As most of you probably already know, the heavy rains from Hurricane Hilary caused major damage to highway 127 near the Little Dunes and the highway has been closed in both directions from Baker and Shoshone or Tecopa. There has been much concern whether or not there will be access to Dumont especially with the season kicking off Halloween weekend. After receiving word from a Caltrans engineer, we can finally report some accurate news about the road work and closures.
Access from Baker, CA route: CLOSED For About 3 Months
The south side of the 127 from Baker is expected to be closed for minimum of 3 months. Only law enforcement and medical service will have a code and access to get through the barriers.
Access from Shoshone or Tecopa, CA
The other direction of the 127 (from Pahrump, Death Valley, Shoshone, or Tecopa) will be open within 2 weeks (possibly around Oct 6th). The barricades will be moved down to the Dumont Dunes Rd and a concrete k-rail/chain will be at the damaged bridge section of 127.
Little Dumont
There will be zero access to Little Dumont unless you going through the dunes from the main camp area at Dumont.
Anyone coming for the holidays will have to go around and access Dumont Dunes from Pahrump, Death Valley or Tecopa.
Last week heavy rains near Dumont Dunes caused flash flooding on highway 127 causing the road to be filled with dirt, rock and debris. The road was impassable and was closed in both directions. Crews worked quickly to get it reopened on Aug 30th but mother nature had different plans. More heavy rain on Sept 1st came and flooded the road again. This time some some motorists were trapped for hours. John Edington reported his friend got caught in it that night just north of Baker and didn't make it to dry ground until 3:00. Crews will be working on getting it reopened asap. We'll update you as soon as it gets reopened, but check with Caltrans for the absolute latest. Closures are also usually updated pretty quickly on Google Maps Traffic layer.
(featured photo: Michael Battaglia, photo below: John Edington)
photo 9/2/23: Debbie Baker
9/5/23 UPDATE
The brand new Dumont entrance road is fine and so is the river crossing. It's just a ~9'x24' section of highway 127 near the little dunes that is badly damaged. The 127 remains closed from Shoshone to Baker until the highway is repaired.
It seems most people are done with dune season already, but if you take a look at the weather forecast, it tells a different story! Usually we see temperatures well into the 80s by now, but we're barely hitting the mid to upper 70's at Dumont. Easter weekend (April 8-9) is coming up. It's not a popular one and rarely do you ever see a crowd out there, but if you are heading out you might just see some color out there. Take a ride out to the outskirts of the dunes and if there is a bloom, you might be surprised how many flowers are popping up.
Dumont weather forecast
Check out some recent superbloom photos at Dumont...
There will be a Dumont cleanup held on St Patrick's Day weekend, March 18th at 8AM. Roadrunner Powersports will provide a free barbecue lunch consisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, & basic side dishes in addition to water and sports drinks for hydration. Barstow BLM will provide the dumpster, trash bags, and tools. Bring plenty of friends, sunscreen and whatever you plan on driving around Dumont to help clean up the best dunes on Earth!
Besides Halloween, it's always been one of the biggest weekends at Dumont. Although the Jeep races and hill climbs are longer happen on President's weekend, you'll still see the crowds of duners, some of your favorite vendors, and action on Comp Hill. Don't forget to swing by the sand highway (between comp and North Pole) at 3PM for the unofficial daily drags. It's nothing more than duners lining up and racing, but it's a new trend at Dumont that everyone seems to love. Stay safe and pack out what you pack in. There is no trash collection at Dumont so we must keep our playground clean if we want to enjoy it for years to come. Be sure to post up some photos from your trip on the forum and tag us on Instagram!
MLK weekend is not the holiday where you'll see huge crowds and partying. Instead it's more of a duner's holiday. It's a weekend to run the dunes and enjoy the weather (if it holds out). There should be a couple vendors showing up but still come prepared. Make sure you have a holiday pass because this is one of the five holiday surcharge weekends. As always, have fun, be safe and share your pics and videos on the forum, our Facebook group or tag us on Instagram.
Time to ring in 2023! New Year's Eve falls on Saturday night this year. How perfect is that? New Years' weekend is not as big as Halloween, but it still brings a decent-sized crowd. It's usually the coldest weekend of the year, but this year the forecast is showing highs in the 60s! You will still want to load on plenty of firewood though. In addition, you'll need a holiday weekend pass. Vendor Row should have a handful of vendors on site so be sure to stop by and show your support. And although fireworks are illegal out there, you know plenty of them will fire off throughout the night, so take extra caution with your pets. Keep them on a leash or indoors so they don't run off.
