Coral Pink Sand Dunes - Utah State Park (near Zion National Park)
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A Lot of Sand
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park was my first visit to a sand dune. Prior to this, when I thought of a sand dune, I pictured camels in the Sahara Desert. This was an incorrect and very narrow image. I can’t remember exactly how I stumbled upon hearing about this State Park. It was March 2019, and I was on a Spring Break trip with my boys. I was looking for some nearby, non-Zion National Park things to do with less crowds and somehow learned about sand dune sledding.
Unfortunately for us, the park had received quite a bit of rain recently. It was pretty to see the puddles of water in the sand, but wet sand makes for awful sledding conditions… We still had a fantastic time though exploring up, down, and around the dunes.
This park was a gateway for us, of sorts. We have since explored many other sand dunes in the United States. These are very unique habitats that explain geology in a real-life way. The sand dunes shift around in the wind, until eventually they are anchored in place by plants and their roots. Pressure and minerals from water can turn these dunes into sandstone layers, which later can be re-exposed by wind, rain, and rivers, shaped into stunning canyons.
One word of mom-advice: After visiting a sand dune, there is going to be a lot of sand, everywhere. I took jackets and boots off immediately and put them in the trunk. I had my boys sit on towels in the rental car, and then I did laundry at the hotel in the evening (bring quarters, a small packet of laundry detergent or a couple of pods, and few dryer sheets - most hotels have at least one washer and dryer that guests can use). I also gave myself an extra hour before returning the car so I could vacuum it all out at a do-it-yourself car wash. Dunes are so much fun to play in, but cleaning up afterwards does take some effort.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in March, after a recent rain
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park Location
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is about an hour drive from Zion’s Visitor Center in Springdale, or 40 minutes from the National Park’s east entrance. Kanab, UT, is the closest town, and has both restaurants and hotels. Moqui Caverns and Belly of the Dragon are nearby places to explore that can easily be combined with a trek out to Coral Pink Sand Dunes.
The quickest way to get to Coral Pink Sand Dunes from either Zion or Kanab is entering from the east side. To get to the east side of Zion National Park, drive from Springdale to the east entrance along UT-9. Even when the shuttles are running in Zion, there’s only one way to get to the east side of the park, and that’s by driving. The road goes through the Mount Carmel Tunnel, which is a cool part of Zion to experience anyway, and each of those pullouts along UT-9 east of the tunnel are fun to stop and explore. From UT-9, turn on US-89, going towards Kanab. From US-89, exit onto Sand Dunes Road. The entrance to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is on County Road 1000. It’s well marked and any car will be able to drive to the park.
Map of Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and other nearby places to visit (within an hour drive)
Logistics
As of 2025, the current entrance fee to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is $15 per vehicle for non-Utah residents. Sand boards can be rented at the small visitor center at the park entrance for $25 per board.
In the summer months, the sand gets too hot to walk on (or sled on), making the best time to visit this park fall - spring. Additionally, if the sand is wet, the park will not rent out boards. Sledding in wet sand is not fun, and the wet sand can damage the boards.
Plan for 1-2 hours to explore and play around the sand dunes.
Hiking through the sand dunes at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Things to Do at Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Below is a map of the State Park, and there’s not much for hiking trails. That’s because the sand shifts. There is just one small official hiking trail with an observation deck. But these sand dunes are very hike-able without the need for an official trail. To see the dunes, just walk down them and make plan to make your own path through the park. Climb up to the top of any of the dunes and sled, run, or roll down it. Repeat over and over again. The parking lot is up on a hill, and it’s easy to see to know how to get back to your car.
The trails on the map are for UTVs. There are several tour groups nearby that travel into the park.
Hiking
There is only one small official hiking trail, but it’s easy to just walk down into the dune area and make your own path for the day. We explored the dunes by foot for about 90 minutes.
Hiking at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
The pink color of the sand comes from Navajo Sandstone from the nearby mountains.
