Bruneau Dunes State Park

State park in Idaho, United States

Bruneau Dunes State Park

Bruneau Dunes State Park

Location in Idaho

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Bruneau Dunes State Park

Location in the United States

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Location| Owyhee County, Idaho, United States
Nearest city| Mountain Home, Idaho
Coordinates| 42°54′36″N 115°42′35″W﻿ / ﻿42.91°N 115.70972°W﻿ / 42.91; -115.70972[1]
Area| 4,800 acres (1,900 ha)[1]
Elevation| 2,470 ft (750 m)[1]
Established| 1967[2]
Administered by| Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
Website| Official website

Bruneau Dunes State Park is a public recreation and geologic preservation area in the western United States, located in Owyhee County in southwestern Idaho. It is northeast of Bruneau and fifteen miles (25 km) south of Mountain Home.

Featuring large sand dunes and small lakes, the state park is the site of North America's tallest single-structured sand dune, which is approximately 470 feet (140 m) in height.[3][A] The park encompasses 4,800 acres (7.5 sq mi; 19 km2) and features the Bruneau Dunes Observatory, where visitors can use a telescope for stargazing.[5]

## Natural history

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Geology

The park's dunes are unique in the Western Hemisphere: where others in the Americas form at the edge of a natural basin, the Bruneau dunes form near the center. The basin has acted as a natural trap for over 12,000 years. The dunes may have started with sands from the Bonneville Flood about 15,000 years ago. With prevailing winds blowing from the southeast 28 percent of the time and from the northwest 32 percent of the time, the dunes stay fairly stable, and unlike most dunes, do not drift far.[6]

Flora and fauna

The state park includes desert, dune, prairie, lake and marsh habitat. Desert wildlife, including coyotes, is prominent along with birds of prey and waterfowl.[6]

## Park history

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Land for the park was purchased under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act in May 1967. Additional acreage was acquired in 1980 and in 1984, bringing the park's total area to 4,800 acres (19 km2).[2]

## Recreation

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Activities include sandboarding, fishing, birdwatching, camping, hiking, swimming, and viewing the stars at the public observatory. No motorized vehicles are allowed on the dunes; climbing and sledding are permitted. There are seven-mile (11 km) and nine-mile (14 km) horseback riding trails around the dunes. An educational center offers natural history displays.[1] The astronomical observatory is open Friday and Saturday evenings mid-March through mid-October.[7]

## See also

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* Idaho portal

* List of Idaho state parks
* National Parks in Idaho

## Notes

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1. ^ The highest multistructured dune in North America is at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Colorado and is approximately 750 feet (230 m) high.[4]

## References

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1. ^ a b c d "Bruneau Dunes State Park Information". Idaho Parks and Recreation. June 16, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
2. ^ a b "History: State Lands in Idaho". Idaho Museum of Natural History. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
3. ^ Gallagher, Susan (September 8, 1985). "Idaho has America's tallest sand dune". Sunday Tribune. (Lewiston, Idaho). Associated Press. p. 3F.
4. ^ "Great Sand Dunes National Park: Dune Types". National Park Service. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
5. ^ "Bruneau Dunes State Park". Idaho Parks and Recreation. January 13, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
6. ^ a b "Bruneau Sand Dunes". Digital Atlas of Idaho. Idaho Museum of Natural History. Retrieved March 4, 2011.
7. ^ "Bruneau Dunes Observatory". Idaho Parks and Recreation. January 15, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.

## External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruneau Dunes State Park.

* Bruneau Dunes State Park Idaho Parks and Recreation
* Bruneau Dunes State Park Map Idaho Parks and Recreation
* Bruneau Dunes State Park at a database of DarkSky International

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Protected areas of Idaho

Federal|

| National Conservation Areas|

* Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey

|

National Fish Hatcheries|

* Dworshak
* Kooskia

National Forests|

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National Grasslands|

* Curlew

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* Craters of the Moon
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* Yellowstone

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* Hells Canyon
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* City of Rocks

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* California
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National Wild and Scenic Rivers|

* Battle Creek
* Big Jacks Creek
* Bruneau
* Bruneau (West Fork)
* Clearwater (Middle Fork)
* Cottonwood Creek
* Deep Creek
* Dickshooter Creek
* Duncan Creek
* Jarbidge
* Little Jacks Creek
* Lochsa
* Owyhee
* Owyhee (North Fork)
* Owyhee (South Fork)
* Rapid
* Red Canyon
* Saint Joe
* Salmon
* Salmon (Middle Fork)
* Selway
* Sheep Creek
* Snake
* Wickahoney Creek

National Wildlife Refuge|

* Bear Lake
* Camas
* Deer Flat
* Grays Lake
* Kootenai
* Minidoka
* Oxford Slough Waterfowl Production Area

Other|

* National Historic Landmarks
* National Natural Landmarks
* National Register of Historic Places
* Wilderness Areas

State|

| State Parks|

* Bear Lake
* Bruneau Dunes
* Castle Rocks
* City of Rocks
* Coeur d'Alene Parkway
* Dworshak
* Eagle Island
* Farragut
* Harriman
* Hells Gate
* Henrys Lake
* Heyburn
* Lake Cascade
* Lake Walcott
* Land of the Yankee Fork
* Lucky Peak
* Massacre Rocks
* McCroskey
* Old Mission
* Ponderosa
* Priest Lake
* Round Lake
* Thousand Springs
* Three Island Crossing
* Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
* Winchester Lake

|

Wildlife
Management
Areas|

* Big Cottonwood
* Billingsley Creek
* Blackfoot River
* Boise River
* Boundary Creek
* Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh
* Carey Lake
* Cartier Slough
* Cecil D. Andrus
* C.J. Strike
* Coeur d'Alene River
* Craig Mountain
* Deer Parks
* Farragut
* Fort Boise
* Georgetown Summit
* Hagerman
* Market Lake
* McArthur Lake
* Montour
* Montpelier
* Mud Lake
* Niagara Springs
* Payette River
* Pend Oreille
* Portneuf
* Red River
* St. Maries
* Sand Creek
* Snow Peak
* Sterling
* Tex Creek

Other|

Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve

* Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation

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