Monahans Sandhills State Park

While our family was on a road trip in West Texas, we stopped by Monahans Sandhills State Park outside of Odessa so the kids could play. As soon as my youngest saw the sand dunes, her jaw dropped. She loves playing in sand and dirt, and she had the time of her life at Monahans.

The park ranger said the sand can get extremely hot in the summer months, but the morning came the temperature was in the 50s – almost too cold! You can rent saucer sleds from the park office for around $6 a day. Just keep in mind that you don’t go as fast as you do on snow! They also have a Junior Ranger program, but it is for the round generic Level 1, 2, and 3 pins.

Monahans Sandhills State Park has one of the most beautiful park headquarters of all the parks we’ve been to. We loved how the building blended into the Chihuahuan Desert around it, and how you could view the desert from the big windows. They also had some fun exhibits, including fossils!

After we checked in, we drove out to the Pump Jack Picnic Area, as the ranger said that’s where the biggest dunes are located. It was stunning! We saw a flock of quail and lots of small animal tracks as we climbed up the sand dunes. After a few times up and down, our legs were tired!