Kanab Yucca in the Dunes

This is a very rare variety of yucca that only grows in a limited area of southern Utah called Kanab yucca or Yucca angustissima - Engelm. ex Trevir. As these plants and other grow, the wind blown sand piles up around the plants and eventually, they form a mound of sand that is partially stabilized by the roots of the plants.

Ripples

These waves or ripples in the sand are caused by the saltation of the sand grains when blown by the wind. The distance between the ridges is dependent on the average size of the sand grains and the average speed of the wind. Saltation occurs when the wind picks up the sand and starts it bouncing over the surface. You can see a video showing how this works by clicking here. The same process is at work with automobile tires and dirt roads that causes washboarding.

Perspective

Near the center of this image there are two people walking. The distances on the Colorado Plateau are so huge that it is almost impossible to gain that perspective from a photograph. You may have to click on the photo and enlarge it to see the people, but you just might begin to understand how far it really is over to the hills in the background.

Up before sunrise

I decided to get up before sunrise and walk out into the sand dunes. The light was changing constantly, but I thought that the forms of the sand and the plants with the backdrop of the cliff gave a new perspective to the entire scene. I loved the was the colors all became muted and shape of the dune was emphasized.

Walking Along the Top of the Dune

One thing you learn rather quickly in a sand dune field is that it is a lot easier to walk along the very top of each dune than try to walk up the sides. In the movies you see people staggering along through the sand dunes trying to walk directly across each dune. This is a rather naive and unexperienced way to travel unless you happen to have a camel.

First Dune in Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

As the wind comes from the southwest, up the canyon to the south, the sand accumulates in three huge dunes now called the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. On the horizon you see the almost perfectly level Colorado Plateau. This is one of the nicest of all the State Parks in Utah.

Large Dune in Coral Pink

The Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in far southern Utah is a destination for those who drive ATVs as well as the rest of us folk that just like to look at the dunes and play in the sand. This is a relatively small area of sand dunes caused by the wind funnelling through a narrow but shallow canyon. This was the day before the opening of The Hunt in Utah and every campsite was filled and the roar of trucks and ATVs was almost constant, but there is little the can do but leave tracks that are very quickly erased by the wind. To give you some perspective here, the dot on the dune is an ATV and the smaller dots are people. I usually try to avoid having people in my landscapes but this was an exception and the essence of this beautiful place.