YOU NEED TO GO HERE! Whether you make your whole road trip about coming to this awesome state park, or just make it part of another trip like we did, you have to come to Monahans Sandhills and rent a sand disc from the visitor center (or bring your own) to sled down the sand dunes with your friends or family. This was my daughter's #1 memory from our whole trip and we spent 3 days in Big Bend - but apparently sledding down the sand dunes beat out all the cool hikes and stuff we saw (she's still talking about it). Honestly, this was so affordable and could be hours and hours of fun, along with the beautiful desert views that you could enjoy on hikes. Probably not as fun in 100+ degree temps, but being there around the New Year was amazing. 10/10 place to stop and have a ton of fun! read more

See all

the sandhills are very cool. the sand is very soft and they are tall. shadows look neat. they have a visitor center with limited hours. read more

See all

It's fifty one degrees and windy but worth a stop. Hard to believe all this sand was once a Rocky Mountain!!! Fabulous geologic and human history. Dinosaur bones,Indian artifacts...even Cabeza de Vaca passed through here and you should too. Only $4 and worth a look. Only a few miles out of your way off interstate 20 read more

See all

The kids loved sledding and stayed out all day. We camped for one night on our way home from Big Bend. Perfect for families!

While driving back from West Texas, we decided to detour to Monahans and it was a worthwhile trip. The sand is clean and smooth, the hills are cleared of vegetation in the main area, lots of kids were sliding down comfortably. read more

We couldn't find a phone number that worked (the numbers we tried Just rang and never were answered or one was a robot that put us on hold till we hunt up) and we had to go to multiple websites to even find the hours for the visitor center. The state website says it's closed though (see screen shot taken 3/1/23) and doesn't have a date of when that was posted or when it will reopen, on another state page about the park it doesn't say it's closed....and again there was no one to answer a phone to even confirm if they were open or not. We got there and it didn't look like there was anything even inside the visitors center at least. At the visitors center there is a .27 mile gravel nature trail with information about wildlife and plants in the area. Because the visitors center was closed we drove to the end of the road and looked at the sand dunes for about one minute and left, we only stayed a minute because apparently you're supposed to pay $4 to drive on the state park road and other reviews said they got tickets for as much. It was pretty and would have been nice to see the visitors center and actually walk around the sand dunes, but the whole experience was just really stressful and frustrating to drive all that way to something that wasn't even open and then feel like we couldn't even look around. read more

See all

Sand!! Sand! Everywhere! This place is where you go if you like sand, but don't want to go to the beach! It's like being down on the Texas shore, but you're still hours away from the nearest beach. Just driving in here, you know that this place is special. The dunes stretch up to seventy feet above you. Stop by the park HQ and grab one of those sleds, and they'll sell you some wax to surf down the dunes. Don't expect a speed rush, but it's fun! The park is so picturesque, with pristine dunes, a few pieces of scrub growing, a windmill in the background, or even a oil well! The staff was super friendly, and accommodating. The front area of the park was closed when I went, due to construction, but the entire back area of the park was open for wandering all you want through the dunes. It's tough climbing them, but taking a running jump off the side is super fun! The camping was nice. I got no cell reception out in the dunes, but near the bathrooms and ranger station, I got tuned in with wifi and a cell signal. The camping spots all seem to have some dunes between them, so you get a sense of some privacy. Thirty amp and water hookups exist. A picnic table under a shelter was provided as well. When I left this park, I was completely covered in sand. Everywhere. read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park outside Odessa is one of my favorite state parks now! I was there for sunset and sunrise and it was so relaxing! Camping here was great. I'd highly recommend spot 9, tucked in the corner and the best spot to access the dunes for sunrise. It felt secluded from others and I loved it. Watching the sunrise on top of the sand dune was refreshing for my soul. I will be back!! read more

