Wyoming
Wyoming’s Vast Killpecker Dunes: Like Another Planet Where The Sand Sings To You
Wyoming is full of unusual, surreal places, but among the strangest are the Killpecker Sand Dunes in the Red Desert about 30 miles north of Rock Springs.
Covering 109,000 acres, it’s the second-largest active dune field in the United States and the largest where you can drive motorized vehicles.
Although the overall largest sand dune field in the U.S. is in western Nebraska and the tallest dunes are in Colorado, these Wyoming dunes are absolutely magnificent.
First, where did that crazy name come from?
Nearby is Killpecker Creek, which was named by early pioneers. The creek is full of saltpeter which can diminish a man’s potency.
Yes, that is really where the name comes from.
After mentioning my desire to ride the dunes in a column about my Wyoming Bucket List dreams, a desert rat from Lander named Pat White said he would like to be my guide.
So, on the last day of July, Pat, his son Shane, his friend Perry Roberson of Shoshoni, and I headed out to the desert southwest of Lander.
We first drove 70 miles to Farson, and then 10 miles south on Highway 191, and then we turned off on a nice gravel road and headed for the dunes.
Our first stop was the impressive Boar’s Tusk, a 400-foot-high volcanic monolith that serves as a landmark for the extreme western portion of Red Desert and overlooks the 55-mile long stretch of sand dunes.
This Boar’s Tusk and Devils Tower in northeast Wyoming are considered to be somewhat similar center cones of long-extinct volcanoes. Both are in Wyoming, 412 miles apart.
Now, About That Sand
Scaling 15-story-high sand dunes in a side-by-side has been on my bucket list for more than 50 years.
This year I finally got to experience this amazing adventure.
White leads tours by folks who drive these off-road-vehicles across deserts and over mountains in western Wyoming. On this day, he was driving a very nice Polaris General that probably cost more than $35,000. It even had air conditioning.
His friend Perry had a Honda version of the same machine.
After looking over the Boar’s Tusk up close and personal we headed over to a huge parking lot that was well equipped with restrooms, some camping areas and plenty of space for club or family gatherings.
You could see the dunes stretching out to the north and the east. They actually run for more than 55 miles.
Pat has been visiting all parts of the desert for 30 years and says the dunes have moved considerably (over a mile) during that time.
My original request had also been to go to the summit of Steamboat Mountain, the biggest mountain in the desert. My old friend Dave Kellogg had always planned to take me there but unfortunately passed away two years ago.
The Sand Sings
The sand dunes are immense and made up of very, very fine sand.
The sand grains are famous for “singing” in the wind. They are so small and perfectly polished that they emit a singing noise when that perennial wind blows across them.
On this day, the wind kicked up late in the day and was as fine as snow.
We were able to drive almost to the summit of the biggest dune.
I wanted to walk to the top, so we struggled up the side. It was a hard slog and we held on to each other as we balanced on the fine, narrow edge on the top.
The sand seemed like a mixture of newly poured cement and the heaviest wet snow you ever saw. What an experience.
Experts say these dunes were formed over millennia by sand washed from the Big and Little Sandy rivers left behind during glacial melt, then driven by prevailing westerly winds through the volcanic Leucite Hills to pile up into a swirling, whirling sea of sand.
Within the Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area, roughly 11,000 acres are designated for motor use. Dune buggies, ATVs, dirt bikes, and side‑by‑sides can roam widely, but strict rules apply.
All vehicles must have a whip mast and red or orange safety flag, and must drive under 15 mph within 500 feet of access roads. Glass containers are prohibited, and Wyoming state trail registration is required on ORVs.
The dunes host a fee‑free campground, located at the terminus of Chilton Road near the open play area.
The Killpecker Sand Dunes Open Play Area Campground offers fire rings, picnic tables, and ADA‑accessible features. No reservations, vault toilets, first‑come, first‑served for stays of up to 14 days.
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Guides for the trip were, from left, Shane White, Perry Roberson and Pat White. This view is from the summit of Steamboat Mountain. The Oregon Buttes can be seen in the distance. (Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily) -
Shane and Pat White help Bill Sniffin get to the summit of one of the tall sand dunes. (Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily) -
The vast Killpecker Sand Dunes are visible from the top of Steamboat Mountain. Boars Tusk is visible in the distance. (Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily) -
Pat White struggles to find his footing on top of a big dune. (Bill Sniffin, Cowboy State Daily)
Steamboat Mountain And The Spanish Gold?
