Coral Pink Sand Dunes

About this place

The sand really is pink. It comes from the Navajo Sandstone around here, worn away grain by grain. The wind funnels through a notch between the Moquith and Moccasin Mountains, picks up speed, and drops the sand here.

Off-roaders love it. There are over 1500 acres of open sand to drive on. It covers the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park and the far northern end of the Moquith Mountain Wilderness Study Area. The Bureau of Land Management and Utah State Parks run it between them.

Every off-highway vehicle needs current registration and an orange whip flag. In the Moquith Mountain study area, follow the rules that apply to a wilderness study area.

One beetle lives on these dunes and nowhere else in the world. It is the Coral Pink Sand Dunes tiger beetle, and part of its ground is closed to vehicles.

The camping is the free kind only on Bureau land. You will find it along Hancock Road and Highway 43. The state park charges a fee per vehicle just to get in.

The facts

Cost

Camping fee not confirmed

Type

Specific campsite

Managed by

Bureau of Land Management

Getting there

From Kanab, take Highway 89 north for 10 miles to Hancock Road. Hancock Road is signed as a Scenic Backway. The free camping is on Bureau of Land Management land along this road. It runs seven miles and ends in a T junction with Yellowjacket Road. Turn left, south, onto Yellowjacket. The main entrance to the state park is five miles up on the left, and the park charges to get in.

Coordinates 37.06725059, -112.7046074

Open in Google Maps Agency page

What is near here

A few more of our own spots are within reach of this one, along with some better-known places.

• Cottonwood Point Wilderness 21 miles by road · wilderness · free camping here too Directions
• Canaan Mountain Wilderness 25 miles by road · wilderness · free camping here too Directions
• Zion National Park 37 miles by road · national park Directions
• Pipe Spring National Monument 39 miles by road · national park Directions
• The Wave 67 miles by road · rock formation Directions

Every distance on this page is the driving distance. A short distance can still take a long time. The road may be closed for the season, covered in snow, or washed out. Many of these roads are dirt. Plan your route before you leave home. Out here there is often no phone signal to look it up on the way.

Nearest town and supplies

• Kanab, UT nearest settlement · at least 24 miles by road · about 5,300 people Directions

Kanab is big enough that you’d normally expect fuel and somewhere to buy food. Nobody from here has been to check, so don’t count on it if you’re running low.

Why “at least”: this route is hard to measure. We worked the drive out twice, with two separate mapping tools, and they gave different answers. That usually means there is no road close to the campsite, so the drive doubles back a long way. The figure above is the longer of the two. The real drive could be further still, so check the route before you set off.

Why the drive to town is usually twice what the map says — what we found measuring every campsite in this guide.

When it’s time to move on

On most public land you can camp for 14 days before you have to move on. Check this site’s own limit before you plan a long stay. When you move on, the Bureau of Land Management usually wants you at least 25 to 30 miles away. So the free campsites closest to you are the ones you cannot use.

Eight in this guide sit inside that 25 miles. The nearest one you could move to is Uinta Flat Designated Dispersed Camping Area, Utah — 31 miles in a straight line, but at least a 44 mile drive.

Why “at least”: there is no road right at this campsite, so the drive is hard to measure and the real one could be further. Check the route before you set off.

This guide covers five states and does not list every free campsite, so there may be something closer that we do not hold. Check this site’s own rule before you rely on it.