Monahans Sandhills State Park Campground

My friends and I made a short stay at Monahans Sandhills State Park on our way to Guadalupe Mountains National Park. We made a reservation online because we knew that we would be arriving late considering that we were leaving after work at 6pm and out drive would be at least 5 hours. It is possible to pick up supplies or eat in the town of Ozona or Fort Stockton.

  

Upon our arrival, it was fairly easy to find our assigned campsite because all of the campsites appear to be located along a loop road.

  

Each campsites has water and electric hookups. There are also a sun shade, picnic table and grill. The bathroom was located a short distance from our campsite and contained sinks, toilets and showers. 

  

The main attraction of this park is definitely the sandhills. One can explore the sandhills freely, but I think that it might be a good idea to not venture too far from the main campground unless you are familiar with desert navigation or are equipped with a GPS. One can walk up the sandhills, roll down the sandhills or just stand in awe within them. I was surprised to find a variety of flowers thriving amongst the sandhills. How does that happen?

  

There are not any marked or designated trails at this park. There are not many facilities or activities to do. The main attraction is the sand, the sandhills and the sunrises. Even though our stay was short, I really enjoyed staying at this park and watching the sunrise in the morning.

Monahans Sandhills State Park + Sand + Wind

Just an hour west of Odessa, we stopped here for a couple of hours to play in the sand. We rented the plastic disks and played in the dunes. It tires the kids out quick since it difficult to march up and down sand hills. The rangers were helpful in pointing out the best places to slide. The disks are rated up to 150, so it's not very effective for larger adults. Also, you will get lots of sand in your car no matter how much you try and dust off before.

Fun stop for the kids

Some of my best photos of our road trip happened here at this state park. But it was one of my least favorite places to camp. Just because of the sand. But that is what you get when you camp at a place called Sandhills.

The sites are pretty close together and there is nothing to break up the view between you and the other sites. Covered picnic tables but if it's windy, the sand is everywhere. Also when it's hot out the sand just adds to the temps.

Now on the plus side, the sunsets and sunrises are amazing. Because of the sand you get clear views of the horizon.

There was a lack of wildlife, matter of fact we saw zero critters.

If you don't like sand, pass this one by

Monahans was a blessing on our trip down to a different park near El Paso. It is in the Midland/Odessa area and should not be missed!!!! We stopped there in September and there were sunflowers EVERYWHERE! It was the most amazing site considering that there is sand covering most of the park! Be forewarned, sand gets into everything while your camping here so come prepared! And don’t miss out on the Sand Dune sledding!!!! It was such a treat! The hike up is a little hard (and if it’s super hot wear closed toe shoes so you don’t burn your feet!) but the ride down is a blast! High recommendation! And, the bathrooms were clean :)

A lot of sand but REALLY neat!

If you have a problem with everything you own being covered in sand, this may not be the best place. Lots of birds and wildlife. Very hard to set up tents unless you get those paddles they use in snow camping. During the summer you will need the spf 50. If the wind is blowing it will get dusty. Lots of photography opportunities. You can hear the traffic on I20 at night in a tent. Expect to be visited by skunks and raccoons. 

Gritty but pleasent

We loved staying here for a night on our drive through West Texas, the perfect midway stopping point. This state park is a nice natural respite from the noise and lights of oil country and towns. 

  

Easy pull-through sites and well-maintained bathrooms. Sunsets and sunrises here are stunning. Feels like you're in a foreign desert.

Serene desert escape in the middle of Texas Oil Country

This was a great place to stop on our roadtrip out West! We have actually been here twice, it's so convenient and right off I20 near Odessa! The workers are so friendly and we all five loved sand surfing!! There are pull through sites with electric/water hookups, picnic table, fire ring, grill and a shade shelter! There is also a bathhouse with showers and restrooms! So much fun, don't pass it by!

**UPDATE: We have been here 4 times now! Always great!!!

Sand Surfing

Great place to stop. I would feel safe here as a woman traveling by myself. The showers and bathrooms were clean and really convenient. We camped in a tent here for a couple nights and really enjoyed the place.

Great Facility

A must stop at this unique place in west Texas. Beautiful sunsets and well kept campground. 

Simply stunning 

Stayed here for just the night last night, and had a great experience! We drove in around 9:30 pm with no issues, took hot showers in the nice clean bathrooms, then camped in our tent, and woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the dunes. 5 stars! 

Great camping spot

The staff was extremely friendly and helpful.  We played on the snd dunes all day and camped.  The campsites were sand with a covered picnic table and grill.  The picnic table was moved because storms were coming and we put tents under pavilion.  It would have been perfect for stargazing if it had not been cloudy all night.  Other campers were quiet and it was a very clean park with clean bath house.  Be warned that this is oil country and the trains run constantly, day and night and they are a few miles away.  Sand dunes are probably best enjoyed during cooler months and definitely best after rain!  We picked the perfect time in April!  Flowers blooming everywhere and new growth around walking trails.  Dunes were a blast!

Beautiful setting, ton of fun!!