I first heard about Steamboat Mountain from the late Randy Wagner of Cheyenne, who was a former head of the state travel commission and an expert on South Pass and the Oregon Trail.
He said he had always heard stories about a mysterious cave in the vicinity where an old sheepherder had discovered some Spanish helmets and other items.
He left them there, but told some folks. When some archeologists went to check on it, the cave was there but the artifacts were gone.
Had the Spanish come this far north with Montezuma’s Gold? That was a question that Randy was always hoping to find an answer to.
On this day, we drove through 10-foot-high sagebrush over some old trails and worked our way to the top of the mountain.
We could see the famous buffalo jump that was used for millennia by early members of Indian tribes, according to St. Stephens Indian Mission Foundation.
The Shoshone Tribe that occupies the Wind River Indian Reservation roamed these areas for millennia, according to historians. The Northern Arapaho Tribe moved onto the reservation in the 1870s and probably did not participate in those early buffalo jump hunts.
The summit of Steamboat at 8,683 feet is the highest point in the vast Red Desert, which some folks claim is over 9,320 square miles.
The view looking back toward the dunes and the Boar’s Tusk is magnificent, and it was possible to even see the tall smokestacks of the Jim Bridger coal-fired power plant off to the southeast.
Tri-Territorial Marker, Animals
Northeast of Steamboat Mountain and back on good roads, drivers come up to the Tri-Territorial Marker, which marks a spot where the Continental Divide and the 42nd parallel intersect.
It shows where the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Territory, and the Mexican territory meet at one agreed-upon spot among the different countries.
Wild horses are abundant in the Red Desert and can be found in most parts of the vast area. They usually are found in small herds headed by a big stallion.
Watching them on the gallop kicking up dust is a sight to see.
Much harder to see are members of the famous Red Desert Elk Herd. These are usually mountain animals in the rest of Wyoming, but this solitary herd rules anyplace in the desert it chooses to reside in. On this day, we saw one elk.
The White Mountain petroglyphs are incredible as they are located in an area just north of Rock Springs that also features rocks which appear to have hand holds carved into them.
Some observers think these were birthing areas where indigenous women would hang on while giving birth.
Well Worth The Trip
Visiting the Killpecker Sand Dunes and its surrounding areas in the Red Desert should be on everyone’s bucket list. These are amazing sights and sites to see in Wyoming.
I am so glad to finally experience them up close, although it took me 55 years to get the job done.
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyoming (KUTV) — A man was hospitalized with critical injuries after he was reportedly shot by a deputy responding to reports of a disturbance.
Deputies with the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office and officers with the Rock Springs Police Department responded to the Sweetwater Heights apartment complex in the 2100 block of Century Boulevard just after 4 a.m. on Monday to investigate reports of a disturbance involving an armed individual.
Information that dispatch received indicated that the individual had shot himself. When officials arrived, they found the individual on the balcony of an upstairs apartment “who appeared to have a gunshot wound consistent with the initial report,” a press release states.
MORE | Officer-Involved Shooting
During the encounter, a deputy discharged their weapon and struck the individual.
Emergency medical personnel rendered aid, and the individual was transported to an area hospital in critical condition.
No law enforcement officers or members of the public were injured during the incident.
The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation will conduct an independent investigation.
The deputy who fired their weapon was placed on administrative leave per standard protocol.
_____
by Maggie Mullen, WyoFile
Albert Sommers, former Wyoming Speaker of the House, announced Thursday he will attempt to reclaim a seat he formerly held for more than a decade in the statehouse.
“Leadership matters,” Sommers, a lifelong cattle rancher, wrote in a press release. “Right now, the Wyoming House is too often focused on division instead of solutions. We need steady, effective leadership that solves problems—not rhetoric and political theater.”
Voters in 2013 first elected Sommers to House District 20, which encompasses Sublette County and an eastern section of Lincoln County. As a lawmaker, Sommers largely focused on health care, education and water issues. Over six terms, he rose through the ranks, serving in leadership positions and chairing committees focused on education funding and broadband.
In his announcement, Sommers highlighted his legislative work to establish funding for rural hospitals, prioritize “responsible property tax relief,” as well as the creation of the Wyoming Colorado River Advisory Committee within the State Engineer’s Office, “to ensure our water users have a voice in critical decisions affecting the Green River Valley,” he wrote.
As speaker, Sommers was a frequent target of the Wyoming Freedom Caucus as well as the DC-based State Freedom Caucus Network, even getting the attention of Fox News and other national, conservative news outlets. They often accused Sommers of not being conservative enough, and criticized him for keeping bills in “the drawer,” which has long been code for the unilateral power a speaker has to kill legislation by holding it back. (The practice of holding bills has been used to a much higher degree under Freedom Caucus leadership.)
