Everything You Need to Know About Bruneau Sand Dunes Camping

HEADING TO THE BRUNEAU SAND DUNES?

You’ve landed on the right article because we live just an hour away from the Bruneau Sand Dunes and try to make it out camping there once a year. My kids love the observatory there and playing on the sand dunes.

Bruneau Dunes State Park offers camping throughout the year and has one of the longest camping seasons in Idaho. Spring and fall are the best time for Bruneau Sand Dunes camping. In the summer, it is very hot there. The sand also gets very hot in the summer, limiting the activities in the park.

We love Bruneau dunes camping during the spring. We usually go out for a weekend and enjoy RVing, playing in the sand, flying kites, hiking, and spending time together with our family. The Bruneau Sand Dunes is a close and great place for camping in Southern Idaho. It is also home to Idaho’s largest public observatory.

Bruneau Dunes State Park Overview

Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park is home to the tallest single-structured sand dune in North America. It is about 470 feet tall! There are a lot of smaller sand dunes that are fun to explore as well as a visitor center, a few small lakes, and the Bruneau Sand Dunes Observatory – something you will not want to miss.

It is well worth your time to spend a couple of days enjoying the sand dunes.

About Bruneau Dunes Camping

The campgrounds at Bruneau Sand Dunes are very nice. There are three different campgrounds within the park with a variety of different amenities. The standard sites do book out early, especially in the Spring when it is not as hot out there, so you will want to make reservations ahead of time.

Directions to the Bruneau Sand Dunes

Bruneau Dunes State Park is just south of Mountain Home near Bruneau, Idaho. It is about 25 minutes from downtown Mountain Home.

After heading south of ID-51 turn left on ID-78E. From here, you will turn right onto Bruneau Sand Dunes Road. After about a mile, the Idaho Sand Dunes will be on your right.

How Far is Bruneau Sand Dunes from Boise?

Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park is about 70 minutes from downtown Boise. After about 30 minutes of driving on the freeway, exit 90 will take you out to the park.

Bruneau Dunes State Park Camping Reservations

You can make reservations online or by phone at 1-888-9-CAMPID. Reservations are available nine months ahead of time.

Making reservations online lets you see a calendar of the next available dates making it easy to find a time to go camping at the Idaho sand dunes.

Bruneau Dunes Camping Fees

• Motor Vehicle Entry Fee: $7 per vehicle
• Basic Campsite (No Hookups): $14-$17 per night
• Electric Campsite: $26-$29 per night
• Equestrian Campsite: $14-$17 per night
• Cabin: $60-$65 per night

The Idaho State Parks Passport is accepted in place of the passenger car park entrance fee. The pass is $10 per year and gives you access to all of Idaho’s state parks for a year.

Equestrian Campground

If you want to take your horses out to the Bruneau Dunes there is a campground set up for you and your horses. There are 19 spaces with extra-large parking areas for motorhomes and trailers. There are no utilities in this campground but there is a central water spigot.

At the RV sites, there is a picnic table and campfire rings. Pets are allowed as long as they are on a leash.

There is a circular path around Bruneau Dunes that is a designated equestrian trail. The trail is 7-9 miles long with moderately strenuous terrain. It takes about 4-6 hours to complete the trail. You can find a map of the equestrian trail online.

In the campground, there are two horse corrals for everyone to use as well as three hitching posts.

Reservations for this campground can be made up to 9 months in advance. You do not have to have horses to stay in this campground.

Eagle Cove Campground

The Eagle Cove Campground is the newest campground at the Bruneau Sand Dunes. There is little to no shade in this campground. If you are visiting during the warmer months, you will want to bring shade tents or make sure your RV awning and awning lights are working.

This is the biggest campground at the Bruneau Dunes with 50 sites. This is a popular website so you will want to make your reservations early. Reservations open 9 months in advance.

The max RV length in the Eagle Cove Campground is 61 feet. There are water hookups as well as 30-to-50-amp electric hookups. Pets are allowed if they are on a leash.

At each campsite, you will find a fire ring as well as a grill and picnic table.

In the campground, you will find drinking water, a garbage dumpster as well as central shower and restroom facilities. The restroom facilities have flush toilets.

Broken Wheel Campground

The Broken Wheel Campground is the older of the campgrounds and has more established trees which give some shade. As the weather starts heating up, the shade is nice during Bruneau dunes camping.

There are 48 campsites in the campground. Thirty-two of these campsites have power and water with a max trailer length of 50 feet. Sixteen of the campsites have no utilities with a max RV length of 35 feet.

There are no full hookup sites in this campground. However, there is a dump station if you fill your tanks and need to dump. We always like to empty our RV tanks as we are headed home.

Amenities in this campground are similar to the Eagle Cove Campground.  There is a central restroom with showers and flushing toilets. There is drinking water and a garbage dumpster available.

Bruneau Sand Dunes Camping – Cabins

There are two cabins for rent in the park. They are one-room cabins that sleep up to five. You have to bring your own bedding and the cabins have power, heat and air conditioning. If tent camping isn’t your thing, this is a great way to enjoy Bruneau Dunes State Park camping.

