Beaver Dunes State Park, State recreational park in Beaver County, Oklahoma, United States
Beaver Dunes State Park features rolling sand hills and a small lake set across hundreds of acres in Oklahoma's panhandle region. The terrain consists mostly of sandy dunes and open spaces designed for outdoor recreation.
The tract was once a state park; Oklahoma announced in 2011 that it would close at the end of that summer as a budget-cutting measure. Laurie Anderson of Beaver protested to keep it open, and the dunes were saved shortly thereafter. On August 15, 2011, ownership was formally transferred to the City of Beaver.
The park's name comes from the nearby city of Beaver, and the dunes have long carried legends of strange occurrences. Spanish explorers' accounts tell of three of Coronado's men vanishing in flashes of green light, and a separate tale holds the area to be a UFO crash site. The tract has been likened to the Bermuda Triangle and called "Shaman's Portal."
The park has two campgrounds with RV and tent spaces available throughout the grounds. Visitors should arrive early to secure good locations and explore during daylight hours to navigate the sandy terrain safely.
The park's legends date to Spanish explorers: Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's journal is said to record three of his men vanishing in flashes of green light while crossing the tract. A separate story holds that a UFO crashed here, and the spot, compared to the Bermuda Triangle, is called "Shaman's Portal."
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