In 2023, Sommers used the speaker’s powers to kill bills related to a school voucher program, banning instruction on gender and sexual orientation from some classrooms and criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors. At the time, Sommers defended his decision to hold back “bills that are unconstitutional, not well vetted, duplicate bills or debates, and bills that negate local control, restrict the rights of people or risk costly litigation financed by the people of Wyoming.”
He reiterated that philosophy and defended his record in his Thursday campaign announcement.
“I am a common-sense conservative who believes in getting things done. I support our core industries—oil and gas, ranching, and tourism—and I will continue to fight for the people and natural resources of Sublette County and LaBarge. I am pro-gun, pro-life, pro-family, and pro-education,” Sommers wrote. “I also take seriously my oath to uphold the U.S. and Wyoming Constitutions, which means I didn’t support bills that violated those constitutions. I read bills carefully and I voted accordingly.”
Following his term as speaker, Sommers stepped away from the House to run for Senate District 14 in 2024. He lost in the primary election to political newcomer Laura Pearson, a Freedom Caucus-endorsed Republican from Kemmerer, who also won in the general election. Her Senate win coincided with the Freedom Caucus winning control of the House.
“That race didn’t go my way, and I respected the outcome,” Sommers said in a Thursday press release. But “the direction of the Wyoming House,” since then, he said, has “raised serious concerns.”
Sommers pointed to the Freedom Caucus and its budget proposal, which, despite a funding surplus, included major cuts and funding denials. Ahead of the session, the caucus said its sights were set on shrinking spending and limiting the growth of government.
In his Thursday press release, Sommers criticized “decisions that cut food assistance for vulnerable children, reduced business opportunities, slashed funding to the University of Wyoming, eliminated resources for cheatgrass control, denied raises for state employees, and removed positions critical to protecting Wyoming’s water rights.”
Most of those proposals did not make it into the final budget bill.
Sommers also pointed to a controversy that dominated the 2026 session after a Teton County conservative activist handed out campaign checks to lawmakers on the House floor. Lawmakers in both chambers unanimously voted to ban such behavior before a House Special Investigative Committee found that the exchange did not violate the Wyoming Constitution nor did it amount to legislative misconduct. A Laramie County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation is still underway.
But “controversies like ‘Checkgate’ undermined public trust, and decorum in the House deteriorated,” Sommers said.
“Transparency and accessibility will remain central to how I serve,” Sommers said. “As I’ve done before, I will provide regular updates on legislation, seek your input, and clearly explain my votes.”
Incumbent bows out
Rep. Mike Schmid, R-La Barge, currently represents House District 20, but announced Thursday morning that he would not seek reelection.
“It has truly been an honor to serve as your State Representative for House District 20. When I first ran, I had hoped to serve up to three terms and continue building on what I learned during my first term,” Schmid wrote in a Facebook post. “But life can change your priorities. Over the past year, my family has gone through some difficult times. My wife is dealing with serious health issues, and the death of my brother, Jim, just a few short weeks ago have made it clear to me where I need to spend my time.”
In March, Bill Winney, a perennial candidate and former nuclear submarine commander, announced he would run for House District 20.
The official candidate filing period opens May 14.
This article was originally published by WyoFile and is republished here with permission. WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy.
Related
The following is a news release from the Wyoming’s Rock Springs Police Department:
ROCK SPRINGS, Wyo. — The Rock Springs Police Department is investigating a fatal incident that occurred early this morning in the parking lot of the Flying J Travel Center.
At approximately 5:00 a.m., a Flying J employee was working to direct commercial vehicle traffic within the lot. Initial findings suggest that as one semitruck began to move, the employee was positioned between that vehicle and a second stationary vehicle. The employee was subsequently pinned between the two units.
Rock Springs Fire Department and Castle Rock Ambulance arrived on the scene and coordinated life-saving measures. Despite the rapid response and medical intervention, the employee was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The identity of the deceased is being withheld at this time pending the notification of family members.
The driver involved in the incident, a resident of Idaho, remained on-site and has been fully cooperative with investigators. Following an initial statement and questioning, the driver was released. While the investigation remains open, the incident currently appears to be a tragic accident.
We extend our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and the staff at Flying J. We also want to commend the rapid response and professional life-saving efforts coordinated by Rock Springs Fire and Castle Rock Ambulance during this difficult call.
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