Little Sahara Recreation Area
Construction Update as of July 29:
- All roads open.
- White Sands Campground is closed, reopening Monday (August 2) afternoon.
- Line painting and signing is planned to begin August 5.
- All off-highway vehicle riding areas will remain open throughout the closures and can be accessed by trails.
- Despite periodic closures of campgrounds through weekends in July, the majority of the LSRA will remain open.
Final Business Plan Being Developed (LSRA Business Plan Questions & Answers)
Proposed Fee Increase Approved and Effective April 1, 2010
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) staff and federal and state agencies are preparing for visitors at Little Sahara Recreation Area (LSRA) for the first big recreation weekend of the year. Visitors will see higher fees this Easter weekend as the BLM has approved a fee increase that will take effect on April 1, 2010.
The BLM received 363 public comments during the comment period on the proposed fee increase and modified the fees based on public input. The fees will now be $18 per vehicle for a One-Night Camping Permit – two days and one night, expiring at dusk the second day. Fees for an Annual Permit will now be $120 and an Annual Permit for a second vehicle will be $65. Senior citizens will continue to receive a 50 percent discount on all Little Sahara fees. LSRA is the only dune system that offers a senior discount for permits.
The LSRA is open seven days per week, 365 days per year with a fully-staffed visitor center that is open Thursday through Monday. The visitor center offers fee collection, information services, interpretation, a medical room for minor walk-in injuries, restroom and public telephone. Other amenities that visitors enjoy while recreating at LSRA include: 255 campsites, toilet facilities, visitor protection by BLM and Juab County Law Enforcement, trash dumpsters, on-site dump station, drinking water, and many other amenities.
“Visitors can expect to see improvements on the ground with the approved fee increase” said Glenn Carpenter, West Desert District Manager. Improvement plans include upgrading the Jericho Campground, replacing signs, adding and maintaining safety beacons, replacing picnic tables and fire rings in campgrounds, and building a second dump station with better access for Sand Mountain and White Sands Campgrounds.
Little Sahara is known as “Utah’s Largest Sandbox” with 60,000 acres of sand dunes, trails, and camping sites. Although LSRA does not provide all services, the surrounding cities of Nephi and Delta are full-service communities. These nearby communities offer a full complement of fuel, groceries, hotels, medical facilities, OHV supplies and other amenities. Limited services are available at Eureka and Lynndyl.
Annual Permits will be available for purchase at three locations: LSRA Visitor Center (435-433-5960), the BLM Fillmore Field Office (435-743-3100), and the Salt Lake Field Office (801-977-4300).
The Little Sahara Recreation Area Visitor Center summer hours beginning on April 1 through October 17, 2010 are as follows:
Little Sahara Visitor Center Hours of Operation:
Sunday: | 8:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m. |
| Monday: | 8:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m. |
| Tuesday: | Closed |
| Wednesday: | Closed |
| Thursday: | 8:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m. |
| Friday: | 8:00 a.m. thru 9:00 p.m. |
| Saturday: | 8:00 a.m. thru 9:00 p.m. |
For more information about recreation opportunities at Little Sahara Recreation Area, contact the visitor center at (435) 433-5960. For weather information, call (435) 433-5961. Additional information can also be obtained by contacting the BLM Fillmore Field Office at (435) 743-3100, Monday through Friday.
Utah OHV rules can be found at: http://stateparks.utah.gov/docs/UtahCodeOHV.pdf
The Fillmore Field Office (FFO) is located in west-central Utah, bordering Great Basin National Park, and the Fishlake, Dixie and Manti-LaSal National Forests. The FFO is on the eastern edge of the Basin and Range Geographic Province and is dominated by numerous alternating north-south trending mountain ranges and sedimentary basins. Peaks in the mountain ranges include Granite Peak, Notch Peak and Swasey Peak climbing to elevations exceeding 12,000 feet.
The basins include Sevier Lake, Tule Valley, Black Rock Desert, and Sevier Desert. The Sevier Desert contains the 60,000 acres of sand dunes known as Little Sahara Recreation Area, which is administered by FFO. At an elevation of 5,100 feet, the Yuba Special Recreation Management Area offers a variety of water recreation opportunities. When full, the lake is 22 miles long and reaches a maximum depth of 80 feet. This recreation area is cooperatively managed by Utah State Parks and Recreation and the Bureau of Land Management. The field office administers 4.7 million acres making it the largest contiguous BLM administrative area in Utah.
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