Moderate · 2–10 hours
Sand Hollow / Sand Mountain UTV Day
50,000 acres of red dunes and slickrock bowls. Cresting the 'Top of the World' rim is the moment.
Family & Easy Wins
Sand Hollow Beach Day
Red-sand beaches against turquoise reservoir water with Sand Mountain dunes behind — the closest 'tropical-feeling' beach to Apple Valley.
Photo: RhinoRider · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Duration
- Half / full day
- From the lodge
- ~25 min
- Type
- Swimming · paddleboard · kayak
Sand Hollow State Park is what you didn't expect to find in southern Utah — a 1,300-acre reservoir of impossibly turquoise water, ringed by red-sand beaches, with the Sand Mountain dunes rising behind it. Twenty-five minutes from your front door. Park at any of the beach access points, set up an umbrella, and you've got a beach day with 70-degree water and red rock cliffs as the backdrop.
For more energy: rent paddleboards, kayaks, or pontoons from Dig Paddlesports. Children swim safely off the beach areas; the deeper open water is for stronger swimmers. For the adventurous, this is also the gateway to the Sand Mountain UTV trail system — most outfitters can hand off rentals at the same parking area.
A family sampler day: morning paddleboard, lunch in Hurricane (Main Street Café), afternoon at Wire Mesa overlook, sunset back at the cabin. Easy, varied, no one's exhausted.
Before you go
- Lifeguards are not on duty — supervise children
- Summer beach sand reaches 130°F — bring water shoes
- Wind can pick up afternoons — best paddleboard windows are mornings
Pair it with
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Ready for your sand hollow beach day day?
Book your cabin and discover the area at your own pace. The trails start at the door.