I haven't met many duners that didn't like the occasional challenge, whether it was to climb steep dunes or just to see who can ride wide open as they weave through dune valleys. Once I got my first taste of the sand, I was hooked. Once I got my taste from my second dune, it then became a quest to explore the dune options of America and see for myself the differences they each offer.

May I present to you my 11th dune since my maiden voyage in Jan of 1997, the Crescent Dunes of Nevada. You won’t find this dune on any state recreational park guide. If it weren’t for my riding club, Friends of Sand Mountain, I wouldn’t have found this place either. It’s just outside the town of Tonopah, Nevada, which was a big gold and silver producing mining town, and still is to some point. Tonopah is about half way between Las Vegas and Reno on hwy 95. You can get food and some supplies there, and then head north on 95 a little over four miles. You’ll make a right onto another two-lane road (Pole Line Rd) that is paved, you’ll know it’s the right one because is has so many holes that have been filled, the cement/asphalt looks like some kind of camouflage pattern.

Randy “Candy” Cook from Bishop CA, prefers to ride on two wheels, in the sand or in the dirt.

As the checkered black and gray pattern give-way to solid cement, (you also notice the dashboard has stopped vibrating) the road starts to smooth out. You’ll stay on this road for about nine miles before turning right onto a dirt/sand road. When we were there, there was a huge white arrow painted on the road pointing to the right. At this point, you’ll also be able to see the first dune, during daylight hours of course.

The dirt road leading up to the camping area, next to the first dune, is at least a mile long. It was the Sunday/Monday of Memorial Day Weekend that we visited and found the very small parking/camping area nearly full. I guessed that if people all got there at the same time and parked in neat lines, you could get close to 30 rigs in the area. But, as it was people were just parked here and there, it didn’t leave much room to navigate while trying to find a spot to park.

This is the back side of one of the several bigger dunes in the main area. It’s a long climb up the side, a 400EX with an aftermarket air filter and pipe made it to the top with some power to spare.

If you have a camper that holds water and has a generator, you’ll be fine. If you’re like me and just have an enclosed trailer with nothing more than lights and some insulation, you might opt for a hotel in nearby Tonopah. On the other hand, we’ve spent more than 50 nights in this trailer, giving us the ranking of a first class duner. (The rank of first class comes after visiting 10 different dunes and spending 50 nights in sand). What ever you decide, you should keep one thing in mind…this place fills up fast. There was one group of five trailers that built a structure that looked like something from Water world or Mad Max, who camped along the main access road to the dune. I was told from a local that he had never seen this before, but when the ranger came by, they didn’t get run off, so one might assume it’s okay to do during crowded weekends. (Just be prepared to move if they tell you to).

The single dune, next to the camping area. This is looking from the bigger, main dune area. If you look to the right of the dune, you can see the camping area.

Like I said, we visited the Crescent Dunes at the end of May. It had been very dry recently and the sand was SUPER soft. How soft was it you ask? Soft enough that when you stopped for a rest, or just take in the view, you had to either nail the gas or sink into the sand. My wife Cindy found this out the hard way. Yours truly had to lift/dig her out of the said the first time we stopped. When she asked for help I said what any loving dune husband would say, “Sure, I’ll help you this time…but next time you’re getting yourself out.” And she did, but after that she remembered to give it the extra gas when letting out the clutch! Good thing she couldn’t see my big smile through the full-face helmet. ☺

Randy “Candy” Cook has no trouble getting some big air at this high altitude dune.

After getting adjusted to the loose sand, we took off to ride the “boundaries” of the dunes to see just how big this place was. I never found official printed material on the size of this facility, but I’d agree with what was said on duneguide.com with it having around 3,000 acres. I will be honest and say when you’re driving in from the road, all you can see is the first dune, next to the camping area. But, to the left of that (as you face it) is where all the real sand is. There’s a couple of trails connecting the first dune from the main area, one of which was pretty fun at a fairly high rate of speed. (speed at your own risk). If you choose to stay and play at the main dune, if offers a big challenge. On one side, to the far left, it appeared to be very steep. Add the fact that the sand was very soft, and it made for a supreme challenge!

Butch Bragdon, from Bishop CA has been visiting the Crescent dunes since before the first Bush was in the White House. He’s been a duner for 30 plus years. This rail, a Sand Sprite VI is the second one he’s built and kept for himself. With 300 hp and weighing only 890 pounds, he has no trouble climbing these dunes, even in soft sand.

Once you hit the main area, you’ll have hours of riding to look forward to. With the way the Nevada wind blows, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding smooth sand either. There is plenty of sand here for everyone, regardless of your needs. The tallest dune is at least 250-300 feet, and with the sand being so soft, I didn’t make it much past half way on my DS 650 before realizing I didn’t want to dig myself out on a steep incline. We did see a couple of motorcycles make it to the top with little effort, but their power/weight ratio was much better than what I had.

There were plenty of smaller dunes that we did make it up, including a couple bowls that were fun to play in. I’ll offer some advice, make sure you have a whip flag (even though they aren’t mandatory) and paddle tires to help with getting around in the loose sand. Depending on where you’re coming from, you might consider re-jetting your carb for 6,000 feet above sea level. The nearby town of Tonopah is 6,200, which is a little up hill from the dunes. This makes the Crescent dunes the second dune that I know of that is this high. (The Coral Pink dunes in southern Utah is also around 6,000 ft above sea level).

Things to remember while visiting the Crescent Dunes.

• This location is very remote, always ride with a friend so you can send for help if needed.
• Take water with you while riding, it gets hot in the Nevada sun.
• This is no place to run out of gas, always top off when you come back to camp.
• Sunscreen should be used during the summer months.