Let pink sand get between your toes...you'll never see such big piles of it anywhere else on the face of planet earth. Coral Pink Sand Dune State Park is just one of many Utah gems - but if you can only make one, this one is a top contender. Flying over it is just as fun too.

Many tour the wilds of Northern Arizona and Southern Utah to marvel at the red Navajo sandstone structures. Towers, needles and arches are the stunning hallmarks of the region - carved by centuries of erosion by wind and water. But where does all the eroded sandstone go? While lots is carried to the sea, much is piled high into dunes hundreds of feet high and shifting in shape each day.

These field of dunes is now a 3,730 acre State Park, established in 1963 - a place large enough for one to find solitude with the wind and the sand. It's hard to believe that this barren, harsh place could sustain any life, but if you look closely, traces of lizards, beetles, rabbits, coyotes, mule deers, jackrabbits, kit foxes and snakes can be found - all of which have to scavenge a life out of the sand. A 265-acre conservation area within the Park forbids motorised vehicles in order to protect the Coral Pink Beetle (found nowhere else in the world) and its habitat.

The Dunes provide a unique setting for camping, hiking, off-highway vehicle riding, taking photographs or just playing in the sand. A boardwalk trail is wheelchair-accessible. There's a 22-unit pull-through campground (reservations advisable), modern restrooms, showers, a waste disposal station and blacktop roads. If you prefer to have structure to your visit - there are plenty of trails to follow and activities organised by the Park Authorities. You can also hire something that takes you up in the sky for a birds eye view - a perfect way to see the pink hues of the sandscape change through the day.

Although open throughout the year, the summer months (June - September) are seriously hot, as can be expected for a southern state. If exploring nature is your thing - nearby are Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks, the Escalante National Monument, Lake Powell and Kodachorme and Escalante State Parks.