Located only two and half hours from downtown San Diego is the Glamis Sand Dunes (Algodones Dunes). The beautiful stretches of sands make you feel as though you’ve taken a plane ride to a whole other country. Whether you go to take pictures, ride ATVs or just to visit, it is definitely somewhere you should not miss. 

How to Get There

The quickest way to get there is by the I-8, CA-115 and CA-78. The day I went, it was raining and very foggy. Not the most pleasant driving conditions. However, it is a beautiful drive (for the most part), especially going over the mountains range.  There are many places along the drive to fill up on gas until you reach El Centro. There is not much to see past El Centro, but remember to turn on the recirculation button once you’re past it as there is a large dairy farm that smells pretty bad. 

Most of the drive looks like this and is not an overly winding road. I got carsick on the way to Anza-Borrego, but was perfectly fine on this route.

Hugh T. Osborne Lookout Park

Before I went, I found it hard to find information on where to take pictures. Most of the areas are for ATV rentals. The Hugh T. Osborne Lookout is definitely your best option to explore the dunes and take pictures. Its free, has a lot of parking space and restrooms.

The space also offers overnight parking for those who want to roadtrip. For the drive, I rented a “mid-size” SUV and was given the not mid-size Ford Explorer. An SUV was definitely appreciated on the long drive.

The Dunes

Once you get there, there are dunes as far as you can see. It was beautiful. I went on a cloudy day right after the rain, so the sand was cool and compact. There were nice dunes not park from the parking lot, so you do not need to walk too far to get a good shot.

ATVs are available for rent on Gecko Road just off of the CA-78.

What I Wore

To stand out from the sand dunes, I wanted to wear something that flowed in the wind and had a contrast against the sand. I wore a maxi skort romper from Forever 21, similar here.

Because I wanted to take advantage of the road trip, I also wore this beaded print dress from Zara, similar here.