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We were van camping in the Anza-Borrego Desert and decided to explore. What we found was a golden escape and some interesting people at Glamis Sand Dunes.
It’s a part of the Imperial Sand Dunes area, aka the Algodones Dunes. You’ll see the largest mass of dunes in California here.
I’ll tell you about our experience, what to know and expect, and share some personal photos. You might want to visit for yourself!
Getting There
From where we were staying in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, the drive took about 1.5 hours.
Traveling down Highway 78, we found the Hugh T. Osborne Lookout Park. It’s just a few miles west of Glamis.
This is where you’ll want to stop off to look around. We drove up a long road with sand washed over it to find a parking lot.
Visiting Glamis Sand Dunes
The Hugh T. Osborne Lookout Park is one of a couple viewpoints you can visit. It’s open daily, 24 hours a day.
You can park free for 2 hours. When we visited, there were plenty of parking spots.
No camping signs dot the area, yet we found BLM posts there.
They have a picnic table and bathrooms, but not much else. Although you’ll see off-roading tracks, we didn’t find anyone riding around there.
Mountains of Sand
The dunes reminded me of an Arabian landscape. It’s no surprise that there have been movies shot out there.
When we visited in the spring, the weather was pleasant. But it was windy like ever, and I should have worn a bandana to keep the sand out of my face.
It was sunny, so we at least had sunglasses. They’ll protect from the brutal glare and somewhat from sand getting in the eyes.
The mountains of gold stretched for miles, and people walked way out. If there are any hiking trails, nothing was marked.
The day was too windy to walk, as the fine sand whipped my skin. A man climbed a dune and seemed too scared to come back down.
As we walked around, it got windier and windier. The sand found its way into my socks and shoes.
The Motorcycle Guy
While exploring, we met a man on his motorcycle. He said he had fallen off his bike on the way up to the lookout.
There were pockets of deep sand on the road. But he brushed himself off, assuring us that he was okay.
That day, he rode all the way from Pasadena. That’s 220 miles in the heat! Whew!
He was traveling with a biker group, but they were nowhere in sight. However, he prefers to ride alone and meet up with them at the hotel.
He asked us to take his picture, posing with his bike in front of the dunes. Then he showed us the rest of his trip, with directions taped to the tank.
While telling us all about his exciting journey, he took a quick smoke. Soon after, he hopped on his bike and zoomed down the road.
Stuck in the Sand
After exploring a little more, we decided it was time to leave too. We had more stops to make.
While driving down the curvy road, we saw a car. It looked like someone had run off the highway.
He was clearly stuck in the sand, so we stopped to help him. And we asked what happened and if he was okay.
Well, it turns out, he didn’t run off the road. He thought it’d be fun to drive in the sand.
If you don’t have a 4-wheel drive, this isn’t a good idea. So, you better believe he got stuck. He got really stuck.
He was all dressed up like he was going to a nice dinner. Plus he had nothing else in his car except for some aluminum sheets.
We didn’t have any ropes to pull him out. I’m telling you, he was deep in there.
Finally, after a few minutes, a truck came along and tried to get him out. We’re not sure if it did, as we left after that.
Smoke in the Distance
All in all, Glamis is a nice place, despite all the action we experienced. It’s peaceful amidst the hum of off-highway vehicles traversing the nearby areas.
As we looked towards Niland, we saw a massive black smoke cloud in the distance. Later, I looked at the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area map and saw that there are live military bombing areas.
You’ll want to stay clear of those places for sure!
But guess what? We drove towards them to explore Niland and Slab City.
Travel Notes
That brings me to my notes. Although we traveled in a 4-wheel drive, you don’t need one to visit the lookout.
However, you’ll want to stay on the road. It may look fun to drive in the sand, but if you’re in a 2-wheel drive, you’ll get stuck.
The sand is deep in areas. If you need a tow truck, it might take a while to get to you.
Luckily, there are many off-road recreation areas there. So, someone with a big 4-wheeler may pull over to help you out.
Final Thoughts
Despite the wind, we had a wonderful time visiting Glamis Sand Dunes. We learned all about a biker’s travels and tried to help a man in distress.
I’d love to picnic and explore more when it’s not as windy. Perhaps we’ll even go for a hike, and hopefully not get lost.
More Travel Adventures
I have many other related posts on my blog. You might want to check them out.
- Before visiting Glamis, we stayed at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, which is one of our favorite destinations to explore.
- Speaking of Niland, we visited Slab City. It’s about an hour away, and you can see interesting artwork there.
- What about seeing the beautiful views of the Badlands at Font’s Point? It’s California’s Grand Canyon.
- Find out what we found hiking the mysterious Ghost Mountain in the Anza-Borrego Desert.
- Our favorite place to camp in the area is a Western-themed resort amid Anza-Borrego.
I’d love to hear about your interesting travel adventures!
Originally published: June 2, 2025