Bruneau Sand Dunes Camping Amenity Summary –

BBQ Grills, Boat Ramp, Camp Store, Tables, Drinking Water, Dump Station, Fire Rings, Firewood for Sale, Group Camping, Picnic Tables, Flush Toilets, RV Hookups, Showers, Visitor Center, and Wi-Fi

Note: Keep in mind that cell phone service at Bruneau Sand Dunes is very limited. There is a payphone at the visitor center.

Things to Do While Bruneau Sand Dunes Camping

Along with Bruneau Dunes State Park camping and RVing, there are lots of fun things to do at Bruneau Sand Dunes. Whether you are looking for a weekend of hiking and adventure or a lazy weekend in the RV, you will enjoy your time at the Idaho sand dunes. It is one of the great places to go camping near Boise and is close enough I consider it one of the fun things to do in Boise.

While there are a lot of fun activities to do in the Bruneau Sand Dunes, don’t overlook letting your kids climb and play on the sand dunes. My kids have a great time playing with sand toys and playing on the dunes.

Check Price for Sand Toys on Amazon Here!

Hiking in the Bruneau Sand Dunes

While hiking in the sand dunes, you can either follow a designated trail or you can set out to hike and explore the dunes on your own. It is one of the really fun hiking trails in Boise. There is a designated Dunes 6 Mile Hiking Trail that starts at the Visitors Center. You can find the map for this hiking trail online.

The second option is to set out hiking on your own. We like to drive to the base of the first sand dunes and start exploring from there. You can go as far as you would like.

Hiking to the top of the tallest dune is a popular destination for hiking. It is a strenuous hike so be sure to bring lots of water. It is about one mile to the top of the sand dune. From the top, you can see the lake below, Snake River canyon, and mountains.

Another thing to keep in mind is the temperature of the sand can go up quickly. You do not want to set out on a hike without shoes, as tempting as it may be. The sand gets very hot there and can burn the bottom of your feet.

Note: Vehicles are not allowed on the dunes. Bruneau Sand Dunes ATV Rentals are not available in the area because of vehicle restrictions.   

Bruneau Sand Dunes Sandboarding

Sand sledding or sandboarding is one of the fun things to do at the Bruneau Sand Dunes. If you are bringing your own sled, you want to bring a longer style sand sled, not a saucer. The saucer does not really work – speaking from personal experience. Bruneau sand dunes sandboarding is one of the best things to do at the dunes.

Bruneau Sand Dunes Rentals

If you really want to fly down the dunes, you need to rent a wooden sandboard from the visitor center. Bruneau Sand Dunes rentals are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It has both sit-down and stand-up boards.

If you want to go even faster, you can rub wax on the bottom of the sand board after each run.

Fishing

There are two lakes in Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park where you can fish for bass and bluegill. Only non-motorized boats are allowed in the lakes. There is a boat ramp as well as loaner life jackets.

You will need an Idaho State fishing license in order to fish.

Bruneau Sand Dunes Observatory

The highlight for us at the Bruneau Dunes is the Bruneau Sand Dunes Observatory. It is an amazing area for stargazing.

The observatory is generally open from early April through mid-October on Friday and Saturday evenings. Bruneau Sand Dunes Observatory tours and solar viewing starts about an hour before sunset. Then there is a short program about space and then you can use the telescopes at the observatory.

There is a per person viewing fee but children 5 and under are free. The small fee is well worth it. Looking through the large telescopes is very cool. We got to see the moon well enough to see the craters on the surface, Venus and a cluster of stars not visible to the human eye.

When we went tickets went on sale at 6:30 pm with the presentation starting at 8:30 pm. The starting time does depend on the time of year you are visiting so be sure to check the schedule ahead of time for Friday and Saturday nights.

Swimming

There are a couple of small lakes at the Bruneau Sand Dunes. It isn’t the clearest water but is suitable for swimming. On a hot day, it is a good place to escape the heat at the Bruneau Dunes.

Along with swimming, you can kayak, enjoy float tubes, or SUP.

Kite Flying

It is often windy at the large sand dunes making it a perfect place to fly a kite. You can either fly a kite at the Bruneau Dunes campground or from the dunes.

Check Prices for a Kite on Amazon Here!

Biking

You can either ride your bike around the campground and park roads or head out on the mountain biking Bruneau dunes trail. The trail is about 8 miles long.

The trail starts from the back of the Visitors Center on an old-looking road. This road goes south and counterclockwise around the dune. It makes a loop to end back at the Visitors Center.

Horseback Riding

Riding your horse at the Bruneau Sand Dunes has all the amenities and trails you need. There is an equestrian campground and an area with corrals and water spigots for your horse making it easy to go on a horseback ride.

There is a 7-mile and 9-mile trail. Both are strenuous trails with some steep inclines. Areas marked on the map as “wetlands” have the deepest sand. Make sure to give your horse plenty of water and bring some for yourself.

Bruneau Sand Dunes Scorpions

During the summer nights, it is not uncommon to see scorpions scurrying around in the dark. The cool thing about the scorpions is they glow under UV lights. I was surprised about how many scorpions there actually were.

At the Bruneau Dunes Observatory, they have UV lights out so you can see the scorpions. There are only a few to share so it is a good idea to bring your own UV light. They also have scorpion hunts around the park to educate visitors about the species.

Check Prices for UV Lights on Amazon Here!

These scorpions are not as dangerous as others. They are not aggressive, and their sting is like a bee sting.

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