Algodones Dunes

If you ever have the pleasure of driving from Palm Springs to Phoenix, hopefully you planned a stop at the Salton Sea. If you did, you might find yourself on Highway 78. After passing through the green farm fields of the desert community of Imperial County, you will be met with something truly unique and spectacular.

Algodones Dunes is a vast dune field 45 miles long by six miles wide. It is thought the dunes were formed by the beach sands of Lake Cahuilla. This lake was formed by the Colorado river, when at times the river diverted to the Salton sink. That was until the lake dried up as a result of the irrigation of Imperial and Mexicali Valley and its beach sand was carried by the winds to what is now sand dunes.

As glorious and stunning as the dunes are, some locals have not been impressed by the barrier the dunes posed to travel. An industrious real estate developer known as “The Colonel” built a plank road across the dunes in 1915, the remnants of which can still be found to this day.

The dunes have been used as a film location for countless films such as Stargate, Resident Evil: Extinction, Jumanji: The Next Level, and scenes in Return of the Jedi.

Today, the dunes are regularly used by ATV enthusiasts in designated areas. Other parts of the dunes are restricted from this activity given that they are home to a number of endemic species of plants and insects.

The dunes are a glorious and amazing sight to behold. They create a vista that appears infinite and reminds us how small we are.