Sand Dunes

[matt4626]

I just returned from Death Valley and while the area is stunning the crowds are too. Any suggestions in the Western USA for Sand Dunes with fewer crowds?

[jecxz]

Great Sand Dunes in Colorado or White Sands in New Mexico - but go when there is no one there (during rain, snow, ice, 5AM, etc...), like this photo of mine, which was taken in -19F degrees.

http://www.jecxz.com/portfoliobrowser.asp?...3-l-bwframe.jpg

[David White]

I just returned from Death Valley and while the area is stunning the crowds are too. Any suggestions in the Western USA for Sand Dunes with fewer crowds?
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What time of day where you there?  Did you walk out into the dunes or just shoot from the road?  I would suggest going into the dunes at dawn and sunset with dawn probably having the fewest people.  From the road there always seem to be people on the front faces of the dunes.

[framah]

Check out the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Southern Utah.  Fantastic color of sand and as it isn'tas well known it is usually free of people.

[jecxz]

Check out the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Southern Utah.  Fantastic color of sand and as it isn'tas well known it is usually free of people.
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Yes beautiful, but it almost always has kids riding across it on 4x4's.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I was in Death Valley in late January and visited the Stovepipe Wells dunes several times, both early morning and late afternoon. There were few people actually on the dunes when I was there, but there were footprints pretty much everywhere. And the famous nightly sand storms weren't happening to clean the dunes either. But I found that if you went far enough in, near the big central dunes, there was much more clean sand. Here are some samples I took:
[attachment=2173:attachment][attachment=2174:attachment][attachment=2175:attachm
ent]

Of course, judicious use of the clone tool afterward helped.  

I do recommend January for DV, as the crowds haven't appeared yet.

[Chris_Brown]

I just returned from Death Valley and while the area is stunning the crowds are too. Any suggestions in the Western USA for Sand Dunes with fewer crowds?
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I was there in the summer and was the only person in the campground and the only customer at the bar & grill for the entire week. It was only about 130 degrees F and I went through 5 gallons of water per day while shooting, but I got the shots I wanted. The park rangers thought I was nuts, then saw my cameras and understood the problem.  

[matt4626]

Thanks for the suggestions. I was at Stove Pipe Dunes before sunrise several mornings. No wind to clean things up and we always had a few people on top of the higher dunes by the time the sun came up. Good idea to go in the summer..i'l give that a try.

[matt4626]

Has anyone been to the Kelso Dunes in Mojave Preserve?

[Camboman]

The Eureka Dunes in the northern part of Death Valley see way fewer tourists than the dunes at Stovepipe Wells. But you have to drive 50 miles on a washboarded dirt road to get there. Still, at 700 feet high they are quite impressive!

[BradSmith]

Kelso Dunes - yes, went there in winter time at sunrise.  No one else there and no footprints that morning.  But it is a long way from anywhere.  About 130 miles from Palm Springs.  But at least paved roads all  the way to the last couple miles leading to the parking area.  
Brad