This was a very spontaneous stop for us, but it was quite breathtaking! Very rare site to see this much sand in that area. Amazing for Kids, families and adults of all ages! Great for taking photos at sunset. Nice camp site. 5 stars!

Stunning landscape!

Wild “little” sand dunes on what seems to be the side of the highway. Had a blast biking through and taking a toboggan down the dunes. Windy at times so be aware when eating outside or storing anything out there. Beautiful sunset and grills and shelter/picnic tables at the sites too.

So fun

We camped one Friday night and were among only a handful of campers. The sites are small because of the sand and the paved driveways are starting to crumble. Many sites share a covered picnic table pad. The dunes are really beautiful at sunrise and sunset so it's definitely worth a short stay.

Small campground with beautiful sand dunes

Monahans was so much fun. The dunes were tons of fun to climb up and play on and slide down. I would recommend purchasing your own sand sled because there is no guarantee the office will have them when you're ready to play. 

Our first family camping trip

The dunes are very cool! Sites have water and electric only. Many are pull throughs. Bathroo. Is very nice.
   $15 plus $4 per person. 

This place is Beautiful! 

Definitely different camping amongst the sand dunes. Sand gets everywhere! Back-in spots 20-24 are the most level and some of the longer sites. Most site pads are in need of repair.  Pull thru sites are tight and close to campground road. Water, electric, and trash are easily accessible. Most spots have shaded picnic tables.

Decent campground, relatively clean bathrooms.

We stopped here for the night in our way west and really enjoyed the sites. The Sandhills are right outside your site. The sunset was gorgeous. I only wish the weather was warmer and less windy. Site 9 was nice - pull through. The sites were fairly close but not too bad. Water and electric were fine. 

Great stop!!

This park was very interesting. The sand dunes are massive, the sunsets were gorgeous, and the sites decent sized.  It was well managed, clean and very sandy (expected, since its in the sand dunes),

Small but fun!

This is kinda out there with not a lot around, but we went for the experience of the sand so it didn’t bother us. the sandhills were a lot of fun and you can rent sleds to slide down the hills. Get ready to have sand everywhere though!

Unique stay

**General:** Small (25-site) campground in one loop. Temporary park headquarters as the huge visitor center at the entrance was under construction when we were there. 

  

**Site Quality:** Sites have paved driveways, covered picnic shelters, bbq, electric hookup, and water a spigot. Some sites are back-in and some pull-through. We watched some larger rigs try and fit into the back-in sites, which are smaller than the pull-throughs. Our site (25) seemed to have two picnic tables and two BBQs (there were some on the other side for the site next to us so not sure why there were two in our site unless two campers would come together?) 

  

**Bathhouse:** There is one all-in-one and one regular restroom with two additional showers (and a connecting door between them. Hot water and soap dispensers but no paper towels. The showers were incredible – hot water, great water pressure, and clean. One of the best campground showers I have ever had! 

  

**Activities:** Explore the dunes! There are no designated paths; you are free to climb the dunes and explore. Saucers are available to rent for $6 and wax for $1. The sunsets are beautiful. The constantly shifting sand makes beautiful patterns and great photographs. If the moon is not full, night sky photography. 

  

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here exploring the dunes (and the incredible shower!).

Sand dunes in Texas?!

Reserved at spot at Monahan's Sandhills just because it was a good stopping place on our way from Dallas to Big Bend. I didn't do much research and didn't know what to expect (honestly, my expectations were low, with all of the drilling activity going on in the Permian Basin). When we pulled in to the campground from I-20 I was shocked by the beauty of it. 

  

In October 2022, the visitor center was closed for renovations but I think it will be really nice once it's finished. The campsites were pretty well spread out and the facilities were good. But I couldn't get over how unique the landscape was. Definitely a hidden gem. Perfect pit-stop on the way to Big Bend but would also be a great place to stay for a few days.

This is Texas!? 

Nice and quite campground. Sand dunes are cool and o see but hard to walk in with the sand so soft. Sites are spacious and have a picnic table. Good for a day or 2 stay. Only downside is no sewer hookup at site but does have a dump station close by. 

Quite campground 

Very convenient state park.  Very clean and well kept.  Sound seems to carry so you can hear all the conversations in the campground.

Convenient but Noisy

Stayed one night at this campground located just off I20. In a nutshell,
It is like camping at the beach without the ocean. Strong winds and sand dunes everywhere! Fun for kids to slide down the dunes. No shade. Was an interesting stopover. 

Interesting place

Great spot in what seems to be an area without a lot of camping. Stayed one night passing through. A bit windy. Super close to interstate and train, but noise wasn't an issue.  Super clean facilities. Gorgeous dunes. The sunrise and sunsets are special! 

Sandy Oasis

This park is very cool.  It’s not as interesting as White Sands or Great Sand Dunes, but what it does have that those National Parks don’t is the ability to camp right on the dunes.  Spectacular sunsets and night skies.  

Outstanding State Park

Well, I normally mark down campsite for having the spaces too close together. This park does not really have the options for white separation between sites. The scenery is stunning and beautiful pull through and back in sit, as well as electricity and water facilities are excellent. Well maintained in the showers are nice.