Bruneau Dunes State Park
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox park 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 Template:Convert 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 Template:Convert in height.<ref name=lmtef>Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn-ua The park encompasses Template:Convert and features the Bruneau Dunes Observatory, where visitors can use a telescope for stargazing.<ref name=parksandrec/> The Sand Dunes, the visible dunes within the dune field itself, encompass appx Template:Convert.<ref name=fsdbruneau>Template:Cite</ref>
Natural history
- 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.<ref name="Atlas"/>
- 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.<ref name="Atlas"/>
Park history
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 Template:Convert.<ref name=history/>
Recreation
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 Template:Convert and Template:Convert horseback riding trails around the dunes. An educational center offers natural history displays.<ref name=parksandrec2/> The astronomical observatory is open Friday and Saturday evenings mid-March through mid-October.<ref name=parksandrec3/>
See also
Notes
References
External links
- 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