bruneau dunes state park

Desolate landscape. Seems like it should be a national monument rather than a state park, as it is such a unique place. We ran up the dunes barefoot and left our shoes at the bottom, as it was before noon and the sand seemed cool enough. We got to the top, started sliding down, and realized that the sand on the side of the dune facing the sun was SCORCHING hot. Lesson learned, and take your shoes. The water in the lake at the bottom of the dunes is stinky and not for swimming. We didn't do anything else at the park, but it is definitely worth it to stand at the top of the dunes. It's like another planet.

We were staying in Twin Falls and drove down just to see the sand dunes (two hour drive). It was worth the trip---some interesting photos early in the day with the shadows. The staff at the visitor's center were friendly and informative. A beautiful bruneau jasper was on display in the center. Several bathrooms are available.

This is a really cool state park, with a variety of landscapes: desert, sand dune, marshland and prairie, with a couple of lakes. The big sand dune is the highest single-structure dune in all of North America, and the park is noteworthy in that the dunes don’t move because the prevailing winds blow from alternate directions at varying times, thus “trapping” the dunes and keeping them from drifting.It was cool and windy during our late-October visit, and there was virtually no one in sight. The visitor center was closed, but I could see that they had sand boards (they look similar to snowboards) for rent. The observatory had a CLOSED FOR THE SEASON sign on it. I understand the observatory is one of the big draws, but alas, I’ll have to go again in-season (other than cold months, I’m guessing). There are numerous picnic tables scattered around in different parts of the park. I didn’t see one camper anywhere, so I’m sorry I can’t comment about that, but I believe water and flushing toilets are not always available so it’s best to check the website or park service. Overall, I felt lucky that my friends and I had practically the whole place to ourselves. For this reason, I would recommend visiting on a chilly, blustery day.Hiking up a sand dune is fun, but more strenuous than it looks because your feet slide backwards as if you were walking up a down-escalator. A word of caution on really windy days: if you hike up the leeward side of any dune when the wind is cranking you’ll be sheltered until you reach to top of the ridge, at which point you are likely to get sandblasted. I did this and got sand in my hair, eyes, ears, teeth(!), and even in my coat and pants pockets. What a mess! We laughed about it afterwards, but I wasn’t too happy at the time.There’s a $5/vehicle entry fee, which we bypassed because my friends had an annual pass. There was no staff there, so I guess the “honors system” prevails, which involves putting cash in a collection box. I also noted that there is a $3/person viewing fee for the observatory when it is open. Check the website for other fees if you’re going to camp.

My husband and our three girls spent the weekend at Bruneau Dunes State Park and had a wonderful time! We arrived with our trailer in the dark with no reserved camp site (RESERVE!! I wish I would of!) and ended up having to stay that night in a very crowded camp area. Most campsites are very close together, but if you would like more space I recommend any of the outer sites, 92-99 or 63-74 in Eagle Cove. I can't offer any advice on Broken Wheel campsites since we didn't stay there, but it looked like they may of had more room and grassy areas. Bring a sled for the dunes, my kids enjoyed that! Preferably one with a rope to tow behind you. We wish we would of brought a kite too. With lots of open area and wind its the perfect place for one. Also, be cautious of Black Widows. Apparently the bathroom and gathering area had lots of them and we even saw one in the gravel in our campsite. May of been a fluke of the season, but during our October stay there were more then I would of liked!The Visitors Center has some displays of the local wild life, and some souvenirs for purchase. You can also change your site reservation there if you want. We did and were much happier in one of the out lying campsites. You can also pay with cards their instead of checks/cash in the drop box if you prefer.One of the main attractions that drew us to the park was the Observatory. Pay $3 per person (5 and under free) and then after watching a 45min video (a little boring and slow at times, hard for younger kids to sit through) you get to view the stars. Unfortunately, a huge storm rolled in right as we stepped outside and we didn't get to see anything.Overall, it was a great weekend camping trip for our family. Will we go again? Maybe. If we do we will certainly reserve a site and watch the weather report!For pictures from our trip visit:http://www.justleesha.com/2014/10/all-whenevers.html

We have camped at Bruneau several times, mostly for the Observatory. They have a great program there, with a film, then, if the weather is cooperating, lots of telescopes set up outside to see the stars etc. You can also hike up any of several dunes, and the have a scorpion hunting trip at night. The campground isn't the nicest, more weeds than grass, and the showers were really too hot to be comfortable, but overall it is a nice place to camp for a weekend. The Visitors center has a few small displays, and some great items for sale.

