Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park: Moody Skies, a UTV Ride, and Getting Completely Drenched
The desert is not supposed to get you wet. Coral Pink Sand Dunes had other plans.
Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park sits in southern Utah near Kanab, tucked between deep red cliffs that frame the dunes in a way that makes the whole scene look slightly unreal, even on a good-weather day. We did not get a good weather day. We got moody skies, some rain, and a short window of dry in the middle that we used very wisely.
The dunes themselves are named for a reason. The sand has a distinctly pinkish hue from the erosion of the surrounding Navajo sandstone, and on a clear day with the right light, the color is stunning. I say apparently because the rain had other ideas while we were there. You could see hints of it from a distance: that warm reddish-pink framed by the dark cliffs and the grey sky above, and honestly, even the moody version was beautiful. The weather gave the landscape a drama it would not have had on a postcard-perfect day. I was slightly annoyed and also kind of into it.
What saved the day entirely was booking a UTV and slot canyon tour with Roam Outdoor Adventures, and I cannot recommend it highly enough. We did the one-hour tour, which takes you out through the landscape by UTV and into a slot canyon that I was not fully prepared for. The canyon was stunning in the way slot canyons always are, narrow walls of layered sandstone doing things with color and shadow that make you stop moving and just look.
The UTV ride itself was exactly the right amount of thrill. Fast, fun, slightly chaotic in the best way. Our guide was genuinely great, kind, funny, and helpful, which made the whole experience feel like an adventure rather than a guided tour. At one point, coming back up out of the canyon in the rain, I was fairly convinced I was going to wipe out completely. I did not. No sprained ankles. Just a very good story.
And then the moment we rolled back into the rental spot, the sky opened up and drenched us entirely. The timing was so perfect that it was almost impressive. The desert waited until we were done and then decided we needed a shower.
I would have loved to try sand sledding if the weather had held, but this stop was still one of the highlights of the entire Utah trip. Roam offers several different tours, and this one was the perfect mix of scenery, adventure, and a little chaos. If you are heading to southern Utah, it is worth adding to your list, rain or shine. Especially rain, apparently.
