This scenic drive from Denver leads to one of Colorado’s most surprising national parks—where sandboarding, stargazing, and mystery await.

The area of the park south of Arroyo Grande Creek will be closed to camping and vehicle use due to a court ruling on April 9, 2026, prohibiting motor vehicle use, according to a notice issued by the park.

The National Park Service has announced Mount Baldy Beach in Indiana Dunes National Park will be closed while crews move about 40,000 cubic yards of sand that have buried parts of a parking lot and sanitary infrastructure.

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is investigating a crash which left one person dead and one person injured. According to a press release, the crash happened at the Imperial Sand Dunes, south of Interstate 8 and south of Grays Well Road, before 11 a.m. Monday.

It’s not the Great Sand Dunes of great fame and national park status. But a smaller set of sand dunes in northwest Colorado is still known to be “very popular” ー and perhaps in need of new management. That’s the thinking of the owning Bureau of Land Management and Colorado Parks and Wildlife as the agencies kick off a public engagement process regarding North Sand Hills OHV Area. That’s been the name under the BLM, which describes the place northeast of Walden as “Colorado’s only open sand dune area for OHV recreation.”

The Oceano Dunes District of California State Parks is spreading hay across parts of the dunes to try to prevent blowing dust and sand.

“What we do is we put a cover of hay on the ground and then we seed native dune seed and, as well as sterile cereal grain for something to germinate quickly to hold the sand down,” explained Jon O’Brien, Oceano Dunes District Superintendent.

“Otherworldly” is often thrown around to describe beautiful places across the globe, from driftwood beaches and volcanic wonders to polar landscapes and multicolored rock formations. But the term encapsulates the scene you’ll find at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in southwestern Utah.

Just an hour from Chicago, Indiana Dunes National Park stretches along Lake Michigan’s southern shore—its 15,000 acres of beach, forest, and wetland feel far removed from the city. And even though it’s one of the lesser-known national parks, it’s one of the most biodiverse landscapes in the country.