Imperial Sand Dunes National Recreation Area Guide

Sand dunes are some of the most massive beautiful spots to see in the desert. If you ever take a day trip down to Yuma, Arizona, you need to check out Imperial Sand Dunes National Recreation Area. In between Yuma and Brawley, California, the Imperial Sand Dunes is a perfect location close by to see.

Imperial Sand Dunes, also known as Glamis (it has two names but Imperial Sand Dunes is the official name), is 20 miles away from Yuma and can be great to use as a (quick or long) stop after visiting the city if you’re coming from Arizona. In general, Imperial Sand Dunes is great for all tourists traveling down. These dunes are known for being a location for photo shoots of all sorts (graduations, couples, solo portraits, and more – in fact Bravo TV once listed it as one of the ‘essential’ places to take a selfie in) and it was once the movie location for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Jumanji 3.

The dunes are so massive that they stretch for more than 40 miles and can reach heights of 300 feet! From my experience being out there, they really do seem to get higher as you walk more. You will feel like being on a different planet! The place’s golden sand is the perfect hued landscape to admire during sunset while overlooking the Chocolate Mountains of California. A perfect spot for meditation and contemplation with the isolation you’re granted.

Table of Contents show

Things to do and know in Imperial Sand Dunes

If you are planning on visiting and/or staying for a week or more, Imperial Sand Dunes National Recreation Area requires you to have a permit in certain seasons, usually starting on October 1. You can find out information on how to get a permit from here, where you can buy it online from there.

When my friends came here, we bought my sled here and we tested it out if we can sled down it, and unfortunately, they are not the type of dunes to do some sledding (the sled just won’t go down), so avoid bringing one if you travel here. Besides opting to go here for photo shoots, which is a perfect location to choose for them (trust me, my friends and I had fun with it!), you may be looking for an adventure.

Imperial Sand Dunes is perfect for off-roading. That includes being able to rent an ATV and riding the sands with it. The dunes are practically made for the ATVs. You can rent some from GlamisDunes; they can provide you a helmet with your ATV. You can also rent an ATV from Jet Rent too.

Another option to ride the dunes is renting an UTV (utility task vehicles, not to be mistaken as a dune buggie), which GlamisDunes also makes available to rent from and you can rent a helmet with them too. Keep in mind, some of these rentals will have requirements, such as you must be 25+ to rent a UTV. For ATVs with them, you must be 21+ to rent one. On their site pages, they list what documentation you would need to present for other proof too.

Camping would be great to do in Imperial Sand Dunes. RV camping is pretty popular here, and once again, GlamisDunes can allow you to rent a RV too from them. Keep in mind of having a permit during the season as I mentioned above. Gecko Road is the largest campground that RVs and tents use. Here’s the address and coordinates to get there:

4500 Gecko Rd, Brawley, CA 92227

GPS coordinates: 32.975655, -115.174012

There are also other areas for camping that Dirt Road, Big Skies covers with coordinates and his reviews for the campgrounds so you can decide for yourself.

Other important things to know

There will be no running water out here in Imperial Sand Dunes, so you will have to bring your own jugs of water and plenty of them. It can get really hot during the summer months here, so it’s so so so important to stay hydrated. There is no shade out here.

I recommend if you’re going to explore the dunes by foot, you should wear some comfortable sandals to avoid from having sand all over your sneakers and socks. It will be uncomfortable to walk on the sand, no matter what. After all, the dunes would be great to do your “leg workout” day.

To park, there will be parking lots once you drive down the road from the entrance and you can simply just walk to the dunes from your car. We have personally seen a car get stuck in the sand and needed assistance, so please try to not park close to the sand.

I also do not recommend you walk far without saving the location of your vehicle or coordinates to get down to the road again because sand dunes can and will confuse you with your directions than a regular hike in a forest or mountain trail. There are no official hiking trails out here after all. In fact, it’s always smart to bring a personal locator beacon and compass for any nature walks.