Description: The Dumont Dunes Off-Highway Vehicle Area (8,150 acres) is an exciting and remote area for off-highway vehicle recreation. Driving time: 4 hours, 30 minutes San Diego is a classic Southern California stop, so it makes sense that your Golden State road trip would start here.Renowned for its idyllic white-sand beaches, world-class surfing conditions, and the invention of the California burrito, San Diego is a must-see destination for locals and out-of-towners alike. The recreational sand dunes are typically void of plants and animals except for bugs that are hard to spot. In a few places on Earth, sand "sings" as it falls down dunes, making a low droning sound that lies within the bottom half of a cello's musical range. Camp away from the base of the dunes where most of the endemic plants and animals live. Some call it singing or humming, others farting … find out yourself. The US has nine singing sand dunes, all of which are located in the dry western deserts of the US. The Eureka Dunes also have some of the planet’s most optimal singing sands … The largest national park outside of Alaska, Death Valley is an almost unfathomable place. The drive south from the I-15 seems to take longer than a half hour—the landscape is typical SoCal desert, with Joshua trees and the usual scrub stretching to … Welcome to Eureka Dunes, one of the newest additions to Death Valley National Park. Camels and crocodiles share the black waters of this stunning Saharan oasis. Sand Mountain is a Singing Sand Dune, about 600 feet high, clearly visible from Highway 50, 20 miles east of Fallon, in a corner between two mountain ranges.When you slide down the mountain, it moans loudly. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. The isolation of Eureka Dunes from other dune fields has led to the development of endemic species of plants and animals that are found nowhere else in the world. This remote desert watering hole has a connection to a curious chapter of American history. Oceano Dunes is probably the best known dunes on the California Coast. At the top, the sweeping view seems reward enough for your efforts, yet if the sand is completely dry you may experience one of the strangest phenomena to be found in the desert: singing sand. You can’t miss them if you’re driving east or west on … A listing of some of the world's singing sand sites can be found here. The dune field covers 45 square miles and includes migrating dunes, vegetation-stabilized dunes, sand sheets, and sand ramps. Location: 28 km from the Mogao Caves — about 30 minutes’ drive; Open: 6am–7:30pm; Typical touring time: 2–3 hours As tall as these dunes are, they are dwarfed by the impressive limestone wall of the Last Chance Mountains which rises another 4000 feet above the valley floor. The park’s 3.3 million acres encompass mountain-size sand dunes, below-sea-level salt flats, mysterious singing rocks, and colorful sandstone canyons. Please keep your vehicle on established roadways. The other singing sand dunes of Nevada are Big Dune, Amargosa Valley NV and Crescent Dunes, Tonopah NV. The Eureka Dunes lie in the remote Eureka Valley, an enclosed basin at 3000 foot elevation located northwest of Death Valley. Dumont Dunes, California. Singing Sand Dunes Qatar are an approximately 100 square km area with about 60 meter high sand dunes which create a magical vibrating sound when you move the sand. 45 square miles of quartz and feldspar, Kelso Dune Field is the largest of its kind in the Mojave Desert. Now, at the Mingsha (‘Singing Sand’) Mountains, you can enjoy the beautiful wavy shapes of the smooth yellow dunes against the deep blue sky, listen to the shifting sand, and imagine you are traveling the ancient Silk Road. With dunes rising as high as 650 ft., the shifting, singing dunes are part of a much larger sand system, much of which is protected by the Mojave National Preserve. When wind passes through the dunes or when you walk on the sand and a sound emits—that is what is known as a singing beach. To encourage the sands to sing their song, visitors climb to the top of the crests and slide slowly down the dunes—this creates a low rumbling “song” that can not only be heard, but can also be felt vibrating through the ever shifting ground. