Sandboarding with Kids at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah
If you are in Southern Utah, I highly recommend spending time taking your kids sandboarding at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah. This gorgeous park is full of rolling sand dunes and beautiful pine trees and is a picturesque place to have an adventure with your kids!
What is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park?
The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is a small park in Southern Utah that is home to massive sand dunes. The dunes here are estimated to be more than 10,000 years old. The dunes are created by wind and other elements that pull sand off of the Navajo sandstone nearby.
They are rosy orange in color, giving the state park its name! There is even a beetle species that is native to the park called the Coral Pink Tiger Beetle.
Where is Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park?
The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is located in Southern Utah near the Arizona border. The North Entrance to the park is located on Sand Dunes Road in Kanab, Utah.
This unique state park is only half an hour from Zion National Park and a little more than an hour from St. George, Utah.
What are the fees at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park?
The park entrance fee is $10 without a states park pass. Note, since this is a state park the America the Beautiful National Parks pass will not be accepted here.
In addition to the park entrance fee, you can rent sandbars or sand sleds for $25 a piece. We just rented one for our family (four of us were using it) and took turns. That worked well for us, but older kids who want to do the larger dunes might want their own boards.
Can Young Kids Sandboard at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park?
Absolutely!
We took my kids when the older two were 4.5- and 6-years-old. Neither one of them has ever skied or been snowboarding, or even skateboarding before we went. But both had a ton of fun and eventually got the hang of it!
The boards you can rent are mostly one size fits all, but the foot straps are made with bungee cords and did not slip off of my kids (admittedly large) feet.
There are shorter, more gradual dunes closer to the lookout point and parking lot. So there is a place for everyone of all skill levels and ages!
What should my kids wear to Sandboard?
It is recommended to use the sandboards barefoot, so your kids can wear footwear that is easily removed. We were traveling and only had our tennis shoes, so we just took them off at the end of the footpath. But we saw other families wearing sandals into the dunes!
You will also want to wear comfortable clothing that isn’t too loose and without a lot of pockets to fill up with sand. My hoodie pocket was a mess when I was done sand boarding!
You may want to wear hats and definitely bring sun screen as there is no shade!
Helmets are optional. We are very helmet conscious at our household and don’t even let our kids scooter in the driveway without them, but the sand is very soft and we didn’t make them put on their helmets (yes, we did have them!). The velocity at which they were traveling on the small slopes was not enough to cause any injury.
How many hours should we plan on sandboarding with kids?
We spent 2.5 hours at the park sandboarding and could have easily been there longer if our baby wasn’t in dire need of a nap! We went in the winter and had great weather. You may not be able to spend that much time in the summer when the weather is hotter. Definitely plan on going early in the morning before the sand heats up if you visit in the warmer months.
Other Things to do with Kids at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park
In addition to sandboarding and sledding, there are several other ways to have fun with your kids at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park!
The park has a Junior Ranger program that you can download ahead of time.
There is also hiking, a slot canyon, ATV riding, and more. Depending on the time of year, you may even find small ponds with animal life! The great thing about the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park is that you really get to freely explore.
