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Glamis Sand Dunes

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Glamis Sand Dunes

Photo: A rider looks out over the Glamis Dunes
Off-Road Information
Other Names: Imperial Sand Dunes, ISDRA, Algadones Sand Dunes
Terrain: Sand dunes
Off-Road Use: Open Use with restricted areas
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Camping: Open
Geography
County: Imperial
Nearest Cities: Brawley, CA, Yuma, AZ
Map Links: Google Map Yahoo Map
Satellite Map: Google Sat
Special Map: BLM Map (pdf)
GPS Coords: 32.953224,-115.100498
Google Earth: Glamis Dunes.kmz
Climate: Brawley Climate
Area Size: 45 miles by 6 miles, 118,000 acres open to OHV use
Elevation: 50 to 300 ft.
Last Visited: {{{lastvisited}}}
Open/Closed/Date: {{{openclose}}}
Season(s): {{{seasons}}}
Image:icon4wd.gif Four wheel drive vehicles
Image:icon2wd.gif Pre-runners and other 2 wheel drives.
Image:Iconjeep.gif Jeeps and other SWBs
Image:iconrail.gif Buggies and sand rails
Image:crawler.gif Truggy/Rock Crawlers
Image:iconcart.gif Side-by-sides and golf carts
Image:Iconatv.gif Quads and ATV's
Image:Iconmx.gif Motorcycles and dirt bikes


The Glamis Sand Dunes are the most popular off-road destination in Southern California. Hundreds of thousands of visitors arrive on various holiday weekends, often grouping in popular areas during specific times of the day, such as Oldsmobile Hill in the afternoon and Gecko Road in the afternoon. The BLM estimates that over 1.4 million visitors come to these sand dunes each year for day-use riding or to camp over weekends and ride in the dunes.

The Glamis Sand Dunes, also known as Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, are located southeast of the Salton Sea in southern California at the border with Arizona and Baja California del Norte, Mexico. The field is approximately 45 miles long by 6 miles wide and extends along a northwest-southeast line that correlates to the prevailing northerly and westerly wind directions. The dunefield is a wilderness area, with the only significant human structures being the All-American Canal that cuts across the southern portion from west to east and the Coachella Canal on the eastern border of the dunefield. The name "Algodones Dunes" refers to the entire geographic feature, while the administrative designation for that portion managed by the Bureau of Land Management [1] is the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area.

The Imperial Sand Dunes are the largest mass of sand dunes in California, with over 118,000 acres of land. OHV activities are permitted on some of the sand dunes, while other areas are permanently or temporarily closed. A camping permit is required upon arrival.


Contents

Glamis Landmarks

Closed Areas

Sand Rail at Glamis
Sand Rail at Glamis
All closures are marked with red posts and "No Motorized Vehicle" signs.
  • Central Closure #1 (2,000 acres): This circular shaped closure is located approximately 1 mile east of Gecko Road, between Gecko and Roadrunner Campgrounds.
  • Central Closure #2 (43,345 acres): The western boundary begins 1/4 mile south of Roadrunner campground and follows the Sand Highway to "5 mile drop" on the New Coachella Canal. The road into Patton Valley from the "5 mile drop" will remain open, but the dunes directly to the south of the road will be closed. The southern boundary is located directly north of Patton Valley and the Olgilby Camp Area. The eastern boundary follows the wash road. The northern boundary starts about 9 miles south of the Glamis Store and follows a section line across the dunes to the Sand Highway.
  • Southern Closure (160 acres): Located just east of Midway Campground and south of Grays Well Road.
  • Patton Valley Closure (310 acres): Located near Patton Valley.
  • Eastern Camping Closure (25,000 acres): Located near the eastern boundary of the ISDRA, but outside of the recreation area. This area is closed to camping only.


Glamis History

The sand dunes are thought to have originated from the beach sands of ancient Lake Cahuilla, a water body created by episodic diversions of the Colorado River into the Imperial Valley instead of the Gulf of California. The Imperial Dunes have formed primarily as a result of opposing seasonal winds. Winter winds come from the northwest, but often reverse to the southeast in summer. The stronger winter winds are slowly pushing the dune system southeastward.

Maps and GPS Coordinates

Glamis Sand Dunes Coordinates: 32.953224° -115.100498° Coordinates: 32.953224° -115.100498°

External Links

Glamis Photo Gallery

A lone rider in the Glamis Dunes

Oldsmobile Hill

Competition Hill

Glamis Beach Store

Sand Drag spectator

At the Sand Drags

Sand Rail on Oldsmobile Hill

Crowd gathers at Oldsmobile

Lizard Hill

Gecko Road

Gecko Road

Brawley Slide

Brawley Slide


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