See all

Very interesting place to visit and stay. I am here for two nights in the middle of July in my rv. I am the only camper here as it is 104 during the day and 80 at night. The hook ups are electric and water. I am at site number 1 which has plenty of space for my 28 ft rv. There is a covered picnic table and grill at my site as well. No grass but there are a few fire ants and lots of wasps. I had the hardest time unhooking and setting up outside as they kept buzzing by. Aside from the annoying wasps that stayed by my rv until dark this place is really pretty cool to explore. There were a few day visitors but once noon arrived it is pretty empty and hot. Thankfully my ac is new and working well. I went exploring the dunes and it is really a site to see. You walk up these huge dunes and get to the top and all you see is hills and mounds of sand for miles. It is pretty awesome. At night it is very quiet although you do hear an occasional 18 wheeler on the highway. My site is about a mile in from the entrance. Being the only camper or person here at night was kind of strange but I slept very well honestly. The price of $15 a night is well worth it.. why spend three times that price and stay in a packed in rv park when you can have scenery and adventures. It is 30 miles from Odessa. There is a big gas station just outside the park entrance with subway and pizza made to order. If you are out this way,, stop by and climb a dune. It is worth a visit. Bring water, hat, sunscreen and shade. read more

See all

Incredible park. Stopped with my dogs on a road trip and they LOVED it. We spent almost 2 hours here as a break on the way from Midland to El Paso, but I would absolutely make a special trip. Hundreds of acres of nothing but sand in every direction. We only saw a couple other people. Take water, sun protection, and maybe some food. read more

See all

This was our first time at this Park and we had our usual week-long stay. I've got to admit, there's not a lot to do in Monahans, but the park is bursting with history. Many of the inactive dunes are covered in Harvard shin oaks ; the roots of this oak can extend 70 feet outward; rhizomes grow on these roots, sprouting more trees. The mature Harvard oak is only 3 to 4 feet at maturity; It is part of the largest shinnery forest in the world, early man ate the over-sized acorns as a major part of their diet, the Comanches hid from their enemies by digging "caves" in the sand dunes beneath the web of roots from the oaks, lined them with animal hides, and thus escaped detection by their enemies. And the sand in the dunes is eroded from the Rocky Mountains. About 20 miles away is the Roy Orbison museum. An unassuming little building in Wink, the town in which Roy spent his formative years, and chock-full of memorabilia. Add to that an enthusiastic volunteer who stopped what she was doing at home and came down to give us entry and some wonderful stories Pecos, half an hour or so away, lays claim to a great museum about the old west as well as an antique car museum. We've heard it is good, but the day we went by they were closed with no explanation. Odessa is about 30 minutes east of the park and has shopping: an H.E.B. Store to name a favorite. Add to that great personnel full of great historical tidbits, adequate restrooms and showers, 50 amp electric service and water hook-ups - what more do you need. To add to our enjoyment, we lucked into being around during the Park's first (annual?) kite festival. Kites of all sizes and shapes zoomed, ducked, and zipped around for hours. What fun! read more

See all

If u Have a dog this is not the place for you. There isn't any grass and the only bushes are the ones with those Velcro sticky sharp pods. They hurt when they go on and when you take them off your dog and you. Jazz cafe restaurant is a very charming restaurant in the middle of this nothingness. This is a place that is very nice and very deceiving from the outside. Denuse read more

We detoured here for the afternoon and evening on our way back from Marfa to El Paso. The park is well maintained and the park staff were very friendly, especially the gal who checked us in (and told us about the amazing authentic Mexican food at L&J in El Paso), and Mr. T, who shared some stories of his years overseeing the dunes. We camped in spot #8 and enjoyed breezes all day and night despite the heat. Definitely lube up on the SPF and stay hydrated. We were not as successful sand sledding (rent them for $2 a pop for 2 hours) as the little kids but we gave it a go all the same! The shower and bathroom facilities were a welcome amenity and everything is service. The Sandhills are a lovely detour for a few hours or the night. A little oasis in the middle of the desert and a great way to break up a road trip. Plus the Texas sunsets atop the dunes are to die for! As for anyone complaining about the tall grasses and other flora fringing the dunes, it's important to note that the sand dunes are actually full of water. It's like a big underground river with the sand serving as a sponge and it's actually pretty incredible how the dunes can provide such a diverse habitat for the local wildlife. One of the dunes, dubbed "Mt. Everest" by the local Boy Scouts, can get as high as 80 feet. There are full grown trees buried beneath the shifting sands and the park is gorgeous even with the scrubby bushes and tall grasses and blankets of sunflowers. We saw a couple of road runners and the bees were busy pollinating and the sand beetles were very happily cruising the dunes so just remember that this is a diverse ecosystem and appreciate the beauty for what it is. read more

