WAYNOKA—Looking for a little adventure this summer? Northwest Oklahoma is home to six state parks including Little Sahara State Park.
(FYI, the other five are Gloss Mountains, Salt Plains, Alabaster Caverns, Boiling Springs, and Black Mesa.)
Located south of Waynoka, Little Sahara State Park boasts over 1,600 acres of sand dunes making it look a lot like North Africa’s Sahara Desert; the major difference between the two obviously is size as the real Sahara is vastly untouched in its 3.6 million square miles.
Little Sahara State Park was born in 1959 when the Oklahoma Legislature appropriated $12,500 to buy land south of Waynoka surrounded by prairie and agricultural fields from the Oklahoma State Land Commission and to develop those 1,200 acres into a state park.
Sand dunes, which are mounds or ridges of windblown sand, are commonly found on the north side of major rivers. Little Sahara’s “active” dunes (migrating dunes that are devoid of vegetation) are typically 25 to 75 feet thick.
Sand in the Little Sahara dunes is largely reworked from terrace deposits left by the Cimarron River when the river flowed over the entire area.
Prevailing winds are from the south and southwest. Therefore, the wind blows, rolls, or pushes grains of sand up the gentle windward (south) slope, and the sand grains then are deposited on the steep lee (north) slope. Park officials said the dunes move 18 inches every year.
In fact, the migration of these dunes has caused relocation of U.S. 281 three times in the last 65 years, according to Oklahoma Historical Society.
Along for the ride
Duners, or sand rats, are die-hard enthusiasts who spend their days and nights riding their motorized off-road vehicles (ORVs) at Little Sahara. This can mean all-terrain vehicles without seatbelts or harnesses (ATVs); utility terrain vehicles with seatbelts or harnesses (UTVs) such as side-by-sides; three- or four-wheelers; dirt bikes; dune buggies; elevated 4x4s such as pickups, Jeeps, and Broncos; or other customized off-road vehicles.
Little Sahara State Park is accessible from U.S. 281 through two entrances: one on the north side of town called the north entrance and one south of town four miles called the south entrance. The state park office is located near the south entrance along with 220 RV sites that have water, electric, and sewer hookups and more than 60 tent sites.
Paid admission to the dunes—which is strictly an off-road experience, said park manager Greg Grimsley, meaning no walking, hiking, or riding horses like other state parks—is required daily unless ORV riders and their passengers purchase the multi-day option (which allows up to five consecutive days) or annual pass. Visitors can swipe a credit card at the kiosk at the park office or campgrounds or pay with cash to the attending park staff for the wristband at the north or south entrances.
“I recommend visitors buy one day at a time, buying a band for the day they plan to ride,” Grimsley said, because the multi-day option is non-refundable should the ORV break down, the weather is bad, or they want to ride days that are not back-to-back.
Additionally, he said, visitors are reminded that purchasing a day pass at 11 p.m. doesn’t equal 24-hour access so they can come back later; it means that wristband expires at midnight, and they will still be required to purchase another day pass the next morning.
Catering to the crowd
For a map of the dunes, visitors can pop over to Little Sahara Sandsports, the off-road shop that has catered to sand rats for almost 27 years and is located on U.S. 281 by the park’s south entrance.
“We started out with ATV rentals then switched to retail sales,” said owner Don Blalock, who designed the map that outlines the boundaries of the sands and the naturally formed trails. His store has served as the unofficial tourism bureau for Waynoka and the state park for nearly three decades.
“We take calls daily from across the nation for advice (about riding the dunes),” he said. The busiest time for his shop is when sand rats take to the dunes for organized competitions from March and May and then again from September to November whereas the summer brings the tourists.
Not everyone can afford to have their own ORV, but would love to experience the sand dunes, so the newly opened Duner’s Hut Adventure Rentals aka DHAR offers several rental options for the tourists.
