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It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t fe It’s officially Fall! It definitely doesn’t feel like it in Miami, it really never does but that just gives us a reason to explore other states. West Virginia is one of them, fun fact I actually lived here between undergrad and grad school! Here are Things to do in West Virginia (SAVE + SHARE): 

1. Enjoy New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, or visit any of the states 35 state parks as West Virginia has 1.5 million acres of parks and public land. We personally walked the Shavers Lake Trail and canoed on the lake. 

2. Enjoy some serious adventures! We’re always trying something new and West Virginia offers a lot of options from whitewater rafting, to 1,000+ miles of off-road ATV trails, to rock climbing, caving and mountain biking . 

3. Take a train ride on the Cass Scenic Railroad which stops at the Whittaker Camp where those who worked in the lumber and coal industry lived during the work season. 

4. Explore Cranberry Glades Botanical Area where you might just get to see some black bears! 

5. Walk the Falls of Hills Creak trail to get up close to some gorgeous waterfalls! 

This week I’ll be sharing various cities and states you can experience a beautiful Fall getaway. What are some of your favorite places to enjoy autumn?

Tap the link in my bio for my West Virginia blog post and a blog post of the best places to experience Fall in the US!
Still not over our day exploring the waters of For Still not over our day exploring the waters of Fort Pierce. We danced, snorkeled, fished and went tubing. Definitely want more days like this and still pinch myself that this is what a day of work looks like for me sometimes. Thank you @seadoo for the opportunity.
If you know my husband you know water activities a If you know my husband you know water activities are his favorite! Fishing, jet skiing, just being on a boat on the ocean relaxing, name it, he’s there. So we couldn’t be more excited than to not only get the chance to test out the new @seadoo Switch but be the stars of a whole commercial for it. We had entirely too much fun filming this. Of course now he wants to buy one!

Do you like getting out on the water? Favorite activity?
Our 3 Day London Itinerary (SAVE + SHARE): 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 1: Walked across the Tower Bridge (you can take a tour of London of Tower as well), walked along the River Thames and took a make a fascination hat class with @create_your_own_hat! 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 2: Harry Potter walking tour, checked out Borough Market and went on a night ghost bus tour. 

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Day 3: Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen, Buckingham Palace for Changing of the Guards, and explore Westminster for the infamous red telephone booths, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

If you have more time on previous visits to London we have taken a day trip to check out Stonehenge, Bath and Windsor Castle, rode the London Eye, took a ferry ride down the Thames River, checked out Warner Brother Studios, and did a graffiti/street art tour.

Is London on your list? If you’ve been what did you do that you think is a must for visitors?

Things to do in London, London with kids, family travel
Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are no Then vs Now (swipe left)!🥹🥰 My babies are not babies anymore. Where has the time gone? Excuse me while I go cry in the corner 😭😭😭😭. 

Too in my feelings to provide an informational post, I’ll be back tomorrow.
Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? List Why is this man always trying to stop my fun? Listen replace husband with whoever you need to but why these ppl keep acting like we can take our money when we’re gone?!? Y’all feel me or nah? 😅😬😩
Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is us Morning Tea in London! Afternoon or High Tea is usually on everyone’s things to do in London list but since the girls and I don’t eat beef or pork the menus for most places didn’t make sense for us as they are filled with ham sandwiches and other things we don’t eat. I ended up finding Morning Tea at Peggy Porschen instead which offers a tea menu with breakfast items, while not traditional it worked best for us! It cost £35 pp.

For a traditional Afternoon or High Tea Try:

🫖Palm Court at The Ritz
🫖The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon at Fortnum & Mason
🫖Theatre Royal Drury Lane
🫖The Grill Room Hotel Cafe Royal (has vegetarian an vegan options)
🫖Coronation Afternoon Tea at Cellarium, Westminster Abbey
🫖The Rosebery Coronation Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
🫖The Goring Hotel

Afternoon Teas Geared Towards Families:

☕️Peter Pan Afternoon Tea at Aqua at The Shard
☕️Jurassic Afternoon Tea at the Ampersand Hotel
☕️Jungle Book Afternoon Tea at Brown’s Hotel
☕️Secret Garden Afternoon Tea at Taj 51
☕️The Buzzy Bees Afternoon Tea at St. Ermin’s Hotel
☕️Grover’s Children’s Tea at Grosvenor House Hotel
☕️The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea Bus Tour
☕️Sherlock Holmes Inspired Afternoon Tea at the Mind Palace
☕️Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tea at One Aldwych
☕️Mad Hatter Afternoon Tea at The Sanderson
☕️Wizard of Oz Afternoon Tea at The Soho Hotel

Have you done a proper Afternoon or High Tea in London before? Was the one you did on this list, if so what did you think of it? If you have additional recommendations please do leave a comment!