We camped two nights in the immaculate campsite with a view of the dunes. There are clean bathrooms, showers, and a nice shelter for gatherings. It has the observatory open on weekends, a few lakes with fish, and a good little vistor's centre with excellent details on the wildlife in the park. The staff are friendly and helpful. We were a bit surprised to be the only campers in a high summer mid week. But it is their "off season" with the heat. The kids "sand boarded" the dunes and had a blast. We loved our air conditioner and ice maker, and the heat was tolerable with some cool down. It was a great down day on a long trip. I highly recommend the park.

When we first drove into the state park, we couldn't believe we were still in Idaho. The Dunes are amazing! During sunrise or sunset you can get stunning photos that look like they were taken on another planet. The campground was very dry and we could feel some of the prickly plants through our tent floor and the thick tarp under the tent, but otherwise it was great. The bathrooms and shower facilities were well maintained and very clean. The sites are a little close together but not too bad. The camp host was very friendly and sold nice dry firewood very cheaply. The fishing area was decent too. We stayed her while on an eastbound road-trip on the way there and again on the way back to Idaho, and would definitely stay there again.

So the Dunes is a great place to visit as an evening trip. It is fun to climb and explore near sunset- and stay to visit the Observatory at dark on Fridays & Saturdays. All of the staff/volunteers are very nice and helpful, the presentation/movie is enjoyable too. Weather permitting you will have some really great views through their telescopes. We have stayed at the campground as well, but there is not a lot to do during the heat of the day other than stay inside. The Broken Wheel Campground definitely provides more shade than the other campground. This is a nice campground/park for Early Spring/Early Fall visits before it heats up too much in the Valley. The bugs can be bad, but were not too bad on our last visit.

If you have i Teresa in seeing some bona fide dunes this place is great. My daughters and I walked to the dunes and made our way to the top. You can't just climb to the top you kind of have to skirt around them. At a certain point your ankles will sink in sand and it is hot! We had a picnic at the shelter area. Bring bug spray because the mosquitoes were bad. We also stopped at the gift shop and bought a nice cream and postcards. We enjoyed our visit.

Campground is dryer than the dunes, the well must have run dry. Good grass and healthy trees can only be found at the visitor's center, even the bathrooms need overhauled. Not one of Id. Parks' pride and joys.

This past weekend we had visitors from CA and we were looking for things for them to see within a couple hours of Boise. It was suggested to me that we check out Bruneau Dunes State Park on the return from Shone Falls (see other review) and so glad we did!It's a bit out of the way, outside of Mountain Home, ID, and when you first approach it you wonder if this is what you "drove all the way out here for" but as you get closer you realize the full size of the dunes and the great facilities that are in the park. My friends and I climbed one of the smaller dunes and one of us rolled down much to the amusement of the rest of us :O) (Impressive for 50-60 somethings haha)There is a large dune (450 feet I think?) that I want to go back and climb with my husband. I saw a lot of people using sleds, etc. to travel down the sand and in fact, you can rent "snow boards" in the visitor center for this purpose. I would say it's a don't miss if you are in the area.

Well worth going to, climbing up the dunes is fun. On the day we went it was very breezy, we were covered in sand but it's still fun.

We camped here on our way to a vintage trailer rally in California. We were enticed by the ranger led/interpreted "dark sky" telescope experience. There were lots of very big scope in evidence plus the huge one at the observatory on site. Plus, a solar scope. Never saw one of those before and never had a chance to look right at the sun and its flares before. Amazing.And who would expect the largest sand dune in N. America to be hidden away in S. ID and far from any water? Great exercise hiking up it (two steps forward, one back). Great reward getting back to the campsite.And the bird noise! Great birding area even for us amateurs.

This was my first desert camping experience and it was wonderful! I am accustomed to camping in Washington State where there is lots of privacy at campsites due to all the trees and brush so I felt a bit exposed at first. This campground is wide open. But it was so beautiful I settled right in.The ranger was friendly and patiently answered our questions. Bathrooms and showers were clean and comfortable.The lake and dunes were interesting! It was cloudy so we did not visit the observatory.There is a small store at the vistor center that carries camping basics.

Overall the park may not be much to look at but definitely worth the time. Climbing the dunes is a great workout and great way to look out at the surrounding area. If you are into stargazing this place is for you. At night it gets completely dark and the observatory is great. I'm into photography and if you want photos of the night sky this place is perfect!