adventuring,
Arika