See all

For 23 a night for water and electric & amazing views, you can't go wrong here. Very nice park!!! Come enjoy the sunsets and sunrises in an unforgettable landscape! read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

See all

Stopped here to camp twice in the same week on a roadtrip out to Tucson. It's kinda like a desert that you see in movies: lotsa sand out to the horizon. It's sort of like a beach with no water. This part is nice because beach sand sticks to you while this sand does not. You can rent these plastic discs and sort of sled down the dunes. It's OK. As I've actually sled on actually snow, this wasn't quite as interesting as I was expecting. It's a decent workout climbing up the dunes, though! I slept in a tent. At night, in the fall anyway, it seemed to get pretty chilly and windy (just like the beach). Maybe the sand doesn't retain heat? It also kinda smelled like swamp gas both nights. There was water and power at each site. I could still hear the highway. There is absolutely no privacy whatsoever. I mean, you are right on top of the next site. I mean, you could actually chat with the next site and pass food to them if you really wanted to. There aren't firepits - only grills. It was also almost entirely people in RVs - I didn't see any other tent camping going on. There's also a neat little museum here and plenty of mugs and shirts to purchase. read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

This place is magical!!! I'm so sad that we didn't make the effort to go more often. I highly recommend watching the sunset here. We had an incredible time. read more

See all

Excellent state park that's not very busy! People tend to just stop in for an overnight stay as they pass through the area so during the day you almost have the entire park to yourself! Lots of fun sledding (discs available to rent at ranger station) and just enjoying the quiet. Campsites are spacious - some are rather short due to the sand shifting so larger units probably want a pull through site. Sites 8-9 seem fairly level and are large. Verizon cell service is available but a bit spotty. read more

This is one of the most beautiful places to stay, definitely a hidden gem. The sandhills make for epic sunset and sunrise photos. It was such a unique and beautiful experience. I will never, ever forget it! Highly recommend stopping here and parking for at least one night if you are passing through the area. I called en route and they happened to have spaces available meeting our size requirement, but they did note that if people beat us there, there wouldn't be availability. I was relieved when we arrived that they had a space for us. And they were getting ready to close the office, so we made it just in time! If I had to rate the facilities, however, this review would be significantly lower. The bathroom nearby was outdated and kind of scary at night to be honest. There was no hand soap or paper towels. There was only one toilet that wasn't clogged. read more

What a fantastic park! We only visited but I sure wouldn't mind coming back to camp in our trailer! The trailer sites looked nice, I don't think it's very tent friendly. The sand is incredibly soft and cool! It's fun to run around in and sink your feet into, our dogs had a blast as well! read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

Monahans Sandhills State Park is worth the trip. It's in a nondescript area off I-20, east of Monahans, and you wouldn't guess how beautiful it is until you enter the park and see the sandhills. Camping is very affordable ($15/night) and there are paved pull-through and back-in spots right next to the dunes. Electrical and water hookups worked great. The bathrooms are simple, but functional. We didn't have hot water in the showers, and there were no shower curtains in the men's bathroom. The handicapped shower stall had a door for privacy. The park is open until 10:00, so you can see the amazing sunset even if you aren't camping. read more

See all

The park was beautiful and extremely clean. it was quiet and relatively small, you can do it in about 2 hours. there are several places to picnic. there are also designated campsites. the lady in the visitor center/ gift shopbwas so nice and helpful. the entrance feel was only $4, totally worth it. read more

See all

Totally worth it for the unique experience. Slide down the hills, walk around, enjoy the sunset and tranquility. Dont stay more than a day or two. read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park Monahans, Tx State Park one entrance did not see any ranger drive bys at night but were out working during the day. Road surface was hard. Showers and restrooms appeared adequate. Had full hookup but we stayed only overnight. Site was good, a drive off to side. Everyone we talked with of the staff was friendly and helpful. No WiFi cell was ok. No dog park but ample places for dogs. Great views, plan on staying again for longer time. read more

Looks like a fun destination campground for families with kids (offers dune sledding), but not suited for overnight travelers. Narrow, unlevel asphalt pads, irregularly shaped and crumbling in chunks at the edges into the soft dune sand. Anyone setting up in a back-in site with more than a minimal sized rig blocks the whole road for everyone else. Most of the road-edge pull through sites were short, and many are also narrow, so that if you have a slide, your opposite wheels end up low in the sand. The sites are so narrow that you can't avoid driving in the sand, and without four-wheel-drive, we were concerned about getting stuck. No Wi-Fi or cell signal. Bathrooms and showers were average municipal quality and clean. and park personnel were very personable. I don't believe we would stay there again because we only travel through. The bargain price was not worth our additional stress. read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

