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Bruneau Dunes: Surfing the Sand

Bruneau Dunes: Surfing the Sand
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Tiny House GJ Next to the Largest Single-Structured Sand Dune in North America @ Bruneau Dunes State Park
Bruneau Dunes State Park in Idaho is home to North America’s highest single-structured sand dune which is approximately 470 feet high. Hearing rave reviews about the park from several locals in Boise, Guillaume and I decided to take a quick detour on our way to Craters of the Moon National Monument. While we only had one day to explore Bruneau Dunes, it was plenty of time to observe a bit of wildlife, bask under the milky way and catch some surf on the sandy waves.

Birdwatching at Bruneau Dunes

The unique desert landscape of Bruneau Dunes is home to many species of birds of prey (my favorite for birdwatching). Around sunset a handsome Great Horned Owl perched near our tiny house, observing us with his giant yellow eyes as we regarded his large size and patterned feathers. He wasn’t intimidated by his human admirers, but instead searched our campsite for breakfast options – table scraps, rodents or even a small dog!  

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Great Horned Owl @ Bruneau Dunes State Park
The following morning, a common nighthawk was perched on top of our truck. What a pretty little bird, and she let us get close enough to almost touch her (if we dared)!

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Common Nighthawk @ Bruneau Dunes State Park

Stargazing at Bruneau Dunes

Many Idaho locals enjoy weekend camping trips at the dunes, which offers a beautiful campground with hook ups and several recreational activities. The park’s observatory is available for stargazing, but Guillaume and I chose to enjoy the view from our skylight.

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The Milk Way over our Tiny Roof Peak

Sandboarding at Bruneau Dunes

Hiking the dunes is the main attraction at the state park, but Guillaume and I took it one step further. The park has sandboards available for rent ($25 daily fee for two boards, or one for $15, includes wax). Neither of us had ever been sandboarding before, but we both snowboard and wakeboard, so we thought: this will be easy.

I’ll let you in on a little secret – it’s harder than it looks! Guillaume and I discovered that our sandboards needed to be waxed after every run or we couldn’t maintain speed. We also became very winded climbing up and down the dunes! Where’s the ski lift?? Falling down with a sandy splash was half the fun! Eventually we were able to accomplish a few half-decent runs. Our pup was very confused and almost irritated by the boards. She chased us down the dunes, nipping at the board, and tried to dig us out every time we fell down, which sent us into fits of laughter.

Sandboarding: $25 daily rental for two boards Rating: Worth the experience, but prepare for exhaustion.

Next Adventure: Spelunking at Craters of the Moon National Monument.

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5 Comments

  1. Barbie Ka
    October 13, 2015 / 6:48 am

    Thanks for making my morning. Watching the dog in the video, sent me into fits of laughter.
    What a journey.
    Barb

  2. Emma
    October 13, 2015 / 12:45 am

    I always really enjoy the beautiful photos on your blog, but your tiny home under the Milky Way in this posting is absolutely stunning. Thanks!

  3. Christian
    October 12, 2015 / 5:09 pm

    What is the song, playing, in the video, dog sandboarding?

      • christian
        October 21, 2015 / 7:46 pm

        Thanks, best album album, i haven’t heard in years, just listening it in loop!

        thanks!
        Greating from Québec, up north

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