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our cookie policy. Plants and animals must endure the shifting sands, as a windstorm could bury them alive or expose them to the drying sun. For perhaps 10,000 years these dunes have existed, providing a unique habitat for specialized lifeforms to evolve. What could possibly survive the hardships of this area? The dunes cover an area only 3 miles long and 1 mile wide, yet they are the tallest sand dunes in California, possibly the tallest in all of North America. Highest Dunes This singing is believed to result when loosely packed, spherical sand grains avalanche down the dune's steep faces. When the dry winds and brutal rays dry up the vegetation that stabilizes the Kelso Sand Dunes, the sand begins to sing. The climb to the summit of the dunes is not an easy walk. Kelso Dunes, about 30 miles south of Baker, is perhaps the quintessential singing sand hangout, certainly in California, and possibly in the world. Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex. The largest concentration of singing sands is in the state of Nevada in the U.S. Singing sand dunes can also be found in California, the Namib Desert of Africa, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, inner Mongolia, Chile, China, and Morocco, among others. This phenomenon has been discovered in several more dunes around the world, including California’s Eureka Dunes, Sand Mountain in Fallon, Nevada, and the Booming Dunes of the Badain Jaran Desert. Pack your sand board and explore the singing sand dunes just 45min drive from Downtown Doha. Eureka Dunes in California, Sand Mountain in Nevada, and the Booming Dunes in the Namib Desert, Africa. A Special Place We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. The climb to the summit of the dunes is not an easy walk. A pale mountain of sand appears to hover over the flat valley floor. Singing Sand Dune. Besides 5 species of endemic beetles, 3 special plants have their entire range limited to this island of sand. The region is protected by the Mojave National Preserve and is located near the town of Baker, San Bernardino County, California, and the Preserve Visitor Center. Offer subject to change without notice. These dunes are usually open to the public to explore on foot and in some cases with motorized vehicles. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Singing Sand The climb to the summit of the dunes is not an easy walk. They rise suddenly more than 680 feet above the dry lakebed at their western base. The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled. Singing sand dunes, an example of the phenomenon of singing sand, produce a sound described as roaring, booming, squeaking, or the "Song of Dunes". Don't ask why, but, like all collectors, sand … All the slopes are steep and the loose sand gives way beneath your feet. However, sounds produced by desert sand dunes have been variously described as roaring, booming, squeaking, singing, and musical. Lifeforms here may not be able to survive our carelessness. The Eureka Sand Dunes, one of the newest additions to Death Valley National Park, are the tallest sand dunes in California. Most importantly, OFF ROAD VEHICLE TRAVEL IS NOT PERMITTED ON THE DUNES, or anywhere else in Death Valley National Park for that matter. Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, Glamis. Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. Name: Dumont Sand Dunes Location: North of Baker, CA on Highway 127. This oasis-like spring in the Sonoran Desert is home to unique, endangered species. At the top, the sweeping view seems reward enough for your efforts, yet if the sand is completely dry you may experience one of the strangest phenomena to be found in the desert: singing sand. Over in Death Valley, 680 feet above the ground, are California’s tallest sand dunes. Rising more than 680 feet above the dry lakebed in remote Eureka Valley, the dunes lie in an enclosed basin at the 3,000-foot elevation adjacent to the even more towering Last Chance Mountains. Private Trip: Immersive Art and Otherworldly Landscapes of Santa Fe, Culinary Naples: Producers, Purveyors, and Pizzaioli, Sunday Sabor: A Masterclass in Spanish Rice, Living Between Cultures: Storytelling With Justine Abigail Yu, A Lockpicking Practicum With Schuyler Towne, Kīlauea’s Lava Lake Is Back, and Volcanologists Are Bubbling With Excitement, The Satisfaction of Mathematically Efficient Christmas Cookies, The Australian Town That Turns Trash Into Christmas Trees, Why Filipino Christians Greet the December Dawn With Purple Rice, In Wisconsin, Christmas Calls for Raw Meat on Rye, How a Blacksmith in Jordan Created His Own Sign Language, In Naples, Praying With Skulls Is an Ancient Tradition, Inside a Domed Pyramid With Astounding Acoustics and a History of Miracles. 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