See all

A fun time in the middle of West Texas. Our 3 year old had a blast. I did too! tip #1: go sand sledding and skiing in the morning. There is more moisture in the sand and you will actually go someplace. tip #2: if you are going to tent camp, buy the corkscrew tent stakes (like a dog stake) for the sand. It gets really windy and your tent might fly away if you don't! read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

We were traveling home from East TX to CA and this was our first overnight stop and it was amazing! We had a 24 foot RV we had everything we needed to hook up (water and electric) picnic table and amazing surroundings. We have two young boys and they had the best time running, rolling and sledding down the sand dunes. Gates closed at 10 and opened at 7 so we felt safe sleeping there. What an absolute treasure we found here in Texas. If we ever drive through here again we will come back. Highly recommend to anyone driving through this area. read more

See all

There was a man dressed like the Lord Jesus Christ walking around in the dunes. At first I thought I was hallucinating. Then I saw another man following Jesus with a camera. I then realized they were making a Jesus movie or something. But then things got even more strange. When they broke for lunch the camera man took out his lunch box. He pulled out a sandwich and gave it to Jesus. He then multiplied the sandwiches and came over and handed me one. Then... it got even more crazy. Like an episode of stranger things or that show with them ufos. Jesus man took out a bottle of water and poured it into a cup. But as soon as it hit the cup it turned to wine. It was at this time that I realized my shoes were gone. Where did they go? I don't know. Still don't. It's a dope place though. Nice sand. read more

So--walking up hill is a total bitch. Sliding down is divine. But I cannot blame that on the dune even though I periodically shook my fist at the sky and cursed the sand a few times. Paid to rent a round sled thing for a couple of hours. It was super fun. The place is beautiful and just pops out of nowhere. It's hard to imagine that we have our own little Texas version of the Sahara just South of Odessa, but we totally do. Take the kids and the dog. Bring water and snacks. Stop at the little ranger station and get your sled. You can park right at the picnic tables below the dunes and play in the sand. One note--this is NOT ocean type sand. This is desert type sand. It will not lock and let you build things. If you put some water in it, you can. Bring lots of water if you want to do stuff like that. Do not big a dig hole and get in it--you will die. Darwinism is real. read more

If you're tent camping, sandbags are a must! Wind gusts can send your tent flying into the next county, since camp areas are all sand. Refineries all around can produce some nasty smells Restrooms & showers are dirty and not monitored... majority of days they had no toilet paper ... dunes are beautiful and evenings are nice except when glampers blast their televisions for the whole campsite to hear... also trains sound their horns throughout the evening. Was fun to try once. read more

This park is AWESOME. Rent a disk at the visitor's center (which hasn't been updated since the 1960s), drive to the sandhills, and enjoy! It's great exercise - I hadn't run up sandhills in a while and had forgotten that you tend to slide back a little with every step! And it couldn't be more fun! The sand is so soft and cold and beautiful. If you're a geology nerd, here's a fun fact: the sand in the sandhills are remnants from New Mexico's Rocky Mountains, eroded by the Pecos River over thousands of years and blown by winds to Texas, where you can enjoy sliding down the hills on your disk that you've covered in resin for a faster slide. If you're out in this part of Texas, this state park is not to be missed. Such a unique park! It really reminds you of the size and variety of ecosystems in Texas! read more

Very pretty. Fun. We came at December, not windy, sunny, and cold but if ur walking up the dunes u just need a good hoodie. Sand dunes are walking distance. Gift shop had cool books from desert emergency situations to storybooks for the kids. I love collecting the patches and walking stick medallions. Very friendly. Quiet for this season, but u got folks around.. the sand is smooth and dry for it being a foggy morning, not much moisture. We r coming back! read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - They have disk and sled rentals plus u can purchase it too. - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

See all

Sandhills has always been a fun time growing up. Aside from getting sand EVERYWHERE on your person, it is a blast. Be prepared to do a little sand hike for your fun though then slide down with a disc. read more

