Mid-December of this year, I began anticipating the stir-crazy that inevitably happens in our household when our kids are out of school for more than a week. I don’t like it, they don’t like it, and I’ve learned that if I don’t have any options, the ship can sink rather quickly.
So I started searching for some easy (and COVID/social distancing friendly) day-trip options for our city- Lubbock, TX- and friends, let me tell you- there weren’t a lot of options that we hadn’t already done- save one.
We’d never visited the sandhills outside of Monahans.
So I ordered some sleds and put it on the calendar. It’s about a 3 hour road trip for us which isn’t great, but Shawn and I did enjoy a quiet ride home while the kids were asleep after a long day.
Visiting Monahans Sandhills State Park
For those of you who’ve never heard of this truly unique place, it is a state park located between Monahans and Odessa, Texas, which is almost the middle of nowhere. The park almost seems to pop up out of the earth with an ethereal almost moon-like feel- just huge expanses of sand dunes all around. It is beautiful and unusual- and the perfect place to take some sleds and do some Texas-style sledding!
The sand is deceptive- see those people on the hill? They were at least a half mile away!
It was early January when we visited and the weather stayed at a warm-ish 50 degrees. The wind did pick up in late afternoon- which was very unpleasant- especially if you’re facing the wrong way with your mouth open...ask me how I know, haha. I am glad, though, we visited in winter as I would suspect that summertime is brutal in the heat.
We had a great time and it was a day trip we will likely repeat. Here are my tips if you’re planning a trip:
There is an entrance fee to the park, but at the time we went the office was closed and there was a link to pay online listed at the entrance. The fee is $4 per person, and the park is open until 10 pm.
You can camp at the park if that’s your thing- I’d love to be there for sunrise/sunset to photograph the area- I am sure it is beautiful. More info on camping here.
There were restrooms, but at the time we visited, they were locked. If you have littles, I would definitely bring a port a potty in the car- here is the one we have had for years and has saved us many times!
Go in the fall, winter, or early spring- otherwise you will seriously risk getting sunburned and dehydrated. It’s a literal desert, y’all.
There are many parking spaces and picnic tables with grills in easy walking distance to the dunes. There was even a volleyball net set up ready for play.
Overall, we found it easy to get around. We found many great hills to sled down and you don’t actually go super fast unless you go down a man-made path. It’s very comparable to sledding in the snow.
Even our 4 year old was going down the steepest hill and the sand is so soft it really cushions the fall if you do take a tumble.
That being said, it can be tough to climb back up a hill and would not be a great excursion for anyone who has difficulty walking or climbing. It’s very much like walking in powdery snow.
What to bring:
Sunscreen (yes, even in the winter the reflection of the sun on the sand is BRIGHT- our fave here)
Cooler with water and snacks (we left this in our car and just hiked back for a snack time)
Sunglasses
Case or zipper pocket for phones/cameras (the sand will easily get into these items, and you’ll want to make sure they stay protected)
Shoes: depending on what time of year you go, you may not even need them. The sand is very soft but there are weeds/rocks (they’re easy to avoid). Most of our crew wore tennis shoes which will need to be washed, and Shawn chose boots which were heavier and harder to walk in but more sand-proof. So shoes are really personal preference.
Beach bag (with waterproof lining so you can spray sand off later)
Change of clothes- I brought a change of clothes for all the kids and we put all the sandy clothing in a beach bag so that my car wasn’t filled with sand. This worked really well- there are restrooms you could change in, but we just did it in the car
Sleds- I didn’t see anywhere you could rent these, so we brought our own. Here are the ones we have and they worked well!
Optional:
Folding lawn chairs- we saw a few families using these near the picnic tables and thought it was super smart.
Sand toys- our girls love playing in the sand when we go to the beach and probably would have enjoyed playing with some sand toys there, too- however, none of the sand is wet so it wouldn’t stick together, but hey- worth a shot if it means a few more minutes of entertainment for the kiddos!
Volleyball- like I said, they had a volleyball court set up, which is fun!
Frisbee
Backup battery Phone charger- service for us wasn’t great, and our phone batteries dies quickly that day. I wish I had brought my backup charger.
Lightweight backpack or Camelbak- this would be especially helpful if you are going during the warmer months. Mine is much older than this one, but I have had it since college and my Camelbak Cloudwalker is frequently used by both Shawn and me (camping, hiking, Disney, soccer/baseball games), and it’s held up so well. Definitely worth the investment!
I hope this has been helpful! In a year where travel was limited, I was thankful to find some neat places not too far away to create memories with our kids. They have talked about this day trip a lot since and keep wanting to go back to sled in the sand!