⛅ Dumont Weather Forecast
⛽ Places to Get Water, propane, services, etc near Dumont
🎟️ Dumont Passes
🗺️ Dumont Maps
Don't Lose Your Dog!
Keep Them On a Leash and In a Lighted Harness.
And Don't Forget Those Ridiculous New Year's Eve Party Supplies
Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It is a week-long dune trip for some groups when friends and families gather at the dunes to prepare their annual feasts. Catch the waterpumpers in action as the Dune Masters and Sand Pipers clubs compete in their annual hill climbs and drag races.
Friday: Drags on the back stretch start at 10:00 AM
Saturday: Hill Climbs on the steep, left side of Comp start at 10:00 AM
And don't forget, Santa will be at the North Pole on Saturday, 11/26/22, from 10am-1:30pm only
Calling all sandcars! Come join us at Dumont Dunes for our 10th Annual Buggy Roundup. The Buggy Roundup is an annual Dumont trip when all the sandcar people are invited to come out and camp together as a group. We'll be camped together across from bathroom 10, just off the right side of the entrance road. This trip gives the buggy guys and girls of Dumont a chance to meet each other and run the dunes together for a full weekend without the crowds. So don't be a stranger. Every year we have new people join the camp and end up leaving as friends.
Details below
There is no set schedule of events, but it will likely go something like this...
Arrive as early as you'd like. Some get there as early as Tues or Wed. Just don't go hard and break your car before the weekend!
Friday
Group rides: Link up and get some group rides going.
Saturday
8:00 AM -~10 AM: Sandcars and Coffee: Pull your car into the center of camp. (Or park it there the night before) Feel free to bring out some donuts or breakfast treats to contribute if you'd like. Just don't go nuts. Grab some coffee, say good morning to everyone, and check out all the buggies. This gives everyone a chance to wake up and get the day started. We'll also have raffle tickets for some prizes that we'll be giving away later in the day so come to the tent in the middle of camp to grab yours.
10 AM Group Ride: Join the group as we'll form the biggest train of buggies you've ever seen. We'll do a full dune run (slow to medium paced cruise) from the south end all the way through the dunes to the north pole.
Saturday Afternoon: The rest of the day will include dune trivia, a raffle and more group dune runs! Dune trivia will give you a chance to win additional raffle tickets. The raffle prizes will be given out shortly after trivia.
More info to come as it becomes available
Buggy Roundup/ Camp Rules
Those that wish to camp with the group for Buggy Roundup must agree to the rules set by us, Dumont Dune Riders.
1) Don't be a d*ck! We've never had an issue with anyone at buggy roundup, but we will not tolerate any BS. We are there to have a fun weekend of duning and hanging out with each other. You will be asked to leave camp if you cause problems.
2) No loud music. We all love to have a good time and party, but please be respectful of others in camp. We cram alot of RVs into one place and all have different tastes in music.
3) Unsafe driving or behavior will not be tolerated. This includes no passing on group rides unless you can do it extremely safe while giving that person plenty of room (ie: cut an entire dune to do it. Don't catch them by surprise.)
4) No side x sides in the group rides, photos or Sandcars and Coffee. We get asked this every year so I feel I need to say it. If you have a side x side, you are not UNinvited. If you love buggies, you can absolutely come out and camp with us. Please just understand and respect that this is a annual event for buggies.
Want in? Here's what you need to do.
1) RSVP as GOING here...
2) Bring your buggy to Dumont and join in on the fun. Don't be a stranger. Park with the group. If you don't know anyone, just ask for PETE
Halloween weekend kicks off dune season at Dumont Dunes Oct 29-30 weekend. Although the official holiday is Monday the 31st, Halloween night at Dumont is Saturday night, Oct 29th. This is the night you'll find trick-or-treaters going camp to camp and duners in costume over at Comp Hill having a good time. There has not yet been any word of a truck or treat at vendor row, but the original tradition of decorating camps and kids/ families trick-or-treating has never stopped. Halloween weekend always brings out thousands of excited duners which means we always have to take a little extra caution. Keep your head on a swivel but most importantly slow down around camps and other duners. Holiday weekends can be a little crazy and chaotic, but also safe and fun at the same time.
photo: vegasskip
Halloween Checklist
First things first, you will need a holiday weekend or holiday season pass for Halloween weekend. But after you pick up one of those and have the toys ready, it's time to get in the Halloween spirit!
