Bruneau's Giant Dune

To get to Bruneau Dunes I went south to Mountain Home on the main highway, then cut over west. On the way home I went a different way north along the Snake River and through Nampa, then I turned back east to Boise. All day I was amazed that there was no traffic and no crowds. Bruneau Dunes is a state park with camping and there was hardly anyone there and in another month it will be too hot for Bruneau Dunes.

This is on the way in, outside of Bruneau,


I started out on the 5.9 mile loop on an almost invisible trail that is supposedly marked with markers, but I could barely see from marker to marker. The trail merges with the equestrian trail for a while and I missed a turn and stayed on the equestrian trail and thought I was going the wrong way, so I cut over to try to find the people trail. As soon as I did this a falcon started circling and screaming overhead as if to tell me, you are off the trail! I must have walked by some marsh, because then I got feasted on by mosquitoes.


Then I got to the base of the dune. It should not be Bruneau Dunes, it should be Bruneau One Big Great Giant Dune,




I am supposed to start at the far right edge of the Great Dune and walk along the edge to the top. This seems to start off pretty gentle. You can see in the last picture my steps on my shortcut down. I got maybe 1/5 of the way and said, nevermind, I don't care how great that view is at the top. It was sand! My feet sank in and I had to drag them up and forward and I figured even if I made it to the top, I would never get back.

So, I worked my way back to where I thought the people trail was supposed to be and ended up right in the same spot as I was earlier when I decided I was going the wrong way! With my detours, I figure I hiked 5 miles. When I got back to my car and studied the trail map, I decided that their map is wrong and the the edge of the Great Dune, where I was supposed to start my accent, had moved and was much father to the right than pictured. Seems plausible.

Then I went to take a look at their observatory,


I did not expect an observatory to be so small. Near the observatory were people climbing up much smaller dunes and running down,





Below the observatory is a lake with a boat dock and I met a couple who's son was out fishing. Fishing here really will not be good for another month, but they did catch something. That is the son's dog, who has issues with jumping in the water, which is the reason for the harness. The couple told me that Bruneau's Giant Dune is the largest dune in North America. They also told me that Hell's Canyon is the deepest gorge in North America, even deeper than the Grand Canyon. The largest gorge and the largest sand dune, right here in Idaho. (Although I admit, Idaho shares Hell's Canyon with Oregon.)

It was a perfect weather day. When I started at the visitor's center I asked the girl if she thought it was going to rain. She just shrugged her shoulders and said it didn't look like it now, but who knows what will happen in the next five minutes. That is Idaho. Good thing she doesn't work at Hell's Canyon, with canyons you need to pay attention to impending rain, and flash floods.

I was amazed on the drive home, the farms along the Snake River are so green! Part of it is that I have not seen enough green in the last few months, but it really was a bright green crop, maybe young wheat. I did not take any pictures on the way home, it was the wrong time of day and too bright and I was too tired.

It was a perfect day, although today I am paying the price for a day pack that is missing bug spray.