DHAR co-owner Ric Solis Barragan leased office space through America’s Oasis—the off-road recreational sand resort located next to the park’s north entrance that serves as a duner basecamp—the first part of this year and became fully operational in March.
Visitors to Waynoka can pay DHAR for premium side-by-side rides, guided tours, or even a private tour of the sand dunes.
Barragan landed in Northwest Oklahoma eight years ago, and “instantly fell in love with the place,” he said. As a dedicated sand rat who practically lives on the dunes, he’s well-versed in dirt bikes, quads, and side-by-sides.
Little Sahara State Park is considered one of the premier ORV destinations in the Midwest. While many sand rats prefer Imperial Sand Dunes in Glamis, Calif., St. Anthony Sand Dunes in eastern Idaho, or even Little Sahara Recreation Area in Jericho, Utah, Barragan believes Waynoka’s Little Sahara beats them all.
“I’ve been riding for 25 years … [Little Sahara] is better than them,” he said.
Grimsley concurred, adding over the 20 years he’s been there, he’s noticed many duners prefer Little Sahara over other ones in the nation.
“We are very popular with other states because they don’t have to drive to California to ride,” said the 2003 graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Grimsley started out as the park’s assistant manager before promoting to manager nine years ago.
He’s watched sand rats’ toys go from three-wheelers, to custom-built dune buggies, to now side-by-sides.
Know the rules
Riding the mini desert in Northwest Oklahoma sounds like rollercoaster-style fun, but there are a few rules riders and passengers need to know when heading to Little Sahara State Park:
- First and foremost, ride at your own risk. The sand dunes are ever changing and no dune is the same on both sides so use caution when riding. There are many hidden dips, sudden drops, and depressions that can be treacherous.
- All vehicles must have a whip attached to the ORV that extends 10 feet from the ground to the top of the whip and an orange flag measuring 6-inches-by-12-inches must be attached near the whip’s tip.
- All vehicles must have a bright white front and red rear lights powered by the vehicle for night use.
- Dune buggies and 4×4 vehicles must have a roll bar sufficient to support the weight of the vehicle and must have a seat belt for each passenger.
- Oklahoma law requires every child under 8 years old to be properly secured in a child passenger restraint system. Similarly, anyone under 18 years old is required to wear a helmet.
- Helmets are not required for adults; however, park officials strongly encourage it for safety reasons.
- Double riding is not allowed on ATVs unless the vehicle is specifically manufactured for a passenger.
- Alcohol is strictly prohibited in the dune riding area.
Visitors to Little Sahara State Park should also be aware that the sand is very hot during the summer, Grimsley said.
“When it’s 110 degrees, it is 138 degrees on the sand,” he said. Most duners ride at night during the summer.
Little Sahara State Park, located south of Waynoka on U.S. 281, is open 24/7. Admission per day on the dunes is $15 per person; only passengers who are age 10 or younger can ride along for free. Individual annual passes can be obtained in the park office good for one year from purchase date for $300 plus tax; an annual pass is the equivalent of 20 day passes. Call (580) 824-1471 to speak with someone in the park office during business hours. Go online to Facebook.com/LittleSaharaSP for updates about what’s happenin’ on the dunes or book reservations for the RV or tent sites at travelok.com/state-parks/little-sahara-state-park.
DHAR offers guided 90-minute tours at sunrise at 8:30 a.m. and sunset at 6:30 p.m. as well as curated private tours and weekend duner clinics. The shop is an official Polaris Adventures outfitter and has 11 side-by-sides XP and Pro models for rent. Call (580) 448-0303. Go online to TEAMDHAR.com to book a tour or inquire about rental options.
Little Sahara Sandsports sells plenty of apparel both for duners and tourists as well as ATV parts and race fuel. The store is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until noon on Sunday). The café next door serves burgers and BBQ during the lunch hour Wednesday through Sunday. Call (580) 824-3681. Go online to Facebook.com/OGsandsports.