This is an awesome place for kids, adults, couples, families... My hubby and I enjoyed the sunset on the Sandhills, and wrote down some romantic words on the sands. It is just a so special place. Before the trip, I imagined the pic in my head, to be honest, I think the trip will be a little boring. But it is finally a big surprise. I run on the sands, and slide down... there is so much pleasure! It is a long trip, but it worth every mile! read more

My family was very excited to go here last month! Our plan was to tent camp here two nights before heading off to another state park. Well, we got here and rented sand discs to go sand surfing and then picked a camp site. We picked an awesome site that backed up to a huge kid-friendly dune area where my three kids had an absolute blast playing and pretending to be desert children. My husband and I had fun too but didn't realize how cardio-intensive sand surfing would be! Whew. We finally decided to set up camp and realized we were the only tent camping people there. Several RVs but no other tents. And after that first night, we now know why! We thought we'd done a good job figuring out how to stake the tent in the sand using all kinds of things to reinforce the stakes. And the tent stayed up too.....until around 11pm when the winds picked up so hard it leveled our tent. So there we were-- three tired kids, two grumpy grown ups and a heap of camping stuff. We put the kids in the van making the best beds we could for them and then my husband and I folded up the tent as best we could trying to make sure we got all the stakes and didn't lose anything in the big pile-o-sand. It was a very sleepless and uncomfortable night in the car, to say the least. The next morning we packed it in and headed to the next park. Regardless, the rangers at Monahans are super nice and the visitor's center is one of the nicest we've seen at state parks. read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Sand Surfing! - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

The woman who worked in the small building was super friendly and helpful as my friend and I were first timers to sand dunes! Upon entering, there is some merchandise available to purchase and a small counter at one end of the building next to a wide assortment of disc colors. I was surprised by how inexpensive it was per person ($4/person). Even though the site says discs must be returned by 4pm, we were allowed to use them later than that since there's an after hours drop off box. We each received a disc and a small block of wax to share to wax the bottom of the discs. The sand was very soft but don't expect to go very fast down the dunes! Starting off on the less steep hills, we didn't even move without physically trying to. We went over to the Mt Everest of sand dunes there which looked really intimidating from the top but did not go too fast. The tiring part is having to get back to the top of the hill to go down again. All in all, it was a great experience!! Totally worth the hour drive from Midland. read more

Awesome state park! I have family in West Texas so we will definitely be back! Who know we had this in West Texas!

As a native Texican, I gotta say we have the best State Parks here in the Republic. While Monahans is rather small, it's unique. I'm glad this was just a day trip and not a weekend destination. Yeah it's some sand dunes, yet no water to cool down in. Walking up the dunes kicked my cardio ass. Might be good to tire out your chillrens. Sliding down the dunes looks more fun then it actually is. Sand is not like snow and you don't go very fast. Checking into the park was easy and the park rangers were very friendly. Glad this was checked off the list, but I'll prolly keep driving down I-20 next time. Once was enough. read more

Came here in December which is clearly not the best time to visit. We were hoping to stay for 4 days , but was ready to pack up after day 1. Super windy and cold weather made it miserable for us and the kids. Hoping our next visit is successful at the Dunes. Got to see the Odessa crater, so want a complete waste. Definitely a 1 day trip. read more

Monahans Sandhills State Park - Hiking Near Me - Monahans, Texas

See all

Very beautiful, couldn't believe all of the sand dunes!! And no beach! I would have given it 5 stars but a lot of the dunes are covered in tall grass. I stayed in the campground it was just a spot along the road but they have electric and water and a dump station near by. The bathroom was close by and usable but not very clean. Lots of hot water and a large area for showering and dressing. Really inexpensive and the lady at the check in was helpful. I would definitely stay there again. read more

This place was a great day trip! It was less than $15 for my family of 5 to get in and rent sand discs for a couple of hours, and sliding down the dunes was ridiculously fun-- all the fun of sledding on snow with none of the frostbite! Use the wax that comes with the discs-- it makes a huge difference. Friendly and helpful staff and very reasonable prices for snacks and supplies in the gift shop. We're not really into camping, but the campground looked quite nice and very clean. Too bad it's in the middle of nowhere, otherwise I'd be there all the time! Even so, I'm sure we'll be going back fairly soon :) read more