Little Sahara Recreation Area

How to Get There

From Provo (60 mi): Take I-15 S to US-6 W, continue for 59 miles, then turn right onto Sand Mountain Rd and drive 4 miles to the entrance.

Overview

The Little Sahara Recreation Area is a Bureau of Land Management recreation area, not a national or state park, and is Utah’s best-known off-highway vehicle destination. Its dunes are remnants of a river delta formed by the Sevier River thousands of years ago, when it fed ancient Lake Bonneville, and winds later piled the sand into the dune field in the Sevier Desert. Riders can use roughly 60,000 acres of sand dunes, sagebrush flats and juniper-covered hills, with the nearly 700-foot Sand Mountain drawing the most experienced riders. Non-motorized visitors come for sandboarding, fat biking, hiking and wildlife viewing, including the vehicle-free Rockwell area of about 9,000 acres, and the area is busiest on holiday weekends from spring through fall.

Access

Little Sahara is in Juab County, about 115 miles from Salt Lake City by way of Nephi, with Eureka the nearest town and Delta to the southwest. From I-15 at Nephi, take US-6 west, then turn at Jericho Junction and follow the signed entrance road about 4 miles to the recreation area. The main roads and campground roads are paved, while many secondary routes are unpaved or sandy. There is no public transportation, and cell service and supplies are limited, so bring plenty of water, fuel and food. Riders should expect to follow BLM rules for OHV equipment, so check the BLM website before bringing an ATV or UTV.

Seasons

Spring and fall are the best seasons for riding and camping, with comfortable temperatures and the largest crowds on holiday weekends. Summer days can be extremely hot on the open sand, so many visitors ride early or in the evening, and the dunes have little shade. Winter is cold and quieter, though the dunes remain open for riders and non-motorized users, and sand and wind can make for brisk, uncomfortable conditions. Flush toilets operate in the warmer months, while vault toilets are open year-round. The visitor center keeps seasonal hours and is typically open only part of the week.

Things to Do

Ride the Dunes

Off-highway vehicle riding is the main activity, with open dunes, trails and routes for ATVs, UTVs and dirt bikes. Sand Mountain is the biggest challenge and is intended for experienced riders, while smaller dunes elsewhere are more forgiving.

Sandboard, Sand Ski or Fat Bike

Non-motorized visitors can sandboard or sand ski on the dunes, ride fat bikes, or explore the sand on foot. Two sand play areas near White Sands Campground and Jericho Picnic Area are popular with children.

Hike and Watch Wildlife

The Rockwell Natural Area is closed to vehicles and is set aside for hiking, birdwatching and photography. Mule deer, pronghorn and a variety of birds and reptiles live in the area.

Visitor Centers

The BLM visitor center at Little Sahara provides maps, information, permits and current conditions, as well as exhibits about the dunes and the desert. It is open seasonally and only on certain days of the week, with hours that have been listed as Friday through Sunday or Thursday through Monday depending on the season, so confirm with the BLM before relying on it. Rangers can answer questions about OHV regulations and safety.

Camping and Lodging

Four developed BLM campgrounds, Sand Mountain, White Sands, Jericho and Oasis, offer improved sites on a first-come, first-served basis with no reservations, and dispersed camping is allowed outside the developed campgrounds. A stay limit of 14 days applies. For motels and hotels, the closest towns are Eureka and Nephi to the east, and Delta to the southwest, with Provo and Spanish Fork offering more options within about 1.5 hours. Salt Lake City has the widest choice, roughly two hours away.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for Little Sahara Recreation Area, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0. Additional information from Bureau of Land Management.