Winter a great time to explore Bruneau Dunes

[Crowdog]

http://www.idahostatesman.com/378/story/600334.html

December 11, 2008
Natalie Bartley: Winter a great time to explore Bruneau Dunes
Bruneau Dunes State Park is an ideal place to pass a winter weekend while waiting for the ski and snowboard season.
The park, 18 miles southwest of Mountain Home, is famous for the largest single-structure sand dune in North America. It is open year-round for hiking, horseback riding, camping and wildlife watching.

Climbing to the peak of Big Dune, which is 470 feet above the desert floor, is one of many highlights. It took me about an hour to trudge up the hill and traverse its razorback ridge.

From my perch, I watched two jack rabbits race across the sagebrush desert and waterfowl feed on the two sparkling lakes below the dunes.

In fall and winter, the lakes serve as a stopover for migratory birds passing through the area. In addition to the transient birds, the park is home to songbirds and birds of prey.

Several habitats mesh in the park - from desert prairie and sand dunes to marsh and lakes. Many of the park's inhabitants are nocturnal. I was able to see their tracks on the sand. It was exciting to identify kangaroo rat, lizard, beetle, deer and coyote tracks.

The sand that provides evidence of animal and insect activity can be a nuisance to humans. Sand readily migrates into shoes, so on a recent visit I wore ankle-high boots and pants with loose, long legs that covered my shoes almost to the ground. My socks and shoes were essentially sand-free.

Sunscreen, sunglasses, layers of clothing and a water bottle are needed for hiking around the dunes. You can park your vehicle in designated areas near the dunes, but they aren't open to motorized activity.

Several smaller dunes are easy to climb and are popular with families with younger children. The dunes serve as a makeshift sled and ski hill year-round. Kids were riding a red sled disk and I could see ski tracks on some of the dune slopes. There's an interpretive trail around Little Lake that goes over a small dune. The hike takes about an hour.

To think that this unique Idaho playground was formed about 15,000 years ago is amazing. The dunes haven't changed between my three visits over a 20-year span.

For dunes to form, a source of sand, constant winds and something to trap sand are needed.

The park sits in a semicircular basin that collected the silt, soil and sand laid down by the Bonneville flood. The flood created Lake Idaho, which eventually dried up and left the material that the wind blew into the park. Wind keeps the dunes replenished and intact because it blows from two directions, southeast and northwest

Another highlight of the park is the observatory, which is closed from November to March. Far from city lights and pollution, the Bruneau Dunes Observatory is one of the largest public observatories in the Northwest. Groups can rent it for a night of private sky viewing.

Of the three campgrounds in the park, two are open during the winter. Wagon Wheel Campground has a portable toilet and the Equestrian Camp has a vault toilet and drinking water.

During the winter, the park is open all day, and the visitors' center is open Friday through Sunday.

Last Friday night, the temperature dropped to 16 degrees and the daytime temperature was in the high 40s. I was warm under three sleeping bags, with my yellow lab at my feet. Before dawn I heard a pack of coyotes serenading in the clear desert air.

A word of caution: People hiking the dunes at night have become disoriented and lost. Rangers advise against night hikes on the dunes, although it is not prohibited.