Little Sahara Recreation Area

  Little Sahara Brochure (PDF) 

If you are looking for a place to play on your ATV to your heart’s content, this is the place for you. The se Sand dunes also know as the "Jericho" Utah sand dunes provide a great place to take your Jeeps, Trucks, Motorcycles, ATVs, Sand Rails, and/or just about anything that has wheels and a motor. I have been ripping it up at the sand dunes for over 20 years and still get excited every time I get a chance to twist the throttle wide open and go fast.

Location
These dunes are located in central Utah. They are about 90 mile south and west of Salt Lake City. So the trip from Utah capital takes about 1.5- 2 hours and is a nice drive.

Description
Little Sahara Recreation Area is a designated and managed off-highway vehicle (OHV) open area. It features 60,000 acres of sand dunes, trails, and sagebrush flats. The main attraction is a system of giant, free-moving sand dunes that creates a constantly changing playground for dirt-bikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and sand rails (steel-tubed enclosed sand vehicles). Sand Mountain, a wall of sand climbing nearly 700 feet, is the primary focal point for hill climbing. The sand dunes on the northern side of the recreation area have plentiful riding “bowls.” The low-lying dunes southwest of Black Mountain provide good terrain for beginners or for those who just want to get away from the crowds. Black Mountain provides a network of dirt trails up, over, and around a peak, offering excellent trail riding for just about any kind of OHV.

Visitor Activities
All-terrain driving, dirt-bike riding, dune-buggy riding, picnicking, hiking, sand surfing, and sand playing.

Special Features
Rockwell Outstanding Natural Area, which is also a wilderness study area, is set aside as a vehicle-free zone. This 9,000-acre unit is a miniature version of the larger surrounding desert ecosystem and provides a place to experience the quiet side of Little Sahara.

Permits, Fees, Limitations
There is a use fee of $8.00 per day with the exception of Easter, Memorial Day, and Labor Day weekends when the fee is $10.00 per day. Annual permits may be purchased for $75.
Day-use fees and annual passes may be paid by credit card.
Safety Flags and ice must be paid for only with cash or personal check.

Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible toilets are located at the visitor center, and at White Sands, Oasis, Jericho, and Sand Mountain campgrounds.

Camping and Lodging
Camping is available within the recreation area along the 9-mile main road at these sites: White Sands Campground has 100 campsites nestled among the junipers with immediate access to the dunes. It has flush toilets (vault in winter), drinking water, and a fenced play area. Due to freezing winter temperatures, the water will be turned off in all Little Sahara campgrounds and also the dump station from late October until Spring. Call the visitor center at 435-433-5960 for specific dates. Water is still available at the visitor center.

Oasis, the most developed campsite, has paved trailer access close to the dunes, making this a popular family destination. Oasis has 115 campsites, flush toilets (vault in winter), drinking water, and an RV dump station.

Jericho picnic area serves as an overflow or large-group camping area. Jerico has 40 picnic tables with shade armadas, flush toilets (vault in winter), drinking water, an amphitheater, and a fenced play area.

Sand Mountain, at the end of the road, is a popular primitive camping/staging area. It has three paved parking loops, a flush toilet, vault toilets, and drinking water.

The Little Sarah Recreation area is one of the few in Utah that is totally devoted to the OHV recreational sport. The whole recreation site is one big designated riding area. It will take only moments after you reach the dunes that you are suddenly thankful that you have a whip flag on your machine to make you visible to your fellow recreationists as they come at you from every direction. The busiest time to visit  Little Sahara is in the spring, while the summer heat can be somewhat stifling. The recreation area is about 12 miles long (north to south) and 10 miles wide (east to west) It is not a perfect square.

On the road to Little Sahara Recreation Area.

So, where did all this sand come from? It was deposited by the Sevier River as it flowed into ancient Lake Bonneville some 15,000 years ago. The constant winds assure that the sands are always shifting, and you can watch your tracks start to disappear almost immediately after walking through. We were there on a beautiful, cloudless Sunday afternoon; it was not crowded, although I hear on weekends and holidays, it is one of the most heavily visited sites in the State. At first, I mistook the buzz of distant sand vehicles for cows (o.k., maybe the sun was getting to me). But the point is, even standing on the dunes, the noise wasn't too bad. And on crowded days, non-vehicle riders can still find space to hike and play in the nearby 9,000-acre protected Rockwell Outstanding Natural Area. Little Sahara also features sage brush flats and juniper-covered hillsides. But the main attraction for me was definitely the white rolling sand dunes, one of the most unusual vistas I have witnessed.

Visitor Center Office: 435-433-5960
Weather Information: 435-433-5961

For additional information, contact Bureau of Land Management, Fillmore Office, 35 East 500 North, Fillmore, Utah 84631, (435) 743-3100.

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