Sandhills State Park near Monahans, Texas, rests in the southern Llano Estacado in Ward and Winnkler County. Known for its rolling sand dunes, the park covers 3,840 acres and has dunes as high as 70 feet. While the state park is relatively small, a majority of the sand dunes are on private property and stretch out 70 miles long and 20 miles wide. The current Sandhills State Park is operated on a 99 year lease, expiring in 2056, from the Sealy-Smith Foundation.
While not much vegetation grows in this semi-arid ecosystem, the sand is home to many types of critters and rodents. Several packs of Sandhills coyotes roam the area, keeping the mice population down. Often, these tracks can be seen in the smooth sand.
These sand dunes can be beautiful at sunrise or sunset. While appearing white during the day, as the light becomes lower and softer, the dunes often appear in tones of pink or orange with long shadows accentuating the curves and formations in the ever-changing sand.