This park is not usually wet. It was March and the area had some recent rain as part of nearby winter storms
Off road vehicles are allowed on the dunes, which is why there are tire tracks all over. We arrived around 3:30pm, and didn’t see any UTVs. It was very safe to explore up, down, and around the dunes by foot.
UTV tracks at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
It’s a little hard to tell from the pictures just how tall some of these dunes are. Most dunes are around 50ft, but some get up to 100ft. We were all quite tired at the end of this fun day having walked up and down several of these dunes.
If you don’t want to walk up the dunes, there are valleys in-between that can be explored in an easier manner. Having two younger boys though - “easy” isn’t ever the best option. But running or sliding or rolling down a sand dune is so much fun, it’s worth the trek to get back up to the top to do it again.
Hiking at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
It was frustrating that the sand was wet, but it was also a unique time to experience the park with the dunes full of water, something else I didn’t imagine when I thought of what a sand dune looked like.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes after recent rain
This picture shows the height of the sand dunes a little bit more dramatically
The roots from these trees will eventually anchor the sand in place.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
Playing in the Sand
We played hard at Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Zion is a beautiful place, but for active young boys, I think Coral Pink Sand Dunes was a better place for us. There were hardly any people around and it was a space for us to run, jump, slide, roll, and run some more.
Having a fun time being silly and enjoying these sand dunes largely to ourselves
Rolling down a sand dune is only for the brave!
Rolling down a sand dune
The sand being just a little bit wet was a lot like playing in the snow.
Making sand-angels
We ran up and down these dunes over and over. I had no idea how much fun sand could be. A dune is not at all like a beach - there are so many more options for playing.
Running down a sand dune
Sand Dune Sledding
Here is my link to explain what sand dune sledding is, what you need to bring with, and how to do. Essentially, you just need a plastic saucer snow sled with snowboard wax. Rub the wax on the bottom part of the sled before going down the dune each time.
Sledding at Coral Pink Sand Dunes
Getting down the dune is easy, getting back up it takes some effort. In just 90 minutes of playing on these things, we were all quite tired.
UTV Tours
I’m not a big fan of ATVs/UTVs just due to the loud noise, but they do look like fun, especially in a place like this full of sand dunes. A UTV would be the easiest way to explore more of the Coral Pink Sand Dunes, and as I’m writing this post, honestly, I’m hoping I can go back some day and try this, despite the noise, as I would love to explore deeper into this park. There are multiple places that operate nearby or out of Kanab where tours can be scheduled. As we haven’t done one yet, I don’t have any recommendations.
Other Things to Do Nearby (within an hour drive)
Below are other places I’ve visited that are located within an hour’s drive from Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. I have hyperlinks to the places that I’ve created blogposts for already. Additional posts coming soon.
Water Canyon
(west) Water Canyon is not a place for young kids. The trails are a bit hard to follow and are right on the edge of the canyon with some steep edges. For someone not afraid of heights, this is a fun, lightly travelled canyon to explore, with technical routes for anyone looking for a nearby place to try out canyoneering.
Sand Hollow State Park
(west) Sand Hollow State Park includes a crystal clear reservoir, great for swimming and cliff jumping, and a fun place for families with older kids to cool off on a hot day. This park also has ATV trails that cross over sand dunes.
Zion National Park
(northwest) Zion National Park is probably the reason for traveling to this part of Utah. There are so many fantastic hikes for all types of hikers - beginners through advanced.
Belly of the Dragon
(north) This is a cool place to stop for hikers of all ages. There’s a little cave that has been formed through the rock under US-89.
Moqui Caverns
(east) Moqui Caverns is a small man-made cave that can be explored with a short hike. Note that there is a steep scramble that’s needed to get up to the caverns.
Peekaboo Slot Canyon
(east) Peekaboo is a short beautiful slot canyon near Kanab (not to be confused with the Peekaboo Slot Canyon in Escalante). This canyon requires an off-road vehicle to get to the trailhead.
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