Little Sahara Recreation Area

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Little Sahara Recreation Area
Little Sahara Sand Dunes
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Little Sahara sand dunes, April 2003
USA Utah location map.svg
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Little Sahara Recreation Area
Location of Little Sahara Recreation Area within the State of Utah
Location Juab County, Utah
United States
Nearest city Eureka, Utah
Coordinates 39°43′34″N112°18′24″W / 39.72611°N 112.30667°W / 39.72611; -112.30667 Coordinates: 39°43′34″N112°18′24″W / 39.72611°N 112.30667°W / 39.72611; -112.30667
Area220 square miles (570 km2)
Governing body Bureau of Land Management

The Little Sahara Recreation Area is a large area of sand dunes, hills and sagebrush flats located in the northeast corner of the Sevier Desert in Juab County in the west central part of Utah, United States. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Description

The recreation area is managed by the Bureau of Land Management of the United States Department of the Interior. [4] A 9,000-acre (36 km2) portion of the northwest corner of the facility has been designated as The Rockwell Natural Area and is off limits to vehicles to preserve and shelter desert plants and animals. [2] [5] Although the entire recreation area is located within Juab County, the dune field (which covers an area of 220 square miles [570 km2]), extends southwest into Millard County, nearly as far as the city of Delta. [6]

Geology

Little Sahara Sand Dunes from 20,000 feet (6,100 m), August 2009 LittleSaharaByPhilKonstantin2.jpg
Little Sahara Sand Dunes from 20,000 feet (6,100 m), August 2009

The Little Sahara sand dunes are remnants of a large river delta formed by the Sevier River from about 12,500 to 20,000 years ago. The river emptied into ancient Lake Bonneville near the present day mouth of Leamington Canyon. After Lake Bonneville receded, winds transported the sand from the river delta to the current location. The dunes are still moving 5 to 9 feet (1.5 to 2.7 m) per year. [6] One of the primary barriers to the sand movement are the Sand Hills, which are located entirely within the recreation area and substantially slow the movement of the blowing sand. [6]

The sand consists of quartz grains, with minor amounts of feldspar, biotite, calcite, garnet and magnetite. [6]

Recreation

Spring Break 2004 at the Sand Mountain camping area Sand Mountain Little Sahara Utah.jpg
Spring Break 2004 at the Sand Mountain camping area

Little Sahara is one of the most popular locations in the state for all-terrain vehicle (ATV) riding. Riders can enjoy riding on 60,000 acres (240 km2) of sand dunes, trails and sage brush flats. Within the Sand Hills is Sand Mountain, a 700-foot (210 m) wall of sand that challenges experienced riders and the most capable machines. Visitors also enjoy camping, hiking, mountain biking, photography, horseback riding, snowmobiling, stargazing, trail running, sand surfing, sand skiing/snowboarding, paragliding, and sand sledding. There are 255 improved campsites spread across four campgrounds with access to 40 toilets and two sources for potable water. Dispersed camping is common outside of the campground areas. A visitor center is open Thursday - Monday, and closed Tuesday and Wednesday from spring - fall. The recreation area sees the highest number of visitors over holiday weekends from spring to fall.

Wildlife

Great Horned Owl Great Horned Owl.USFWS.jpg
Great Horned Owl

The area is home to typical Great Basin Desert wildlife including mule deer, pronghorn antelope, snakes, lizards and birds of prey. Great horned owls make their home among juniper trees in the Rockwell Natural Area. [5]

Related Research Articles

Juab County, Utah U.S. county in Utah

Juab County is a county in western Utah, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 10,246. Its county seat and largest city is Nephi.

Millard County, Utah U.S. county in Utah

Millard County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 12,503. Its county seat is Fillmore, and the largest city is Delta.

Mojave Desert Desert in southwestern United States

The Mojave Desert is an arid rain-shadow desert and the driest desert in North America. It is in the Southwestern United States, primarily within southeastern California and southern Nevada, and it occupies 47,877 sq mi (124,000 km2). Small areas also extend into Utah and Arizona. Its boundaries are generally noted by the presence of Joshua trees, which are native only to the Mojave Desert and are considered an indicator species, and it is believed to support an additional 1,750 to 2,000 species of plants. The central part of the desert is sparsely populated, while its peripheries support large communities such as Las Vegas, Nevada, Barstow, Lancaster, Palmdale, and Victorville, California, and St. George, Utah.

Bruneau Dunes State Park

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Capitol Reef National Park National park in Utah, United States

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Bonneville Salt Flats densely packed salt pan in Tooele County in northwestern Utah

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Sevier River

The Sevier River is a 385-mile (620 km)-long river in the Great Basin of southwestern Utah in the United States. Originating west of Bryce Canyon National Park, the river flows north through a chain of high farming valleys and steep canyons along the west side of the Sevier Plateau, before turning southwest and terminating in the endorheic basin of Sevier Lake in the Sevier Desert. It is used extensively for irrigation along its course, with the consequence that Sevier Lake is usually dry.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

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The Wave (Arizona) Rock formation in the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona, United States

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Big Maria Mountains Mountain range in southern California near the Colorado River

The Big Maria Mountains are located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, near the Colorado River and Arizona. The range lies between Blythe and Vidal, and west of U.S. Route 95 in California and east of Midland. The mountains are home to the Eagle Nest Mine and reach an elevation of 1,030 meters, (3,379 ft). A power line that runs from Parker Dam to Yuma, Arizona runs through the range. A smaller range, the Little Maria Mountains, lie to the west of the Big Marias.

McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area

The McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area (MCNCA) is a 123,400-acre (499 km2) National Conservation Area located in Mesa County, west of Grand Junction, Colorado. The MCNCA has rugged sandstone canyons, natural arches, spires, and alcoves carved into the Colorado Plateau, through which runs a 24-mile (39 km) stretch of the Colorado River. Included in the MCNCA is the 75,500-acre (306 km2) Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness (BRCW) with 5,200 acres (21 km2) extending into eastern Grand County, Utah at the MCNCA's western boundary.

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Dumont Dunes

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Sevier Desert Desert located in the southeast of the Great Basin

The Sevier Desert is a large arid section of central-west Utah, United States, and is located in the southeast of the Great Basin. It is bordered by deserts north, west, and south; its east border is along the mountain range and valley sequences at the perimeter of the Great Basin, with the large north-south Wasatch Range and its associated mountainous landforms. Its eastern border is specifically, the East Tintic, Gilson, and Canyon Mountains; also the massive Pahvant Range.

Gilson Mountains

The Gilson Mountains are an 11-mile (18 km) long almost circular, small mountain range adjacent the north terminus of the Canyon Mountains,, located in far eastern Juab County, Utah, United States.

Red Cliffs National Conservation Area

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Mojave Trails National Monument

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References

  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Little Sahara National Recreation Area
  2. 1 2 "Little Sahara Recreation Area: Utah's Premier OHV Area" (PDF). blm.gov. Bureau of Land Management . Retrieved 29 Jan 2017.
  3. MyTopo Maps - Little Sahara National Recreation Area, Juab County, UT, United States (Map). Trimble Navigation, Ltd. Retrieved 29 Jan 2017.
  4. "Little Sahara Recreation Area". blm.gov/utah. Bureau of Land Management. 2 May 2006. Archived from the original on 18 December 2007. Retrieved 29 Jan 2017 via web.archive.org.
  5. 1 2 "Rockwell WSA" (PDF). blm.gov. Bureau of Land Management . Retrieved 29 Jan 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Little Sahara Recreation Area" (Map). geology.utah.gov. Utah Geological Survey . Retrieved 29 Jan 2017.