Little Sahara Recreation Area, Sand dunes recreation area in Juab County, United States
Little Sahara Recreation Area is a desert recreation area in Juab County, Utah, made up of open sand dunes, flat sagebrush plains, and juniper-covered hills. The grounds are divided into separate zones, each offering a different type of terrain, from loose rolling dunes to more sheltered wooded spots.
The dunes formed after ancient Lake Bonneville receded and left behind fine sediments across the basin. Over thousands of years, prevailing winds shaped those deposits into the dune system that visitors see today.
Little Sahara is known as a gathering place for off-highway vehicle riders who come to drive across the open dunes. On long weekends, families and groups camp together and spend the day on the sand, turning the area into a social destination.
The area is far from major towns, so it is worth arriving with enough water, food, and fuel before you get there. Weekdays tend to be much quieter than holiday periods, which makes them a better time to explore the dunes at your own pace.
Sand Mountain, the tallest dune in the area, produces a deep humming sound when sand slides down its face, a phenomenon sometimes called a singing dune. This sound is caused by dry sand grains moving against each other in just the right conditions and is rarely heard at most dune fields.
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