Michael Smith, Superintendent and park police officer for Monahans Sandhills State Park, was interviewed for a recent video shared by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on their YouTube channel. The approximately six-minute video features this extraordinary piece of Lone Star State property where you can surf on a sand dune, as the beauty that it is, ever-changing and practically perfect at the same time.
Located in West Texas, not far from Midland and Odessa, Monahans Sandhills State Park is located in the Permian Basin, with sand from both Northern New Mexico and Colorado! The theory is that it was ground into very small, fine particles during the last ice age and found its way to the area, where it settled, forming dunes that change almost daily. In the Permian Basin, the wind can’t blow the sand back out, but it does continue to swirl it around, hence the daily changes. It’s also home to a variety of plants and animals which exist nowhere else in the state of Texas. 800 acres of the park is set aside for equine use, in addition to three campsites as well as a day-use area. Park rangers encourage everyone to get out and explore its natural beauty, given the opportunity.