Sledding down Kelso Dunes at Mojave National Preserve, California
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What is Sand Dune Sledding?
I was eating breakfast with co-workers one morning, and around the table we were talking about Spring Break plans. Literally everyone at the table except me is headed to either Disney World or Disneyland. Then it’s my turn - I break the streak. “I’m taking my kids sand dune sledding.” Everyone stops eating and looks at me. What did you say? Where are there sand dunes? You can sled down sand dunes? Where do you hear about these things?
Surprisingly, there are several places in the United States that have sand dunes, many of them with large enough dunes to make sledding fun, and many of these places allow sledding, some even rent sleds for tourists.
You walk up a sand dune - that’s the hardest part. Rub snowboard wax onto the bottom side of a plastic saucer snow sled (or use a much more expensive wooden board), hop on, slide down, and repeat. That’s it. This is going to be a short post. It is incredibly fun! Walking up the dunes is tough, and there is going to be sand everywhere following this adventure until you get home, but it’s so worth it!
Kelso Sand Dune was a beast to keep climbing up, but it’s the best sand dune we’ve found so far
Sand Dune Sledding down Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve
What Do You Need to Sled Down a Sand Dune?
Some places allow you to rent or buy sleds at or near the dunes, however several do not, so this takes some pre-planning and creativity. If you need to buy a sled, any simple plastic saucer sled will work just fine. You don’t need to buy one for everyone, but it takes awhile to climb up the sand dune, so you may want to buy a couple and share. We purchased two sleds and shared between the three of us. Below is what I bought off of Amazon.
Any plastic saucer sled for snow should work in the sand with snowboard wax
The sled itself will not go down the sand on its own. It will get stuck. You also need to buy snowboard wax. This is what I’ve purchased on Amazon.
Snowboard Wax
Confirming - this is what I bought. The second sled we bought is orange.
It will be a little bit annoying, but before going down the dune each time, flip the sled over and cover it in wax. Eventually, the wax is going to gunk up with sand. Just use fingernails to clean off the top layer. It’s pretty easy to go through the entire stick of wax in a day of sledding.
Cover the bottom side of the plastic sled in sand board wax
The most difficult logistical hurdle to overcome is how to get the sled to the sand dune. For anyone driving to the dunes, this is easy - ship it to your house and pack it. For anyone that needs to take a flight first, this is going to take some creativity. Airlines will let you bring just about anything if you pay… For those not wanting to do that though, consider if you know anyone that lives between the airport and the sand dune, or anywhere else you might be headed in-between.
I’ve done this twice now. The first time, we asked if we could ship the sleds to my husband’s aunt’s home, who we enjoyed staying with for a couple of nights. We played with the sleds throughout the week and dropped them back off at her house before we flew home, in case their grandkids ever want to try them out. The second time, I shipped the sled to my parents home. They were moving and I was driving their car for them. I enjoyed some sand dunes along the drive, and now I still have this sled for future snow (and sand dune) use.
I’m not sure if you can send something ahead to a hotel, but it seems like it’s worth asking if the sand dune doesn’t have a nearby place to buy or rent a sled.
When Can You Sand Dune Sled?
This is probably your question, but the actual question is “When can’t you sand dune sled?” First, you can’t sled down sand safely if it is too hot. For anyone traveling to a sand dune in summer months, the only time of day that sledding is going to be an option is right away in the morning before the sun has risen too far. Hot sand causes burns, and the sand heats up quickly in the desert sunshine.
Less obvious is that sand dune sledding on wet sand is not fun. It doesn’t matter how much wax is on the sled, you won’t go far. It doesn’t rain often in the desert - that’s why it’s a desert, but it does rain. My sand dune adventures have both been thwarted by both the sun - we didn’t get to the dunes early enough due to an unexpected delay caused by road construction in late July, and the rain - it rained the day before we planned to sled once in March. We still had fun playing in the wet sand. Hot sand - no options there. Summer isn’t the best option to visit the desert.
Where Can You Sand Dune Sled?
I’m sure there are more sand dunes than this list, but here’s what I’ve found so far:
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park (Utah - Near Zion National Park)
This state park has sleds that can be rented. It’s an extremely fun excursion for anyone visiting Zion National Park that most people haven’t heard of.
Slowly sledding down wet dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes - Death Valley National Park (California)
When we visited Death Valley in 2022, I had looked into sand dune sledding and was under the impression it was not permitted. We still had fun playing on these dunes past sunset and into the night lit with a full moon. When I look now at the National Park website, it states that sand dune sledding is allowed, as long as you stay away from the vegetation. There is no place to rent sleds - if interested, bring your own.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes - Death Valley National Park, CA
Kelso Sand Dunes - Mojave National Preserve (California)
This is an extremely remote location, and requires your own sled. I first stumbled across this sand dune when we were driving from Joshua Tree National Park back to Las Vegas. I could see it off in the distance from I-40. I found out the sand dune name once we had internet service again, and returned intentionally the next year with our own sleds to try it out.
Sledding down Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve
Algodones Dunes - California
This was another stumble across sort of situation. My boys and I had been looking for obsidian rocks near the Salton Sea and were headed back to Phoenix. There was a road sign for sand dunes off of CA-78. When you pass sand dunes, you stop. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a sled in the car, as I hadn’t heard of these dunes. But we had a fun time playing here for a half hour even without sleds.
Algodones Dunes, CA
White Sands National Park - New Mexico
Sleds and wax can be purchased at the visitor center. There are dunes everywhere in this park. Plan to hike with your sled. Walk up the dune, slide down on the sled. Repeat for miles, if desired.
White Sands National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park - Colorado
Sand boards can be rented outside of the park. I had this National Park in my itinerary in April 2025, but a severe snow storm coming through the Rocky Mountains chased me home a day early. Next time…
Bruneau Dunes State Park - Idaho
Sand boards can be rented at the visitor center. We tried to stop here on a trip out to Washington in late July 2022. We knew we needed to get to the park early, before the sand got too hot, but construction slowed us up considerably, and the sand was far too hot by the time we arrived. Again, next time…
No Sled? Stop and Play Anyway
Don’t let a lack of a sled or wet sand stop you from playing. (Stay away from hot sand though…) Slide down without a sled, roll down the hill, run down the hill, dig a hole, make a sand angel. Pull off the road, get out and play! Sand dunes are such unique places to experience.
Rolling down a wet hill at Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Running down Algodones Dunes
One last note - not all sand dunes are worth sledding down. Snow Canyon State Park in Utah has dunes that are too small to sled on. Sand Hollow State Park in Utah has sand dunes that are fun for ATVs but not sledding. Despite Indiana Dunes National Park having “dunes” in its name, it does not have dunes that you can sled on - these dunes are pretty heavily covered in vegetation. But all sand dunes are worth stopping to play in!
Indiana Dunes National PArk
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