Monahans Sandhills State Park
Can you believe this is only 50 minutes from our house in Midland?! I’m embarrassed to say that this was our first visit to Monahans Sandhills State Park. With its close proximity, you can bet we will definitely be back! It is such a cool natural area with miles and miles of sandhills for exploration. You can rent toboggans and sled down the hills, walk around, pack a picnic, and obviously get some pretty cool photos! It’s similar to White Sands in New Mexico, but WAY less crowded and much closer if you live in Texas.
Tips + Tricks For Visitors:
Since we are so close to the park, we packed the car for a day trip. They do have camp sites available for rent if you wanted to make it a longer trip or if you are driving from further away. Since we were only there for half a day, these tips + tricks are geared for a shorter visit:
- Purchase your day pass beforehand HERE. We paid $8 the night before and printed out our pass so that we wouldn’t have to stop and mess with it upon entrance. Good thing we did, because we arrived before 8AM and there wasn’t anyone to check us in or issue a pass in person.
- Bring a camera! It is so worth the pictures so make sure you pack a camera or a fully charged iPhone. We brought our tripod and although we had to lug it around a bit, I’m so happy we got some cool pictures just the two of us.
- Pack snacks. Again, we only stayed for about half a day, but I was glad to have snack options after we’d gone exploring. It’s hard work trekking through the sand and uphill. You’ll be surprised at how many calories you can burn and just how hungry you can be afterwards.
- Dogs are allowed. We brought Tara and she had the time of her life!! We kept her off leash because we were literally the only ones there (we visited on a Monday morning). Technically, dogs are required to be on leash so do keep that in mind if it is crowded. Pack plenty of water for your pup because they will inevitably wear themselves out.
- Go early! This final tip is my #1 piece of advice. We arrived by 7:30 and even in July, it was only 77 degrees. West Texas has minimal humidity, so our mornings and evenings are relatively nice. By the time we were leaving, it was definitely warmer, but we did the majority of our exploring in the cool hours of the morning before the sun was way overhead. Plus, the lighting for your pictures will be far better in the morning than afternoon!
What To Wear:
As you can see, we opted for regular clothes. You could definitely wear athletic clothing and I’m sure that most people do. I found that I was much cooler (and comfortable) in a breezy dress (white is sold out, here it is in tan), rather than leggings. I say whatever you are most comfortable in is what you should wear.
We ditched our shoes before getting to the sand (left them in the parking lot) and went barefoot the entire time. I can’t imagine trying to navigate the hills in sandals, or worse, getting sand stuck inside of tennis shoes! Definitely wear your sunglasses because it is bright out there with all of the light sand reflecting the sun.
This was our latest adventure out here in West Texas! We’ve had a very slow summer due to me battling the first trimester and being pregnant. Now that I’m feeling better, we are so excited to have a few more things on the calendar that still allow us to practice social distancing. What about you? Where is your next trip?!