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12 Places to See Sand Dunes in the United States

August 13, 2021      California, Colorado, Destinations, North America, Utah

This post contains affiliate links. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more information. All opinions are my own.

My first time seeing a sand dune was in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. I know lots of people have also seen them in Dubai. However, if you’re an American like me you don’t have to leave the country to see sand dunes and have the same experiences others have abroad. There are 9 places to see sand dunes in the United States. Here is where you can go! 

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

By far the most popular sand dunes in the United States are the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. They are also the tallest ones in North America. The dunes are located 4 hours from Denver but you can fly into the smaller airport Alamosa which United Airlines flies to. 

It costs $25 per vehicle to enter the park which grants you access for seven consecutive days. If you visit National Parks often it makes more sense to get the America the Beautiful annual pass for $80 which grants you access to every National Park. The park is open 365 but fees are only charged when the entrance station is open in the spring, summer and fall or when the visitors center is open in the winter. 

You’re able to hike, sand board and sled the dunes here! The National Park itself does not rent sand sleds or sand boards so be sure to pick these up before coming into the park. The nearest location at 4 miles from the Visitor’s Center is the Oasis Store but it’s only open March 1st -October 31st. Additional options are Spin Drift Sand Board Rentals (March-October), Sand Dunes Swimming Pool and Recreation (year round),  Kristi Mountain Sports (year round) and Spanish Peaks Outfitters (year round). Also since it’s a National Park kids can earn a Jr. Ranger badge.

Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area

Sometimes called the Algodones Dunes, these California sand dunes are located two and a half hours East of San Diego. If you’re in the San Diego area and interested in other local attractions, click here to save up to 40% on some of San Diego’s most popular destinations. Some scenes from Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Hedi were actually filmed here. Permits are required to visit these sand dunes from October 1-April 15th and cost $35 in advance but the price increases to $50 if you buy it on site. They are also valid for 7 days. 

Sand boarding, sledding, horseback riding, hiking, camping and ATVing and Dirt Biking can all be done here. You can rent sand boards from Gilmore Off Road or Sweet Maries. There are also a few places that offer ATV tours like Glamis Dunes Rentals.

White Sands National Park

Previously White Sands National Monument, these sand dunes became a National Park in 2019. Located in the Northern Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico these sand dunes are made from gypsum rather than quartz which gives them their crisp white color. It’s a 3 hours and 20 minute drive from Albuquerque and a 3 hour and 44 minute drive from Santa Fe. The entrance fee to this national park is also $25 including reentry for seven consecutive days. 

As with all sand dunes you can sandboard and sled these too. The gift shop in the park doesn’t rent them but you can buy them with an option to sell it back. They cost $10-$15 and you’ll recoup $3-$5 if you return it. An alternative is to pick one up from the nearby Walmart or Big 5.

One unique thing about these sand dunes in the United States is besides walking up them or sand boarding/sledding down there is actually a scenic drive. It’s 8 miles and typically takes about 45 minutes to complete. Unfortunately if you’re looking for more thrills than this it won’t be at this park, ATVs are also not allowed here.

Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park

If you’re visiting Idaho, just one hour south of Boise is Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park. These dunes are up to 470 feet tall! The park costs $7 to enter per vehicle and sand boards are available to rent in the Visitors Center Nature Store for $15/day.

Jockey’s Ridge State Park

Located in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Jockey’s Ridge State Park has the tallest dunes on the East Coast. The park is open year round with the exception of Christmas Day and unlike other parks it does have opening and closing hours so be sure to check those but it is free to enjoy!

Besides sandboarding which is obviously one of the most popular things to do on sand dunes you can go hang gliding here and even take lessons at Kitty Hawk Kites! Talk about an amazing sand dune experience and yes kids can take lessons here too and they’ve taught kids as young as 4! They also rent sandboards for $25 for 1-4 hour use of $40 for the entire day.

Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park

The Coral Pink Sand Dunes are located in Kanab, Utah, just one hour from Zion National Park and 90 minutes from Bryce Canyon National Park so I highly recommend adding it to trips to either place. Kanab, Utah the city it’s in also offers tons of activities and you can easily spend an entire week here.

The entrance fee into these sand dunes in the United States is $10 per vehicle per day. If you want to camp here that will cost you $25-$35 dollars per night depending on if you need hookups or not. 

You can hike, sand board, sled or ATV the dunes here. Sand board and sand sled rentals are available at the visitor’s center for $25 for the day. There is only one company, Coral Pink ATV  Tours, that is allowed to offer ATV tours inside the park. Others have it listed on their site but they take you to nearby dunes that are grassy.

girl on sand board in coral pink sand dunes

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

The Oregon Dunes National Recreation area is located in Reedsport, Oregon, three and a half miles Southwest of Portland. The closest airport is Southwest Oregon Regional Airport, 33 miles away. 

Open year round, these are one of the most diverse sand dunes in the United States. Here you have open dunes and beaches and you can have a variety of OHV riding experiences, hiking, paddling by the dunes, sand boarding, birding and camping. If you want to sand board the dunes the best place to do so is at Sand Master Park. The entrance fee into these dunes is only $5.

Dumont Dunes

Just 40 minutes outside of Baker, California are the Dumont Dunes, an area of the Mojave Desert. Here you can go off-roading, hiking, camping and even rock climbing. Weekly passes to the dunes are $30 during non-holidays and $40 if the week includes a holiday and they consider holidays Halloween, Thanksgiving, New Years, MLK and Presidents Day. 

Everyone says you have to visit the “North Pole” when in Dumont Dunes. The Dumont Dunes are known as being one the most steep sand dunes in the United States and some feel they aren’t great for kids. With that in mind Little Dumont is a great area for families with smaller dunes.

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Just two hours outside of Las Vegas is Death Valley National Park. Within the park you’ll find a few sand dunes but the most popular because it’s the most accessible is Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. These dunes along with the Saline Valley Dunes are the only dunes in the park you can go sand boarding on. There are no places to rent sand boards or sand sleds in the park so plan ahead and bring your own. The entrance fee into Death Valley to see these dunes is $30 per vehicle for seven consecutive days of entry.

Little Sahara State Park in Oklahoma

Little Sahara State Park, with a name play on the Sahara Desert has 1,600+ acres of rideable 25′-75′ sand dunes. Locates in Waynoka, OK, roughly 2 hours from Oklahoma City this park has it all from RV sites to tent sites to picnic areas to showers. You can dune buggy and ATV these dunes by bringing your own or renting one from an off-site vendor. To join in on the fun it’s only $10 per person. The park is open daily 24/hrs a day but the park office is only open from 8:00 am- 4:00 pm.

Kelso Dunes in Mojave National Preserve

The Kelso Dunes are located in the Mojave Desert which is near Baker, California. open to the public 24 hours a day and there is no entrance fee. The best time to visit is October-May as summer temperatures reach 120 degrees and the sand is extremely hot. There is also a hiking trail of the dunes here that is 3 miles but unshaded so best to hike in the spring and fall. Camping is allowed at the established campsites and all sites are first come, first serve. Off-roading is not allowed at these Dunes but you can go sandboarding! These dunes are over 600 feet tall so they are really beautiful dunes.

Sleeping Bear Dunes in Michigan

Sand dunes in the United State on the beach? If you visit Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore this is exactly what you’ll find as the dunes are right on Lake Michigan. The entrance fee to the park is $25 per vehicle. Since it’s on the water in addition to climbing the dunes you can also bike, hike, kayak or canoe here. For a 6 hour tour of Sleeping Bear Dunes, click here.

While international travel is amazing you can see lots of impressive sand dunes in the United States. Tell us in the comments how many of these sand dunes you’ve been to! If you found this article helpful please share it!

The Traveling Child is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

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Hi! We’re The Hambricks

Hi! We’re The Hambricks

If kids live there, kids can visit! That's our motto and you'll often find us exploring destinations most don't find "kid friendly". We've traveled to 35 countries on 6 continents with our children since they were 10 weeks old and share tips to make it easier and affordable. But mom and dad are people too so we also write about solo travel, baecations and girlfriend getaways.

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